Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Porsche nearing 900 orders for its 918 Spyder hybrid concept

When Porsche AG showed the 918 Spyder at the Geneva show in March, we said it was a car to “make anyone a believer in hybrid supercar tech.” Well, maybe not anyone, but Porsche now says it has almost 900 potential buyers for the two-seater hybrid prototype as the German automaker gets closer to approving production. Porsche development chief Wolfgang Duerheimer said he is confident the company will soon reach the threshold of 1,000 orders, which is how many the company needs to “make a sound business case.” The 918 has 680 hp and, according to Porsche, will get 78 mpg and run from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds. Porsche said it wants to double its overall vehicle sales to 150,000 in the next five years or so.

Join AutoWeek and Dutch Mandel for 2011 Mille Miglia coverage

To celebrate the now-annual enthusiast extravaganza more commonly known as the Mille Miglia 1000 in Italy, AutoWeek is getting quality time in a legendary German coupe: the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, commonly referred to simply as the Gullwing. Our own Dutch Mandel is on the road in the Italian countryside. Check out his live tweets, photo galleries, reporting and event history at the AutoWeek Mille Miglia 2011 page.

Video: Porsche previews the new 911

The lineup of debuts expected for this year's Frankfurt motor show include a redesign for the venerable Porsche 911. Now, Porsche has treated us to a little preview, courtesy of a video posted on its YouTube channel that chronicles some final validation and hot-weather testing of the next-generation 911 in Africa. You can catch glimpses of the new car's exterior and interior, as well as some driving footage.