TORRANCE, California — There will be few cars more striking than the Infiniti Essence concept at next weekend's Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach, California. The Essence was flown into Los Angeles late last week, and Inside Line got an exclusive look at the elaborate crate Infiniti uses to transport its multimillion-dollar concept car all over the world.
The Essence originally debuted at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show and was seen by some as the highly anticipated Infiniti version of the Nissan GT-R. A twin-turbocharged and direct-injected 3.7-liter V6 engine rated at a claimed 432 horsepower pointed in that direction. However, a rear-drive electric motor and 158-hp lithium-ion battery pack made the packaging seem less feasible for production, though the claimed 592-hp combined rating certainly looked good on the spec sheet. What is clear, though, is that Infiniti is intent on using the Essence to market a new design language and the brand as a whole.
However, at 77 inches wide, the Infiniti Essence can't be transported in a standard shipping container, and this one-off concept is such an expensive creation, Infiniti probably wouldn't want it traveling on a freighter anyway. So the company commissioned a steel crate just for the Essence. After clearing customs last week at Los Angeles International Airport, the Essence was flat-bedded, crate and all, to Torrance, California. Here, we watched and shot video and photos as logistics staff went through the elaborate process of removing the car from its crate.
Just getting the crate off the truck took some time, as the staff had to secure a heavier-duty forklift to cope with the weight of the Essence's steel crate. Typically, showcars, including the GT-R that toured the U.S. auto show circuit, are transported in wooden crates. Though more difficult to move about, this steel crate has the advantage of being reusable.
Once the crate was off the truck, the forklift was again called into service to slide the separate, built-in pallet out of the crate. The Infiniti Essence is secured to the pallet with numerous bolts and fasteners at each wheel to ensure it doesn't budge while in transit. Even within the safety of its crate, though, it wears a car cover to prevent damage to its paint.
Although the pallet has the car barely 6 inches off the ground, the Infiniti Essence has such a low stance that the pallet includes a pair of ramps (one for the left-side wheels, one for the right) to help ease it to the ground. It's still Lamborghini-low, though, so controls within the car allow its caretakers to raise the front suspension by 1.6 inches and the rear by 1 inch to achieve a more favorable breakover angle.
Once these adjustments are made, the Essence starts under its own power and is reversed down the ramp. We're not able to look under the hood, so it's unclear exactly what type of drivetrain the concept car is using.
We do get a quick look at the cockpit. The seats are covered up, but the concept car's distinct driver and passenger "cocoon" design is evident here. In back, bespoke Louis Vuitton luggage is fitted to the slide-out cargo bay floor. This is no coincidence, because Infiniti has a marketing partnership with Louis Vuitton.
The Infiniti Essence will be on display at the Louis Vuitton store in Carmel, California, on Tuesday. After the Concours d'Elegance, it will travel to Louis Vuitton stores in major U.S. cities, including Las Vegas, Dallas, New York, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. Notably, the Essence will not ride in its steel crate during its U.S. tour, and will instead be transported in a climate-controlled truck.
Inside Line says: Even if the Infiniti Essence never goes to production, there's a lot of money riding on this concept car. — Erin Riches, Senior Editor
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