The Eau Rouge prototype circled the British proving grounds until I was tired and dizzy. Earlier in the day, I had made it a point to not leave the course until the Eau Rouge had proven itself to me, and it had, superbly. The concept's best attributes are its chassis, engine, brakes, tires and suspension. Areas that still need a bit of work include the transmission and steering, shortcomings Infiniti acknowledges and is madly engineering and tuning to get right. Despite a few rough edges that still need a bit of polishing, I really enjoyed driving the prototype.
I flew to England expecting to pamper a fragile kit-based vehicle with a laundry list of restrictions and a babysitter beside me. Instead, I was tossed the key and offered carte blanche opportunity to test on a challenging track without a minder in the passenger seat. The unrestricted access to the work-in-progress convinced me that Infiniti's Eau Rouge program has solid legs. The sport sedan will be a very competitive athlete – if it's given the opportunity.
As of now, the program's future is undecided and the Eau Rouge's strongest supporter, Johan de Nysschen, has one foot out the door. Yet the team insists there is plenty of internal momentum to see it through to production as a possible 2016 model (likely arriving with a different name). Without question, the Infiniti model range needs a production version of the Eau Rouge. Greenlighting the program would give the automaker a technically advanced halo model capable of challenging the world's best sedans. A low-volume production version would add character to a model lineup in need of more visual excitement and technical innovation, all while setting performance benchmarks that would keep the company in the public eye.
Infiniti has struggled for nearly a quarter century looking for an identity – a production version of the Eau Rouge could be a big, tangible step towards finding itself.
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