If you're showing off your flagship product in front of tens of thousands of people, you'd probably hope that everything goes without a hitch.

Unfortunately for Infiniti, whose stunning Emerg-E plug-in hybrid was there to wow the crowds at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed, things didn't quite work out that way.

As you can see in the video, it rather publicly broke down.

We're not sure what happened--though surely Infiniti will be investigating it as we speak--but it's surely a little embarrassing to have your pride and joy grind to a halt in front of a huge group of spectators.

Embarrasing for Lotus too, as the swooping Infiniti curves sit on top of a chassis and drivetrain designed by the British sports car company. Under the skin, the Infiniti uses the same plug-in hybrid drivetrain as the Evora 414E hybrid, which coincidentally is undergoing track testing this week.

Nevertheless, the Emerg-E was certainly attracting admiring glances at Goodwood, parked among other automotive works of art in the Supercar Paddock.

It's just a pity the car was parked a little earlier than Infiniti intended...

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