Infiniti Q60 Project Black S shown: F1-inspired, 500 hp

Teased last week, the Infiniti Q60 Project Black S has been unveiled ahead of its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. Built in partnership with the Renault Formula One team, the high-performance show car utilises an F1-inspired hybrid powertrain to provide the performance to rival the likes of the BMW M3, and has been built to gauge potential interest in a “Black S” performance grade.

Initial details, revealed on Autocar, are certainly mouth-watering – using the range-topping Red Sport 400 AWD model as base, the Black S utilises the 3.0 litre twin-turbocharged V6 that develops 405 PS at 6,400 rpm and 475 Nm from 1,600 to 5,200 rpm in standard form.

The electric part of the equation is still being developed, but the two companies plan to replicate as much of the F1 car’s Energy Recovery System (ERS) as much as possible – claimed to be the first for a production car – targeting a total system output of around 500 hp and “instant, lag-free acceleration”.

In the race car, twin motor-generator units – one recuperating kinetic energy through braking, the other scavenging heat from the exhaust – send electricity to a lithium-ion battery, which is then used to boost both the crankshaft and the turbocharger compressor. Autocar noted that engineering the system for a road car would be costly, and push the price of a production model to well over £60,000 (RM328,000).

“We’re very serious about our involvement in F1,” said Infiniti director of global motorsport Tommaso Volpe. “We want the Black S to be seen as the road-going embodiment of our technical partnership with Renault. We are developing the power unit now, a big challenge because our car is already tightly packaged. But indications of success are good.”

The performance is mirrored through a very serious-looking design, which transforms the rather handsome Q60 coupé into something altogether more menacing. Up front, the air intakes have been made much larger, and sit above a more pronounced splitter; there are also prominent air vents moulded into the bonnet.

Moving to the sides, the wheel arch extensions hide the increased track width and larger 21-inch alloy wheels, while the side skirts are deeper and more elaborate. The rear is characterised by a large rear wing and a massive diffuser, joined by enormous twin titanium centre-exit exhausts.

“The brief was easy,” says European design director Mat Weaver. “This is a true ‘form follows function’ job that reflects the aesthetics of the Black S’s race-bred engineering. The carbon fibre components and the aerodynamic features fit well with the car’s high performance, and our partner’s racing heritage.”

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