A Legendary Nissan Engine Could Soon Be Making an Unexpected and Unusual Return

Earlier this summer, Nissan finally laid the R35 GT-R to rest after 18 years of production.

While the brand has since confirmed that the nameplate will eventually live again in a future model, the loss of the great Japanese sports car nevertheless makes for a conspicuous absence for the time being.

Only, now it seems that Nissan, or rather, Infiniti, could already be reviving the spirit of the legend in an unexpected new way.

Nissan

If the brand’s previous concepts are anything to go by, there’s the potential for a new potent SUV project that could make quite a splash upon its SEMA debut.

Infiniti teases a spicy SUV build

Naturally, at this stage, Infiniti is playing coy. The automaker has teased just two images of the SUV — the QX80 R-Spec — along with a short press release announcing that it will be “redefining luxury performance from the ground up” because a “legend lives under the hood.”

Infiniti

Now, although details are sparse, those do amount to some pretty telling hints that the SUV could pack real-deal GT-R DNA.

For one, when Nissan gave the Juke its ‘R’ makeover, the crossover benefited from the same VR38DETT twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 as the Nissan legend. The fact that this Infiniti is to carry a similar badge suggests that it will be getting comparable treatment.

Of course, given that the stock QX80’s (VR38-derived) VR35DDTT twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 already makes a respectable 450 horsepower in production form, it’s possible that this could merely indicate that a dedicated performance-focused variant is on the horizon. Remember, Nissan does offer an equivalent in the Armada Nismo.

Nissan

Specifically, it’s the fact that Infiniti calls out a “legend” under the hood in an announcement titled “Luxury gets a new heartbeat” that makes it seem so likely that the VR38DETT V6 of the recently departed GT-R will be the engine to power the concept.

An eye on performance

As exciting as the prospect of a new Infiniti super-SUV is in theory, it’s unclear if the QX-80 R-Spec will be a one-off effort or the first in a series of new performance family haulers. Given that Infiniti refers to it as a “build” for SEMA, the former certainly seems more likely.

Infiniti

That being said, the Infiniti QX80 and Nissan Armada SUVs already boast GT-R DNA under the hood in the form of their VR35DDTT engines, and the latter boasts a Nismo variant, so it wouldn’t take much from an engineering standpoint to make an R-Spec happen.

Moreover, this isn’t the first time that the brand has made its performance aspirations clear. 

Infiniti

For instance, back in 2014, Infiniti debuted a hot sedan concept — the Q50 Eau Rouge — that packed the GT-R’s twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 under the hood. In other words, there’s existing precedent for a VR38DETT project.

More recently, Infiniti turned the QX80 SUV into a series of exciting concept cars for The Quail called the ‘Terrain Spec’ and the ‘Track Spec.’ While the former was billed as a sort of luxury overlander, the latter showed what’s possible with the brand’s performance SUVs.

Infiniti

That’s because Infiniti managed to take output for QX’s twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 up to 650-plus horsepower and 750-plus lb-ft of torque (an increase of roughly 50 percent in each case) without even changing the stock engine internals.

Through upgraded compressors, a higher-capacity intercooler, new fuel injectors, ram air intake and a lower-restriction exhaust, the luxury SUV was able to post the highest horsepower output in the brand’s history. Thankfully, Infiniti was also wise enough to fit it with some beefy Brembo brakes.

Infiniti

Only time will tell whether Infiniti intends to turn the R-Spec into a serial production offering. However, there’s no denying that the Nissan sub-brand has been increasingly ramping up its performance ambitions.

More to come

According to Infiniti, the full reveal is slated for October 27th.

Being a SEMA vehicle, you’ll be able to catch it on display at the show in Las Vegas from November 4th through November 7th.

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