Filed under: Etc., Infiniti
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Yes, we obsessively cover the auto industry, but that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy other modes of transportation. We may even get downright giddy when two different worlds collide, like for example, when a boat is powered by a large automobile engine. Infiniti must feel the same way because the automaker is helping two Tennessee schools bring a maritime project to life.
Infiniti’s North American headquarters is located in Franklin, Tennessee, and the automaker is awfully proud of the state in which it resides. Infiniti is also quite proud of the 5.6-liter V8 engine that sits under the hoods of both the QX56 sport utility vehicle and M56 sedan. How to combine those two loves? Donate a QX56 to two local schools, which will use the mighty mill to add some serious horsepower to their budding boat.
Both the Tennessee Technical Center-Nashville and Nashville State Community College have automotive tech programs. Infiniti provided the guts of its full-size luxobarge so that the students could learn how to apply the powerplant to a non-automotive application. Sounds kind of odd, but makes perfect sense when you dig a little deeper. These students are taking a modern (read: complicated) engine, and making it work in an environment in which it was not intended to perform.
So far, the team has the engine separated from the rest of the vehicle, and the rest of the QX56 will stay with Tennessee Tech for continued learning applications. The 400-horsepower engine is being prepped for nautical duty, and the ultimate result will see it powering a luxury boat. Infiniti isn’t stopping with the engine, and is in fact supplying a Bose audio system, semi-aniline leather seats, XM satellite radio with NavWeather and, lest we forget, the brand’s signature analog clock will find its way in there as well.Continue reading Infiniti trades miles for knots with QX56-powered luxury boat project
Infiniti trades miles for knots with QX56-powered luxury boat project originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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