Infiniti has finally confirmed the engine for its Q50 Eau Rouge will, after all, be a version of the VR38DETT 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 from the Nissan GT-R.
We'd wondered
whether or not Infiniti would be allowed to get its hands on this prized signature of the GT-R and, if not, if it might instead use its own V8. But, no, the GT-R has donated its engine, retuned to give 568hp and 442lb ft of torque. Some way short of the 600lb ft Infiniti boss Johan de Nysschen said it should have but the trade off is a horsepower figure far in excess of the 500hp he was proposing. We'll live with that.
Optimising the VR38DETT for Infiniti has raised power and dropped torque a little from the 550hp and 463lb ft of the MY14 GT-R and a spokesman told us the engine had been reengineered for its new application for a less manic feel. Further evidence of this comes from the use of the Q50's standard seven-speed automatic transmission, rather than the snappy dual-clutch of the GT-R. It will also be four-wheel drive though.
If performance delivery is, relatively, a little softer than the GT-R performance will still be enough to make the M3 pause for thought. Infiniti predicts 0-62 in less than four seconds and a top speed 'close to 180mph', giving AMG something to aim for as it perfects the forthcoming 4.0-litre twin-turbo C63 too.
Officially still just a concept at this stage and not confirmed for production, you'd have to expect de Nysschen signs it off given that sponsorship of Red Bull F1 is currently not reflected in the road car line up. A halo model like the Eau Rouge would make perfect sense in that regard, even if the base car and its 'drive by wire' steering left a little to be desired dynamically compared with rivals from M and AMG. Certainly its sub-4.0-litre capacity is on the money for selling the hot Q50 in markets where engines bigger than this are heavily taxed, most likely explaining why it's not opted for a V8.
With this and the Lexus RC F the Germans will soon be facing a two-pronged Japanese attack on their performance saloon and coupe heartland; on paper both have the firepower to trouble them. If they can be made to handle too we'll have a proper fight on our hands.