A Crossover fit for a champion

With an already potent 5.0-litre V8 under the bonnet, relatively little needed to be done to enable the world’s most special FX to hit Sebastian Vettel’s maximum speed target of 300km/h.

The first job was to free the car of its speed limiter which electronically restricts all other FXs to 250km/h. Even in standard form, with the VVEL V8 producing 390PS at 6500rpm, the car has plenty of performance beyond its artificial top speed, but even so more power had to be found to deliver 300km/h.

No radical engine reworking was necessary to gain the extra 30PS that takes the FX Vettel concept’s power output to 420PS. A new exhaust system liberates some of the extra horsepower while a reprogrammed engine ECU takes care of the rest, with no discernible difference to the V8’s response or efficiency. And it sounds better than ever.

In addition to the extra power is a longer final drive ratio to deliver 300km/h Autobahn speed without any detrimental effects on refinement. The longer overall gearing means the car is not as quick off the line as it could be — but at 5.6 seconds for 0-100km/h, two tenths of a second ahead of the standard car, no one is complaining. Least of all Sebastian Vettel.

Stiffer springs and re-rated dampers take the FX50’s already highly focused sports chassis into a new area of precision control for the smooth-surface, high-speed driving for which the car exists. Essentially, however, making an FX to the World Champion’s specification required no major changes. Like any FX in sporting S guise, the concept features dual-flow path (DFP) dampers with continuous damping control (CDC); the same wishbone front/multilink rear suspension, much of it constructed out of aluminum; opposed 4-piston (front), 2-piston (rear) calipers for the 355/350mm brake discs; and vehicle-speed variable rack and pinion steering.

Rear Active Steering, an important ingredient in any FX S’s blend of agility with stability, plays a key role in ensuring handling fulfils the World Champion’s requirements for a road car.

The bespoke carbon fiber exterior detailing is echoed in the FX’s cabin by tailored panels of black carbon — real, not applique — on the doors and centre console. Highlights that would normally be silver chrome are treated to a special black chrome finish, while in true F1 style, Alcantara is used on the steering wheel and gearshift paddles. Special seats, with extra support, are covered in black quilted suede cloth finished with purple stitching and special “SV” logos. The material also features on the pillars, roof lining and sun visors.

A metal plate on the centre console featuring the World Champion’s signature provides the unique finishing touch.

The luxury fittings, comprehensive features including Connectiviti+, one of the car world’s most complete and easily understood infotainment systems, and the FX’s award-winning range of safety technologies are all included. As standard of course. Infiniti believes that no one should be forced to pay for expensive extras.

Not even World Champions.