Automotive

Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid drive debuts in Frankfurt

Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid drive debuts in Frankfurt
The production model of the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid debuted at IAA 2013 (Photo: Gizmag.com)
The production model of the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid debuted at IAA 2013 (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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A 4.6 liter V8 engine helps the 918 Spyder reach a top speed of 211 mph (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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A 4.6 liter V8 engine helps the 918 Spyder reach a top speed of 211 mph (Photo: Gizmag.com)
Motorists have been anxiously awaiting the 918 Spyder since the 2010 Geneva Motor Show (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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Motorists have been anxiously awaiting the 918 Spyder since the 2010 Geneva Motor Show (Photo: Gizmag.com)
The production model of the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid debuted at IAA 2013 (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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The production model of the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid debuted at IAA 2013 (Photo: Gizmag.com)
The two-seater sports car utilizes a plug-in hybrid drive
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The two-seater sports car utilizes a plug-in hybrid drive
The 918 Spyder attempts to keep fine balance between high performance and fuel efficiency (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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The 918 Spyder attempts to keep fine balance between high performance and fuel efficiency (Photo: Gizmag.com)
The exhaust exit is placed on the top rear of the car, behind each seat, differing from the concept design which placed the exhaust exits on the side (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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The exhaust exit is placed on the top rear of the car, behind each seat, differing from the concept design which placed the exhaust exits on the side (Photo: Gizmag.com)
The engine design is based on Porsche's Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) race car, the RS Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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The engine design is based on Porsche's Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) race car, the RS Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
The 918 Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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The 918 Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
The Porsche 918 Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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The Porsche 918 Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
With a two-seat design, the 918 Spyder is the high-performance brethren to the Panamera S E-Hybrid (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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With a two-seat design, the 918 Spyder is the high-performance brethren to the Panamera S E-Hybrid (Photo: Gizmag.com)
The 918 Spyder has totes both a V8 engine and an electric drive (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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The 918 Spyder has totes both a V8 engine and an electric drive (Photo: Gizmag.com)
An inside view of the Porsche 918 Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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An inside view of the Porsche 918 Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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A front view of the 918 Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
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A front view of the 918 Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
The 918 Spyder during its record breaking run at the Nurburgring (Photo: Porsche)
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The 918 Spyder during its record breaking run at the Nurburgring (Photo: Porsche)
The 918 Spyder during its record breaking run at the Nurburgring (Photo: Porsche)
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The 918 Spyder during its record breaking run at the Nurburgring (Photo: Porsche)
View gallery - 16 images

Porsche has debuted the long-awaited production model of its 918 Spyder at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA). Billed as the "genetic blueprint for the Porsche sports car of the future," the plug-in hybrid super sports car is designed to strike a balance between performance and efficiency, boasting acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 211 mph despite miserly fuel consumption estimated at 3 liters per 100 km (0.8 gallons per 62 miles).

Porsche pulled the engine design from its Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) race car, the RS Spyder. This 4.6 liter V8, when combined with the two electric motors on board, puts out over 880 bhp.

The engine design is based on Porsche's Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) race car, the RS Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)
The engine design is based on Porsche's Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) race car, the RS Spyder (Photo: Gizmag.com)

The production version of the 918 Spyder remains faithful to the concept model originally unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010, with the exception of some tweaks like the exhaust exit being placed on the top rear of the car instead of on the side.

And just to show that it deserves the moniker of super sports car, the 918 Spyder smashed the record for a street-legal automobile at the Nurburgring Nordschleife ahead of its Frankfurt debut. The hybrid 918 took six minutes and 57 seconds to complete the circuit, beating the previous record by 14 seconds.

The 918 Spyder during its record breaking run at the Nurburgring (Photo: Porsche)
The 918 Spyder during its record breaking run at the Nurburgring (Photo: Porsche)

The 918 Spyder hybrid is expected to go on sale in the US next year with prices starting at US$845,000.

See our previous coverage for more details on the revolutionary 918 plug-in hybrid system.

Source: Porsche

View gallery - 16 images
5 comments
5 comments
Mac McDougal
Your piece on the Porsche 918 Spyder reminds me of an essay written in 1956 by E. B. White. In the essay, he criticized American society's claims to maturity by noting that it also thought a war of WMDs was survivable, huge payments to entertainers were justified, and (best of all) that creating meaningless diversions for the masses (his example was putting an elephant on water skis) was pretty darn cool. Any of this sound familiar? I admit, I haven't read any articles on water-skiing elephants recently, but I think a hybrid car that puts out 880 horsepower has a definite elephantine aura to it.
warren52nz
WOW! Just WOW!
John S
It is a beautiful piece of engineering, price tag is horrifying and not for the average person who wants a fuel efficient hybrid. This will be the holy grail, the sub $20K to $30K for a manufacturer to address. There are millions of cars out there and that will be the major playing field, but it would be nice to be a millionaire and have one parked in the garage And if you can afford one you really don't get a fit when you have to fill up the car.
Stephen Colbourne
How much fuel did it use to lap the Ring and how does this compare to normally powered cars ?
Michael Wilson
its a beautiful piece of engineering that will no doubt be used in racing. Racing technology distills down to the "normal" cars for the rest of us to make faster, more efficient, safer cars. An 880hp hybrid is the stuff dreams are made of and one with a bit less power, probably in the range of what most can afford is what people buy.
The kids of today won't have a post of a prius on their walls, but they will have a poster of this. Those kids today will be the designers of tomorrow.