The Infiniti QX80 is a luxury vehicle first and foremost, but for SEMA this year, Infiniti is rolling out the QX-80 R-Spec, a performance SUV that does its best Nissan GT-R impression. It packs a tuned twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter VR38DETT Nismo V-6 engine under the hood and a host of other performance upgrades.
The engine features extensive modifications and is capable of 1,000 horsepower. The tuned GT-R engine features Garrett G-series turbochargers, JE pistons, Boostline rods, ARP rod bolts, and ETS exhaust manifolds, with a MOTEC engine management system.
Infiniti also added a custom fuel system, a custom intake, twin front-mounted intercoolers, and CSF engine and transmission coolers. It has R35-inspired exhaust finishers that poke through a custom rear bumper, part of an extensive wide-body kit, with the GT-R T-Spec Takumi Edition inspiring the SUV’s exterior.
The modded QX80 features a custom ARP front splitter to coincide with the rest of the kit, which has aerodynamic enhancements. The 24-inch GT-R-inspired bronze wheels—wrapped in Yokohama PARADA Spec-X rubber—pop against the SUV’s Midnight Purple wrap and hide the carbon ceramic brakes borrowed from Nissan’s supercar.
The QX80 features a custom coilover suspension with Eibach springs, which forced Infiniti to relocate the steering rack and modify the bump-steer knuckles.
Infiniti doesn’t show off the interior, so we doubt there’s much changed from the standard model. The new R-Spec is Infiniti’s follow-up to its 650-hp Infiniti Track Spec, which it unveiled at Monterey Car Week in August. Tiago Castro, Infiniti Americas’ vice president, said:
‘QX80 R-Spec is extreme, aggressive, and a showcase of what Infiniti can do when our engineering and design teams take off all the guardrails.’
Nissan introduced the R T-Spec Takumi Edition in 2024, which pays tribute to the Takumi master craftsmen who manually assemble each GT-R VR38DETT engine. It has Midnight Purple paint, 20-inch wheels in Nismo gold paint, carbon-ceramic brakes, and other unique visual touches, but it doesn’t make 1,000 hp.
Infiniti doesn’t provide any performance numbers, but we expect it to be quick with that much power.
