On the first of November this year, Porsche’s new 918 Spyder finally goes on sale. As Porsches new flagship hyper car, the 918 will be competing with Maclaran P 1 and Ferrari F150.
The thing which sets this car apart from the crowd is the fact that it is a hybrid. With both a naturally aspirated petrol combustion engine producing 608 bhp and an electric motor on each axle producing 278 bhp, the 918 produces a combined total of 886 bhp.
Power like this means some seriously impressive performance stats. 0-60 happens in just under three seconds, and the top speed is reported to be in the region of 210 mph. The four wheel drive system removes many of the handling problems which plagued the Carrera GT model which it replaces.
Breaking the Nürburgring lap record for a street legal production car by a staggering 14 seconds, the model used for the track test had the optional Weissach package added. This saves 77 lbs of weight and kits the car out in carbon fibre.
The 918 Spyder doesnt just look stunning from the outside. The interior has had a lot of attention given to it as well, something a lot of supercar manufacturers have neglected in the past. Set up to provide the ultimate driving experience, everything the driver requires is situated upon the multifunction steering wheel or on the futuristic centre console. For the audio obsessed out there, the 918 Spyder comes with an 11 speaker system made by audio specialists Burmester.
With different settings for various driving occasions, the 918 is one of the most fuel efficient supercars ever created. Running for up to 15 miles on electric power, the combustion engine doesnt cut in until the batteries are in need of a recharge. After this there is a Hybrid mode which combines all three engines to give the best fuel economy.
For situations where the highest performance is needed, there is a Hot Lap mode which squeezes every single bit of power from both the engine and battery.
All of this kit and performance doesnt come cheap with prices starting at £750,000 and optional extras pushing this car towards the £1 million figure. However with a production run of less than 1000 units the Porsche 918 Spyder is already rumoured to be sold out, meaning any more potential buyers will have to wait to buy one used!
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