Meet the 700-hp plug-in hybrid star of the show
By Marc Lachapelle
Advanced showings and calculated leaks have sucked much of the excitement and anticipation from media days at auto shows but we thankfully still get surprised now and then. In Geneva, Porsche did just that by pulling a spectacular new sports car concept out of its hat.
Porsche 918 Spyder Concept
The 918 Spyder is a lean, low, gorgeous roadster that happens to be a plug-in hybrid, no less. A very fast hybrid, mind you. Its powertrain combines a 3.4-litre gasoline-fed V8 mounted between the cabin and rear axle with electric motors that can drive the front and wheels, combining all-wheel drive and Porsche’s ‘torque-vectoring’ technology.
The thermal engine is derived from the V8 in Porsche’s RS Spyder racecar and is said to produce more than 500 horsepower at 9,200 rpm. It’s ‘high-revving’ indeed and connected to a 7-speed dual automated clutch (PDK) gearbox. The total output of the electric motors is 218 horsepower. How quick and fast its 918 Spyder? Porsche says the fully-functional prototype can accelerate to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of more than 320 km/h. The sports car specialist also claims that its hybrid sports car can lap the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife loop in less than 7 minutes 30 seconds, which would make it quicker than its own V10-powered, 600-hp Carrera GT supercar. (more…)
