Infiniti has confirmed its 500bhp-plus Q50 Eau Rouge will make its moving debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next week. The car will be driven by Christian Horner and Sebastian Buemi from the Red Bull Racing team.
This latest outing for the Q50 comes as Infiniti continues its feasibility study for the car, to ensure any production version could challenge the best fast saloons Europe has to offer.
Staff at Nissan’s Cranfield technical centre have been tasked with the work, which includes fitting the Nissan GT-R’s twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 into the rear-drive saloon. In the Eau Rouge that engine produces 552bhp, enough to give the car a 0-62mph sprint time of less than four seconds, and a top speed of 180mph.
Cranfield’s engineers are considered to have the skills necessary to create a car that will need a strong dose of European-flavoured dynamics if it is to be a success.
Four-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel has also been testing the car around Millbrook's test track in his role as Infiniti's director of performance.
If feasible, it’s likely to take at least another 12 months before the car makes production. The Eau Rouge concept was last seen at the Geneva motor show early last month, with Infiniti boss Johan de Nysschen saying the car was now "an official project".
In Europe, the Q50 Eau Rouge would face competition from the likes of the Jaguar XFR, which has 503bhp available from its supercharged V8 engine, as well as the 457bhp Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and 444bhp Audi RS4 Avant.
Additional reporting by Darren Moss, 17 June 2014
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