Pebble Beach 2018: Infiniti previews racing-inspired Project 10 sports EV

Infiniti, the Nissan-owned luxury car firm, has released another preview image of its electric Project 10 concept ahead of the vehicle’s debut in California on 26 August.

The image offers fans the best glimpse of the sleek sports EV so far. The car, which will be officially unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance later this month, appears to take the form of a roofless sports tourer, a design inspired by front-engined grand prix cars driven by Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio in the mid-1950s.

“The sides are deeply sculpted”, says Motor1, and these are in a similar style to the company’s Q Inspiration concept that first appeared at the Detroit Motor Show in January.

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It’s the second preview image to come from the Japanese company. The first, which appeared last week, showcased the car’s compact interior which looks as if it can only fit one occupant.

The design may be vintage but the car is equipped with a hi-tech electric motor system that could find its way into Infiniti’s production EVs.

Details of the Project 10’s performance are scarce, but Autocar says the concept’s small air vent strip behind the driver’s head suggests the motors will be located at the car’s rear.

Although Infiniti is less than 30 years old, the firm is no stranger to building concept cars inspired by historic racing machinery.

At last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company unveiled a single-seater electric Prototype 9 that shared much of its design with historic grand prix cars from the 1940s.

While the concept was a hit with fans, the Prototype 9 was simply a design study. Infiniti had no plans to put the sports EV into production.

Auto Express says the Project 10 will probably meet the same fate as its predecessor, but the concept suggests that an electric sports car could appear when the company launches its first EV in 2021.