Have you figured out what's so special about the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge?

The countdown has begun to the launch of the new Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept, a high-performance road car inspired by the dominance of Infiniti Red Bull Racing team in F1.

It debuts at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 13th, but Infiniti won’t confirm its underpinnings until the Geneva Motor show in March.

So you’ll just have to use your imagination.

The Q50 Eau Rouge concept might look like a regular Q50 saloon, but that’s where the resemblance ends – it features a complex carbon composite bodywork with major components redesigned with high-speed aerodynamics in mind. Only the roof and door profiles remain unchanged from the production car, while the engine and drivetrain is completely new.. to Infiniti.

Highlights include a deep carbon fibre front splitter, aggressively contoured rear diffuser and side sill skirts, while carbon fibre adorns the roof and door mirror casings. The Q50 Eau Rouge features 21-inch lightweight forged alloy wheels with dual-exit exhaust pipes below a large integrated rear spoiler.

The redesign was led by Infiniti’s Executive Design Director Alfonso Albaisa, who said, “From our shared passion for performance with Infiniti Red Bull Racing grew a collective desire to produce a vision of what a high-performance Infiniti Q50 could look like.”

“The design has a number of distinctive Formula One inspired touches. In particular, the sculpted front wing assembly and the rear aerodynamic packaging take their cues from the RB9 race car.”

Design is the focus of its appearance at Detroit, with the engine and drivetrain being revealed in Geneva, while a limited-run production version will go on sale later in the year.

If you enjoy a lengthy tease there’s an interactive website unveil.infiniti.com where you can indulge your habit – the more fans share their views and comments (via the hashtag #F1Q50) the quicker the car will be revealed inside its own virtual garage. Of course, we already know what it looks like (see picture above) so the virtual reveal seems a little pointless..

The Q50 Eau Rouge is lower and wider than a production Q50 and inevitably a lot faster – but we’ll have to wait a little while longer before we see just how serious Infiniti are about that F1 connection.