Back in March Infiniti released the Essence concept to the public.  The update in this story comes by way of a press release from Infiniti a few days ago saying that the car will be making an appearance at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.  It will be making the trip to Goodwood to celebrate the release of the European Infiniti G37 Convertible.  The most amazing part of the story though is that the Essence concept will be using all of it’s 600 hybrid-horsepower to muscle it’s way around the fabled Goodwood hillclimb course!!

What a sight it is going to be seeing this beautiful, sleek coupe make it’s way around the course.  If MotoGP wasn’t in town (and I had recently won the lottery!) I would have loved to make the trip over-seas for this event.  If you ever have the chance to go to the Festival, do it.  It is the best of the best in Motorsports’ past and present right before your eyes.  Visit the site below.

Here is the full Infiniti press release about the Essence:

NFINITI: ESSENTIAL VIEWING AT GOODWOOD

ROLLE, Switzerland (June 25, 2009) – The Infiniti Essence concept car, shown for the first time four months ago in Geneva, will conclude its pan-European tour at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed. But Essence isn’t the only Infiniti to be making its UK debut. The luxury automotive brand from Japan will also be giving visitors to the Festival a sneak preview of the new G37 Convertible which goes on sale in the UK this September. Unlike Essence, unfortunately.

The Essence concept was created as a celebration of Infiniti and its 20 years history as a creator of performance cars. But equally it is an inspiring exploration into the brand’s future … one that includes launching in the UK. The dramatic design, technology and performance statement is a 600PS petrol/electric hybrid coupe with rear-wheel drive. It will be on display in Goodwood’s FoS-TECH pavilion and also on the famous Goodwood Hillclimb where it will perform in public for the first time.

Joining Essence on the Hillclimb – and later in the Sunday Times Supercar paddock – will be the V6 powered G37 Convertible in right-hand drive form, the first example ever produced. The car’s appearance at Goodwood will be particularly momentous for the two British Infiniti engineers who will drive it as they have worked on the Infiniti Europe project since it started. Offered in a choice of two comprehensively equipped models, both featuring a metal three-piece folding roof, the 320PS G37 Convertible has been designed without compromise to look as beautiful with the top up as it does down. Which is hopefully the position where it will stay for the entirety of the weekend…

Link:  Original INFINITI Essence post on ZCarBlog

Link: Official Goodwood Festival of Speed Homepage

I love seeing new concept cars.  This one especially peaked my interest because it is a Nissan product.  I’ve been sitting on these photos for some time as this car was released at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show.   Nissan is going to be taking the Infiniti brand name to Europe for the first time and was looking to make a splash with the “Essence” concept.

The drivetrain of the Essence concept is what intrigues me the most so far.  Power comes from a twin turbo’d, direct fuel injection, 3.7L V6 that has been paired with a newly designed electric motor called the ‘3D Motor.’

Infiniti press release excerpt:

Essence previews a new type of electric motor, called 3D Motor, that was designed to meet tough requirements on size and power output. The result is a particularly slim, disk-shaped motor that has twice the torque of a conventional unit. Its design was achieved by 3D magnetic field analysis to optimize the layout of the electromagnetic coils and permanent magnets.

In Essence, the motor is positioned between the engine and transmission and provides 160PS (158bhp), drawing power from a compact lithium-ion battery pack in the boot area. Because the 3D Motor operates in both propulsion and power regeneration modes, the battery pack is kept charged up.

With the 3D Motor putting out 158hp, and the 3.7L V6 putting out 434hp, the Essence nears the 600hp mark at the crankshaft.  I’ll take two please.

The exterior design is that of a very liquid and flowing 2 door coupe/hatch.  I can’t help but think that there is some sort of homage paid to the early Z Car with the sloping hatch and C-pillar design, call me crazy.  In the end I really like the design and execution of the Essence and I wouldn’t be surprised if we started to see some of this technology and a few of these design cues in forth-coming Infiniti models.  Traditionalists may not approve, Rob, but that’s why it’s a concept.

I would like to thank Autoblog.com for the photos and some of the info on the Essence concept.  If you would like to read the entire press release make sure that you click the link below to the Autoblog post.

Autoblog.com Infiniti Essence Concept post