Infiniti certainly picked a good time to launch in the UK. Just as the banking crisis was taking hold in 2009, the luxury wing of Nissan came to the UK.

Wise? Not on the face of it. But I guess if it’s a good enough brand and here for the long term, than a recession isn’t much too worry about. And while things may be tough, there are still plenty of people out there driving Mercedes-Benzes, Audis, Bentleys and the like. So Infiniti is going from strength to strength. It started with one dealership in Reading in 2009 but it has spread its wings. Its garages, which are like boutique hotels, now number one in Leeds and another in Hull.

Infiniti makes a fabulous array of saloons, coupes, cabriolets, 4x4s and crossovers which take on the best that Mercedes-Benz and BMW can throw at them.

The biggest seller in Europe is the FX, an alternative to Range Rover, BMW X5, Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz M-Class. At £46,000 to £53,000, it doesn’t come cheap but you do get an awful lot of car for the money. Infiniti, eager to cash in on its links with Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel, the company’s brand ambassador, has launched a Vettel version of the FX.

Just 150 are being launched and only 50 will make it to Europe. How’s that for exclusivity?

I tried my hand for a brief spin around West Yorkshire. Few cars offer this sort of panache and performance. And while it costs £100,800, it does offer a blend of high-performance sports car mixed with versatile SUV.

It’s the most powerful and expensive Infiniti yet. It still remains an FX but with Vettel’s involvement providing advice and test-driving the car during its development, it is an exciting model. Sebastian Vettel continues to be central to the FX Vettel project by participating in the VIP hospitality for the 150 people around the world who will join him in this most exclusive of motoring clubs.

The money-can’t-buy experiences may include VIP invitations to exclusive events, high performance driver training with star drivers, sessions in an F1 simulator, passenger rides in a three-seater F1 car, unique test drives and what promise to be memorable handover celebrations when the first cars are delivered, starting next March. It is lighter and more aerodynamic than the standard model, thanks to the use of carbon fibre.

The FX Vettel Edition body is transformed by 13 pieces of light but strong carbon-fibre, the same grade and the result of the same process as that used by the Red Bull Racing F1 team.

Sitting at the summit of Infiniti’s range, the limited production crossover represents the fulfilment of Vettel’s dream to turn his “company car” – an Infiniti FX50 S Premium – into an even more rewarding sports crossover with an extra emphasis on performance and handling. The car looks much the same as the standard FX but with extra body trim to squeeze out better sports performance and handling.

For example, carbon blades are fitted inside the Infiniti’s double-arch grille. Carbon shells, profiled with the efficiency of a cycle racing helmet, are fitted over the mirrors. Carbon side skirts are installed, while the ride height is reduced by 20mm.

Arguably its most evocative feature is the rear foglight in the form of an F1 car’s centre rain light. Attention to detail means it is clear-lensed and made up of 15 red LEDs, all exactly like an F1 car’s light. Alas, regulations mean it is not allowed to flash.

All the body-shaping work has been inspired by the aerodynamics of the Red Bull Racing F1 car.

There is one Vettel badge on the inside: it is inlaid into a carbon-fibre panel on the console. Behind the cover is the blue-rimmed push button that electrically opens the exhaust flaps – the FX Vettel Edition driver’s guarantee of V8 aural excitement.