Porsche 918 Spyder: a Ride In Porsche's Hybrid Hypercar - CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS

[kevx]

Have fun =]

[Sherpa23F]

Really neat car.


I would still prefer 2700 lbs and 550 hp though. 3800 lbs is crazy, regardless of hp.

[AZGolf]

If that is the future of sports cars, as they imply the tech will trickle down to all models, then I think enthusiasts have nothing to worry about.

[manol2]

A friend of mine saw this on a freeway in AZ

[Sherpa23F]

A friend of mine saw this on a freeway in AZ

Hot weather testing. Amazing.

I do think that this car looks waaaaaay better than the Carrera GT or the 959. I hope that it's not too long before we see a production model with this styling.

[Mazda 3s]

http://www.insideline.com/porsche/20...ide-along.html

Curb weight, mfr. claim (lbs.) 3,747

[nickthaskater]

As cool as the 918 is, it's disgusting that a no compromise hypercar like this weighs ~3,800 pounds.

Still the king of modern Porsches for me:

[C4 A6]

Fast becoming a dream car.

[warren_s]

As cool as the 918 is, it's disgusting that a no compromise hypercar like this weighs ~3,800 pounds.

Disgusting? Come on, really? They managed to get that 3,800lb car to 62mph in under 3 seconds, well past 200mph at the top end, around the Nurburgring at the same pace as a Porsche GT2 RS, and faster than any Ferrari, Corvette, Pagani, Koenigssegg and Nissan you can name, and still return 80mpg in regular usage and 20mpg when you're caning it...... and be able to avoid London congestion charges because it emits less CO/2 than a f-cking Polo Bluemotion which weighs almost 1,500 pounds less!

[nickthaskater]

Disgusting? Come on, really? They managed to get that 3,800lb car to 62mph in under 3 seconds, well past 200mph at the top end, around the Nurburgring at the same pace as a Porsche GT2 RS, and faster than any Ferrari, Corvette, Pagani, Koenigssegg and Nissan you can name, and still return 80mpg in regular usage and 20mpg when you're caning it...... and be able to avoid London congestion charges because it emits less CO/2 than a f-cking Polo Bluemotion which weighs almost 1,500 pounds less!

*shrug* It's not like the car would be a daily driver, so I couldn't care less about fuel consumption or congestion charges. It's an outright performance car, and that's what the focus should be on, in my eyes.

For the record though, the ZR1 is only 4 seconds off the 918 at the 'Ring, and the Zonda R does it 27 seconds faster than the 918 (and yes I know it's not street legal, but you said "any I could name" )

The Viper ACR ran the Ring 2 seconds faster than the 918.

[warren_s]

*shrug* It's not like the car would be a daily driver, so I couldn't care less about fuel consumption or congestion charges. It's an outright performance car, and that's what the focus should be on, in my eyes.

But it's not an outright performance car -- that's the GT2 RS's job. Same performance for about one quarter the cost. The 918 is a rolling technology showcase and a place for Porsche to show off what kind of sports car they'll be building 10 years from now. It's a lot like how the 959 was totally bonkers when it first appeared but by the time 2000 rolled around, Porsche was building a 911 Turbo for, what, a third the price-ish? that could keep up with it.

For the record though, the ZR1 is only 4 seconds off the 918 at the 'Ring, and the Zonda R does it 27 seconds faster than the 918 (and yes I know it's not street legal, but you said "any I could name" )

I think you know I meant street-legal.

The Viper ACR ran the Ring 2 seconds faster than the 918.

That's why I didn't mention Dodge.

But, hey, its still a year until the 918 goes into production and they're still at the ring every day working on it, so they have a good chance of finding those 2 seconds somewhere.

[Nateblizzy]

I am very impressed with the concept and execution, and it is absolutely one of the most beautiful cars of recent designs. However, I am confused as to why someone who wouldn't daily drive this car would have any interest in driving in the fuel-saving mode, or even having that weight-burdening option. Hypercars are meant to push the limits of what a street car is capable of right before breaking into race car territory.

Still, with a car that looks that good I'd take it no matter what.

[8v_gti777]

Great video, really cool car. Can't say I disagree with the comment on it's weight. 3,800 lbs. is pretty hefty. One has to wonder what it would be like without all the hybrid equipment.

