Infiniti Project S Prototype Brings F1 Tech on The Road
The Infiniti Project Black S (also known as the Q60 Project Black S or Project S prototype) is Infiniti's most technically ambitious road car concept, developed in partnership with the Renault Formula 1 programme to transplant race-derived hybrid energy recovery technology directly into a road-legal grand tourer. The result is a 563-horsepower hybrid machine that accelerates from 0-60 mph in under 4.0 seconds while running three separate motor-generator units lifted straight from F1 engineering thinking.
What Is the Infiniti Project Black S?
Project Black S is built on the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 platform, a twin-turbocharged V6 coupe that already produces 400 horsepower in standard form. To develop the hybrid system, Infiniti worked directly with the Renault F1 team, leveraging the Alliance partnership between the two brands. The collaboration centred on adapting the kinetic and thermal energy recovery systems (ERS-K and ERS-H in F1 terminology) for road use, allowing the Project Black S to harvest energy under both braking and deceleration and redeply it as electric thrust.
How Does F1-Derived Hybrid Technology Work in a Road Car?
In a Formula 1 car, two motor-generator units work in tandem: the MGU-K recovers kinetic energy under braking; the MGU-H recovers heat energy from the turbocharger. Project Black S applies a version of this dual-source energy recovery logic using three motor-generator units total. Energy captured during deceleration and braking feeds a battery pack, which then supplements the 3.0-litre twin-turbo VR30 V6 during hard acceleration. The combined system output reaches 563 horsepower, a gain of 163 hp over the standard car.
This isn't simply a conventional plug-in hybrid: the architecture mirrors the way F1 power units extract maximum efficiency from every thermodynamic process in the drivetrain. As Autocar noted when the concept was revealed, the engineering challenge was condensing a multi-element F1 hybrid system into a package compatible with road car chassis constraints.
Interior and Aerodynamics
Inside, Project Black S moves well beyond the standard Q60 cabin. Carbon-fibre backed sports seats and laser-etched leather with bright yellow stitching reference the car's motorsport DNA. The exterior aerodynamic package was developed to generate meaningful downforce: an active rear spoiler and reshaped front bodywork distinguish the Project Black S from the production car at a glance.
The complete vehicle weighs 3,915 lb (1,776 kg), and successive iterations of the project have progressively trimmed mass compared to the original concept, reflecting the engineering team's ongoing refinement work. For those curious about how this compares to pure-electric hypercar thinking, Motor1 has tracked the project's evolution across multiple show appearances.
F1 Technology for the Road: An Ongoing Mission
Infiniti positioned Project Black S explicitly as a technology test bed rather than a production-intent vehicle. The goal was to demonstrate that F1-derived energy recovery systems are compatible with the thermal and mechanical demands of road car engineering, paving the way for hybrid technology to filter into the wider Infiniti range. Whether those lessons translate directly into series production remains to be confirmed, but the project stands as one of the clearest examples of motorsport technology transfer in the premium car segment.
Experience Racing Technology at TheArsenale
If the idea of driving F1-derived engineering on public roads excites you, TheArsenale's car collection includes machines that share that philosophy. The Delage D12 F1-Inspired Hypercar brings single-seater racing logic into a road-legal body, the RAESR Tachyon Speed Electric Hypercar pushes electric performance to its absolute limits, and for the collector, the Renault F1 R31 Show Car brings the actual race machine into your space.
