Porsche and Ferrari are clearly leading the way to a new generation of high performance hybrids. Nearly a couple of weeks ago, we saw the Porsche GT3 R Hybrid race car concept which had as a goal to introduce hybrid technology to endurance racing. But Porsche surprised us with a new hybrid concept this time for the road: the 918 Spyder. The "super sports car" is part of the new wave of hybrid technologies introduced by Porsche dubbed "Porsche Intelligent Performance". Even if the new Porsche 918 Spyder is presented as a concept, Porsche seems to have plans for its new "intelligent performance" technologies that go beyond a simple concept.
Technology
The 918 spyder uses the 500 Hp V8 engine coming from the successful RS spyder race prototype. Unlike the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, the electric motors which develop altogether 218 Hp drive both front and rear axles which offer the car an electric all-wheel drive with torque vectoring.
If you want to run on pure electric power you can still do a little 25 Km (nearly 16 miles). Maybe that can be useful if you ran out of gas? Otherwise, i don't see why a performance oriented car needs that.
Styling
The styling is said to be inspired from the RS spyder and the legendary Porsche 917. While this kind of ressemblance does not seem very obvious, one thing is sure: the car does look like a Porsche and it does look really good.
Performance
The 918 Spyder weights less than 1490 KG and will sprint from 0 to 100KM/h (62 mph) in less than 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 320 KM/H (200 mph). The car is even planned to take the Nurbürgring challenge with a target time of less than 7:30 which is by the way faster than the Carrera GT. Impressive numbers, even for a non hybrid... is the new hybrid spyder capable of such a performance? Let's wait and see.
Other features
The 918 spyder uses what it seems to be little cameras instead of the classic rear view mirrors. There is no word yet from Porsche about the benefits of such a replacement.
The 918 Spyder is surely a surprising concept whith tons of new thechnologies. Until we see what it is really capable of, enjoy watching the gallery below.
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