Infiniti has unveiled their Prototype 9, an all-electric vehicle that is astonishingly evocative of 1930’s racers. With its slim wheels, and the fluidity of early automotive aerodynamics which bear a striking resemblance to an aircraft fuselage from the era, the car is an entirely unique interpretation of classic-car tropes which hides a series of technological features that place it squarely in the 21st century.
The shell of the Prototype 9 is raw aluminum—hand-hammered, no less—and the spoke tires suggest wheel designs from the first generation of cars. The chrome on the Prototype 9 adheres to the deco fashion which ruled during the period, inflecting everything from architecture to clothes, home appliances to jewelry.
But the car is motivated by an all-electric powertrain which produces 148 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. Launch speed for the car is impressive for its design; the Prototype 9 will blast from zero to sixty in five and a half seconds. The top speed of the car is set at 105, but it is capable of substantially higher speeds.
In an age when the word ‘bespoke’ has crossed from sartorial arts into automotive special ordering, and one that is finding the automobile approaching a true technological sea-change, it’s understandable that such a limited edition which might result from the Prototype 9 could sell very well. There is a desire to balance such a dramatic technological change with the simple art of driving a car on a fine warm day, and it could be that such stylized models have significant appeal in the specialty car market.
For now, though, the car is both an exercise in design and style, and a means for Infinity to display the individuality of the brand. It remains to be seen if the Prototype 9 will lead to a limited edition of some sort.
