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Infi niti FX Sebastian Vettel
Version and its designer, F1’s
youngest-ever champion.
This page: chrome and
carbon-fi bre fi nishing make
the car stylish inside and out
SUV is the fi rst road car – or at least an edition thereof – to
be designed by an F1 champion.
‘It’s not every day that you get to help design a road car,’
says Vettel. ‘For me it was important that the vehicle had a
sporty look and feel, which was inspired by my day job
driving an F1 car. I worked closely with the exterior and
interior designers, including Shiro Nakamura, Infi niti’s chief
creative offi cer in Japan. It was an interesting process to sit
down and discuss in detail what we could achieve and a great
pleasure to see the end result.’
Vettel says that his knowledge of motor racing played a
vital role. ‘Driving an F1 car is all about feeling and understanding
the car to maximise performance. I took the same approach
when talking to the Infi nity engineers about my FX. Of course,
an F1 car is completely diff erent to a road car, but the objective
is similar in that you want a car that is easy to handle and
produces high performance. I think we have achieved that.’
Compared to the already impressive Infi niti FX50S
Premium, Vettel’s FX takes power, precision and style to the
next level. His car is much lighter, as a result of using carbonfi
bre components similar to those in his F1 car. It has less
drag and is more powerful, as he challenged the engineers to
increase the power output of the fi ve-litre V8 engine from
390 to 420 BHP. To create more downforce and roadholding,
he insisted that the front-end design be streamlined, the
ride-height lowered and a carbon-fi bre rear wing added to
increase downforce and reduce drag.
‘In addition to its increased performance, what it looks
like is also important,’ says Vettel. ‘Inside and out it is very
stylish and includes bespoke chrome and carbon features plus
21-inch wheels. I am pleased to say that my signature FX is a
beautiful-looking car.’
Andreas Sigl, the global director of Infi niti F1, shares the
champion’s enthusiasm, but admits that in the early stages
of design there were no guarantees that Vettel’s special
edition would ever see the light of day. But what started
out as nothing more than an idea at last year’s Geneva
Motor Show gave birth to a concept car on display at the
Frankfurt Motor Show a mere six months later. Although
it happened in record time, Sigl insists that Vettel’s version
of the FX is the product of the F1 star’s personal dedication
and enthusiasm, as well as long hours and hard work from
both Vettel and the development engineers.
Th e asking price for the limited edition is not being
advertised and Infi niti will only disclose the amount to those
who are serious about buying. Th e price does, however,
include those exclusive driving lessons in the South of France
with Vettel, to those who order early. As Sigl puts it: ‘It’s great
having the world champion as your salesman.’
PRIVATDRIVE
Twenty
UNDER
THE
BONNET
ENGINE
5 LITRE, V8
POWER OUTPUT
420 BHP
ACCELERATION
0-62MPH / 100KM/H
IN 5.6 SECONDS
TOP SPEED
186MPH
300KM/H
WEIGHT
4,517 POUNDS
2,049KG