Barn Find of the Future? Infiniti Bridges the Gap Between Past and Future Race Cars with Prototype 9

The year is 2087, you walk in to a dilapidated barn in search of an old race car you’d been told was there. Though the old woman who told you there was a racecar in there seemed a little crazy, you just can’t help yourself. These days, finding anything 70 years old is exciting. You pry back the rotten barn doors, and there it is: the Infiniti Prototype 9 from 2017. While it isn’t 2087, and this car isn’t a barn find yet, it is always possible that it will be somewhere down the line! Infiniti built this car using techniques that have mostly been forgotten and are seldom taught in modern-day courses, as a nod to racing vehicles of the past. The Prototype 9 is styled entirely in the fashion of a 1940s Grand Prix racecar, with the exception of the drivetrain. Weighing in at approximately 1,920 pounds, the Prototype 9 is hardly a heavy vehicle.

Infiniti intentionally framed this car as a barn find of the future, perhaps referencing the pattern of the past in which cars like this eventually disappear from the public eye only to be rediscovered in an unlikely location decades later. The Prototype 9 has flowing bodylines, and Infiniti very much captured the look they were going for.

Just like in the early 20th century, an Infiniti craftsman beats the metal body into shape using a wooden mallet. While there is more to the craft than simply bashing the metal with a hammer, this technique is something that has only been used for high-profile restorations as of recent years. It is a technique that is only taught in places such as McPherson College that teach older techniques in order to create a more accurate replica or restoration. Infiniti wanted the body construction of the Prototype 9 to be as accurate a tribute to racecars of the 1940s as possible, and thus this was the process used to shape the body.

What’s so special about this car? Why was it unveiled like a new concept car if it is just a tribute to racecars of days gone by? Well, it may be a tribute but it is also more than that. This car bridges the gap between racecars of the past and racecars of the future, for while it sports a very 1940s-inspired body, the drivetrain is fully electric. Though the body was built using authentic 1940s techniques, the drivetrain is all modern Nissan electric components. The Prototype 9 produces 148 horsepower and 236 ft-lbs of torque and can go 0–100km/h (that’s 62 MPH) in 5.5 seconds! The top speed is only 170km/h (105 MPH), but the performance of this car is roughly the same as the 1940s racecars it is a tribute to. Though this car may be a prototype, it is a fully functional vehicle capable of being driven. With its aesthetics rooted deeply in the past, and its drivetrain headed straight for the future, the Infiniti Prototype 9 is the perfect dynamic connector between past and future.

Sources: Autofocus, Motor Trend

Photos: Autofocus

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