[Dawg Dee-Lux]

I am very impressed with the concept and execution, and it is absolutely one of the most beautiful cars of recent designs. However, I am confused as to why someone who wouldn't daily drive this car would have any interest in driving in the fuel-saving mode, or even having that weight-burdening option. Hypercars are meant to push the limits of what a street car is capable of right before breaking into race car territory.

Still, with a car that looks that good I'd take it no matter what.

Me too, this is the first supercar to really solve the heat problems that plague cars in this segment when they are driven at 0.5/10 (which, let's be honest, a lot of them are). Also, in electric mode, it will be infinitely more usable in these circumstances as well.

Also, I am surprised that Lexus didn't pioneer supercar hybrid tech for the LF-A.

[enigmatic enthusiast]

Ill take mine in black and red thank you

[Mazda 3s]

Disgusting? Come on, really? They managed to get that 3,800lb car to 62mph in under 3 seconds, well past 200mph at the top end, around the Nurburgring at the same pace as a Porsche GT2 RS, and faster than any Ferrari, Corvette, Pagani, Koenigssegg and Nissan you can name, and still return 80mpg in regular usage and 20mpg when you're caning it...... and be able to avoid London congestion charges because it emits less CO/2 than a f-cking Polo Bluemotion which weighs almost 1,500 pounds less!

I'm sorry, but a $900,000 hypercar is unlikely to be a daily driver, so who gives a s**t about fuel economy? Damn batteries would likely be sitting wasting away in a garage.

The new McLaren and Ferrari F70 seem much more interesting and will likely be 500 to 600 pounds lighter if not more.

[warren_s]

I'm sorry, but a $900,000 hypercar is unlikely to be a daily driver, so who gives a s**t about fuel economy? Damn batteries would likely be sitting wasting away in a garage.

I'm not so sure. There's a guy DDing a Porsche Carrera GT in downtown Toronto. You'll see it parked outside restaurants or other venues all the time. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he's on the list to replace it with a 918, because it sounds like the 918 is going to be a much better car for the city.

And I can think of one really good reason for improved fuel economy -- don't have to go to the gas station anywhere near as often. Plus, hey.... any woman will tell you that being able to go longer is just as important as being able to go stronger.

Also, the electric motors are basically doing what turbos would do in another car -- make it faster. But unlike turbos, you get a much flatter torque curve. The 918 Spyder is a NA car, too, which you'd think would appeal to people who don't like turbos....

[Son]

I'm sorry, but a $900,000 hypercar is unlikely to be a daily driver, so who gives a s**t about fuel economy?

Saudis driving their exotics in central London might disagree with you.


If you can afford a $900k supercar, then no, you probably don't need to worry about fuel economy or congestion charges. But that's not the point of this car. The point of this car is to showcase its manufacturer's best R&D skills. I'm sure for a lot of the owners it's going to be also a statement of environmental awareness.

[Professor Gascan]

The new McLaren and Ferrari F70 seem much more interesting and will likely be 500 to 600 pounds lighter if not more.

I don't think the mission statement of either of those cars is quite as ambitious as what Porsche is trying to achieve here.

[patrickvr6]

As cool as the 918 is, it's disgusting that a no compromise hypercar like this weighs ~3,800 pounds.

Are you also disgusted about the Lamborghini Aventador weighing 3795lbs? It only has one engine.

[RacingManiac]

Are you also disgusted about the Lamborghini Aventador weighing 3795lbs? It only has one engine.

^ This, for all the fancy lightweight carbon technology Lambo is involving itself in, Aventador is still a 3800 car on carbon tub(spectacular looking though it may be). The fact that its heavier than a Ferrari GT car in F12 which does not even use a composite chassis is already pretty ironic. With this thing Porsche is trying something different...As said without the hybrid the car would've been 100kg lighter than Carrera GT, which means they probably could still build that car down the line. But now they can still prove their point and technical prowess with this car. 25KM is longer than a lap around the Ring, how fast can it go around there on electric alone?

EDIT: Also intriguing are those new Michelin...low rolling resistance high performance tire? I hope some of that technology trickles down...

[nickthaskater]

Are you also disgusted about the Lamborghini Aventador weighing 3795lbs? It only has one engine.

Yes, I am. That said, at least the Lamborghini has the excuse of costing 1/3rd as much.

[patrickvr6]

Yes, I am. That said, at least the Lamborghini has the excuse of costing 1/3rd as much.

So Porsche created a car with a hybrid AWD drive-train that weighs 800lbs more than it's rear wheel drive, manual only predecessor that didn't offer stability or traction control and you are pissed about it. Got it.