Development of Porsche’s 918 Spyder supercar continues apace with prototypes now undergoing road testing ahead of production in September.
Porsche says development is on-track for first customer deliveries before the end of the year.
And with a nod to previous Porsche sports car racing success, the prototype 918 Spyders have been painted in colour schemes reminiscent of the legendary Porsche 917 racers.
It’s tricky stuff as customers will expect nothing less than hallmark Porsche supercar driving dynamics from the breakout vehicle powered by a combination of an internal combustion engine and two electric motors – one 80kW unit on the front axle and a 90kW unit on the driveline – all combining to drive the rear wheels.
All of this in a vehicle with a staggering 575kW of power yet capable of fuel consumption as low as 3.0l/100kms.
As we know, the Porsche 918 Spyder is a plug-in hybrid with a full carbon fibre monocoque for the passenger compartment and engine bay, adaptive aerodynamics and adaptive rear axle steering.
The 4.6-litre V8 petrol engine is mid-mounted and, using motor sport derived technology, is a dry sump design. Even the exhaust system is straight from Formula One with upward-venting top pipes.
Porsche says the 918 Spyder will provide a pure electric driving range of 25kms.
