Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid – On sale

Porsche 918 Spyder production sketch

We first saw the Porsche 918 Spyder at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010; a hybrid supercar offering a gazillion miles to the gallon, Carrera GT levels of performance and fresh air from the exhaust pipe. The automotive equivalent of having your cake and eating it.

By April last year our sources were telling us the 918 Spyder would go in to production after Porsche received 900 serious intents of interst on the car, and in June Porsche themselves confirmed the 918 Spyder would be built in limited numbers – just 918 cars for the world. And now it’s on sale.

The sketch above is Porsche’s impression of the production version of the 918 Spyder, which will start build on 18th September 2013, with first customer cars reaching their home six weeks later.

Things are much the same for production as on the concept, but the roof becomes a Targa panel which will stow up front and the rear wing will extend up to increase downforce.

The engine will be a V8 of as yet indeterminate capacity, but will offer ‘more than 500bhp’. There are a pair of electric motors which together add ‘at least 215bhp’. The power will be sorted to all four wheels by a seven-speed twin-clutch PDK gearbox.

The setup – and a light 1500kg weight thanks to lots of magnesium, aluminium and a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic monocoque – leads to a 3.2 second 0-62mph dash and 200mph. A three hour plug-in charge of the lithium-ion batteries will also give an electric range of 16 miles.

The hybrid setup leads to the usual disingenuous claims for mileage and emissions, with Porsche claiming the 918 Spyder will average 94mpg and emit 70g/km CO2. Garbage.

Rubbish economy and emissions figures apart, the Porsche 918 Spyder is probably the perfect Carrera GT for the 21st century.

Even if it will cost £678,000.

By Cars UK