An Infiniti QX80 with the engine from a Nissan GT-R. That’s what Infiniti is bringing to SEMA this year.
It’s called the Infiniti QX80 R-Spec, and it promises four-digit horsepower and some serious brake and suspension upgrades. All to transform the big luxury beast into something that could be shockingly fast around a racetrack, but more so to show you that Infiniti is still alive and fighting.
1,000-Horsepower 3-Row SUV
The 3.5L twin-turbo V6 in the QX80 and the 3.8L in the GT-R are very closely related. Most importantly for this build, if one can fit in an engine bay, then so can the other. This allows for this monster swap and creates a faster and more luxurious version of the closely related Nissan Armada Nismo.
A Nissan GT-R with the VR38DETT V6 maxes out at 592 horsepower in both Nismo and Track Edition cars. 600 horsepower is a nice upgrade over the 450 horsepower of a QX80, but it’s not enough for a SEMA show truck. Especially when Infiniti already showed a 650-horse QX80 Track Spec earlier this year.
Infiniti wanted a lot more. So it took the heart of the GT-R, long known as Godzilla, and started upgrading. New pistons, new connecting rods, and new rod bolts keep the engine’s rotating assembly together. It needs the extra strength because new custom turbochargers, intercoolers, exhaust manifolds, and injectors flow way more air and fuel.
The result is 1,000 horsepower. Of course, putting all that power into a QX80 requires more significant changes. Changes like an electronic locking rear differential, to start.
Infiniti QX80 R-Spec ‘Unexpectedly Raw’
Infiniti wanted the QX80 R-Spec to be “an unexpectedly raw performance machine.” Dropping in 1,000 horsepower and calling it a day would be unexpectedly raw, but probably a little more raw than its customers might want.
To make it the good kind of raw, Infiniti added carbon ceramic brakes from a GT-R. They’ll make sure the nearly 6,000-pound SUV can stop at every corner and not just the first one.
New springs from Eibach and custom three-way adjustable coilovers from Motion Control manage the body. They also lower the QX80 to give it that mean stance. Infiniti moved the steering rack and added a custom steering shaft and even changed the steering knuckles to reduce bump steer and make sure the R-Spec can actually corner.
GT-R’s Midnight Purple: The Perfect Touch
We’re not ignoring the cosmetics, because this purple QX80 is wearing one of the most iconic GT-R paint colors of all time. Yes, it’s a color-shifting Midnight Purple. Sadly, it’s just a wrap and not full paint.
The custom widebody kit has GT-R-inspired design details. A wild front lip and rear diffuser, gigantic blue exhaust tips, and new badges are all designed to mimic the GT-R.
Even the 24-inch wheels are GT-R Takumi Edition lookalikes, though they’re a whole lot bigger than any factory GT-R ever got. They’re half as wide as they are tall, letting them fit 315-width tires at all four corners.
“QX80 R-Spec is extreme, aggressive, and a showcase of what Infiniti can do,” said Infiniti Americas VP Tiago Castro. It’s also going to arrive at dealers sometime around never, sadly.
The point of the exercise, though, is to show you that Infiniti is not dead, that it is still kicking as a luxury brand. And that it’s one that wants to do things that aren’t quite this extreme, but are much closer to it than the sedate vehicles the brand has become known for.
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