The 20th Goodwood Festival of Speed has gone under way today and the talk of town is the Porsche 918 Spyder. This super sports car was first unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Show where it received an overwhelming response from car enthusiasts and Porsche fans around the world and was then given the go-ahead for production. Here's the best bit though. The Porsche 918 Spyder 's V8 3.0-litre hybrid petrol engine produces over 500hp and yet retains a mileage of almost 40kmpl.
The Spyder's design has been taken from Carrera GT, Porsche 917 and RS Spyder. However the post-production unit will not feature the open top presented at the concept show. It will instead come with a manual roof panel that can be removed and deposited into the luggage compartment. The Spyder comes with a 7-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) and two motors, one at the front and the other at the rear axle that adds a joint mechanical output of 218 hp.
Porsche 918 Spyder Overview
The production version of the Porsche 918 Spyder isn't scheduled to be unveiled until the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, but the company recently let Wired test drive a prototype at the Nardo Test Track.
While the figures could change by the time the car is revealed in production guise, the vehicle is slated to use a carbon fiber and aluminum chassis that weighs just 485 pounds (220 kg). This will help the model to have an overall curb weight of approximately 3,700 pounds (1,678 kg).
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| Porsche 918 Spyder ~ World Debut |
Porsche 918 Spyder Overview
The production version of the Porsche 918 Spyder isn't scheduled to be unveiled until the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, but the company recently let Wired test drive a prototype at the Nardo Test Track.
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| The Porsche 918 Spyder Prototype One of only three models in existence, the prototype uses a 4.6-liter V8 engine sourced from an ALMS LMP2 RS Spyder. It produces 570 hp (425 kW / 578 PS) and is backed up by two electric motors: a 121 hp (90 kW / 122 PS) unit in the seven-speed transmission and a 107 hp (80 kW / 109 PS) motor that powers the front axle. This setup gives the supercar a combined maximum output of 770 hp (574 kW / 710 PS) and 553 lb-ft (749 Nm) of torque - 700 lb-ft (948 Nm) with overboost. Thanks to this impressive output, the prototype can run from 0-60 mph in less than three seconds and hit a top speed of 202 mph (325 km/h). |
Since the sports car is also a hybrid, it features a 6.8 kWh battery which enables the model to travel approximately 16 miles (26 km) on electricity alone. When the battery is depleted it can be recharged in roughly six hours with a 110V outlet or two hours with a rapid charger.
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| The Porsche 918 Spyder Prototype |
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| The Porsche 918 Spyder Prototype |
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| The Porsche 918 Spyder Prototype |
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| The Porsche 918 Spyder Prototype |
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| The Porsche 918 Spyder Prototype |
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| The Porsche 918 Spyder Prototype |
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