Each August, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance welcomes an astounding collection of classic and modern automobiles. Just take a look at what was on show last year to see for yourself. At this month's event, Infiniti plans to walk the line between classic and modern, presenting a vintage race car fully updated with electric technology and modern design language. The prototype open-top racer will be joined by concept debuts from a several other luxury automakers.
"It started as a simple thought: What if we found a car, down at the southern tip of Japan, buried deep in the barn, hidden from all eyes for 70 years? What if in this car we found the seed of passion planted during our first Japanese Grand Prix and the power and artistry of Infiniti today? What would this discovery look like?" Infiniti senior vice president of global design Alfonso Albaisa said today in teasing the new prototype.
Putting aside the varying timeframes of a car from the 40s, a company launched in 1989 and a racing event first held in 1963, Albaisa's description certainly whets the appetite. Further developing that appetite is the mention of the advanced EV technology that will feature in the car. We're assuming that means an all-electric powertrain, but we'll have to wait to find out exactly what Infiniti has done with this classic-turned-ultramodern race car.
One thing we do know is that Infiniti has styled the racer with its "Powerful Elegance" design language, which promises to give the classic race car form some modern flair.
Classic race car, modern curves and the latest electric technology? We're tempted to say this prototype is a lock for a spot on the list of "most interesting cars at Monterey Car Week 2017," but when an event showcases and auctions such a magnificent collection of beautiful and powerful cars, old and new, there can be no such lock.
Infiniti's little e-racer won't be the only open-top car debuting at Pebble Beach. BMW will send an all-new concept to accompany the new Concept 8 Series on its first trip to North America. The shadowy teaser photo released last week suggests a sporty, compact car with removable roof panel.
Mercedes also has a big debut in store, and it looks to be a convertible as well. It released the below teaser video today, showing a new Vision concept popularly thought to be a convertible version of last year's Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, the forever-hooded red beauty above. The video shows a long, flowing hood and interior design that are definitely closely related to the stretched 2016 concept, so a deep-blue Maybach 6 Cabriolet seems likely.
Monterey Car Week gets started on August 11, with Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance scheduled for August 20. We look forward to bringing you all the latest debut and auction news as the events get underway.
Sources: Infiniti, BMW, Mercedes