Autoblog

Production Porsche 918 Spyder images leak out of Chinese patent office

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 11:25:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, Hybrid, Performance, China, Etc., Porsche, Luxury

A few images of what looks to be the production Porsche 918 Spyder are here to say hello, courtesy of a patent office in China. If these provide an accurate look at what the hybrid supercar will look like, there are a few differences between it and the latest examples of the pre-production prototypes our spy shooters have seen.

The jerry-rigged turn signals inside the headlight enclosures and on the front fenders on the prototype are replaced with more polished units inside the headlamps located underneath the main beams. Behind that, the door handles have been swapped from horizontal latches on the door to vertical openings located just behind the door shutline.

We've also seen a Martini-liveried version of the 918 Spyder that has extra carbon elements that don't appear on this car. It was at the Nürburgring with carbon lips on the front fenders and another carbon element that hung from the rear fenders and ran down to the rear diffuser. When we saw the car on our Deep Dive piece, the front lips were gone but that rear piece remained, and we can't tell from the brochure and options sheet that we've seen so far what it comes with. The wheels from the concept and the green brake calipers, minus the polycarbonate covers, should be the standard fitment while the ten-spoke magnesium wheels will be a 29,750-euro (about $39,000 US) option.

Production Porsche 918 Spyder images leak out of Chinese patent office originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Dec 2012 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Chris Harris get his turn riding in the Porsche 918 Spyder

Zach Bowman — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:46:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Europe, Videos, Porsche, Luxury

Like our man Michael Harley, Chris Harris recently got a chance to ride shotgun in the Porsche 918 Spyder, and he brought along a few cameras to share the experience with the rest of us. While Harris admits to being averse to producing videos where he's only riding around in the passenger seat, he seems to be no less taken with the technological marvels on display in the newest Porsche hypercar. Harris even goes so far as to compare it to the groundbreaking 1987 Porsche 959. He does have a point in that both the 959 and the 918 Spyder were arguably ahead of their time and built to show off Porsche's technical brawn in their respective eras.

While Harris touches on interesting engineering tidbits like the 918's carbon fiber engine cradle and specially formulated tires, the really interesting bits come while riding around not on the infamous Nürburgring but while silently whirring around on a few secondary roads. Take a look below to see what we mean.

Continue reading Watch Chris Harris get his turn riding in the Porsche 918 Spyder

Watch Chris Harris get his turn riding in the Porsche 918 Spyder originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2014 Porsche 918 Spyder

Michael Harley — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Porsche, Deep Dive

The Supercar Out To Trigger A Paradigm Shift

The Porsche 918 Spyder has top-mounted exhaust pipes in similar fashion to the flare launchers on the original 1966 Batmobile. How bitchin' is that?

Not nearly as fascinating as what lies beneath the coupe's carbon fiber skin.

The all-new supercar, arriving late next year, is the most complex vehicle Porsche has ever designed. The hybrid gasoline-electric exotic features a race-bred 4.6-liter V8 supplemented by two electric motors drawing power from a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack. It boots up like a computer, glides combustion-free like something out of a science-fiction movie and then ignites its fuel-fed engine to blast in excess of 200 mph.

The 918 Spyder's existence is as significant as the Le Mans Porsche 917 and as technologically groundbreaking as the 1986 Porsche 959 - it suggests that hybrid supercars will not only prevail, they will dominate.

Continue reading 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder

2014 Porsche 918 Spyder originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche 918 Spyder prototype looks sensational in Martini livery

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:26:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Porsche, Design/Style

We've got to hand it to Porsche - the company certainly knows how to pull our heart strings. As if we weren't already been smitten with the 918 Spyder, the automaker has the audacity to wrap one up in its historic Martini livery before sending it out to the Nürburgring for testing. Up above you can see it lifting a wheel at the Little Carousel.

We're not sure what motivation is behind Porsche's nostalgia, but whatever it is, it works.

The monochromatic white and matte black finish looks phenomenal on the 918's sinuous curves, and despite the fact that this is clearly no show car, it's our favorite look for the 918 yet. Under the bodywork sits a hybrid powertrain pushing out 770 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque (up to 700 lb-ft for short periods using overboost), which is enough grunt to hit 60 in 3.1 seconds.

All that's left to do now is wait and save our pennies - it will cost $845,000 when it goes on sale in September of 2013. So. It's a little out of our price range. We can dream, can't we?

Porsche 918 Spyder prototype looks sensational in Martini livery originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche shows off 918 Spyder Prototype

Zach Bowman — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Hybrid, Performance, Europe, Porsche, Luxury

Porsche has officially put the finishing touches on the first prototypes of the company's 918 Spyder, complete with a black-and-white livery scheme that pays homage to the 917 racers of old. Production is set to commence in a little over a year, and the German sportscar manufacturer says buyers can look forward to taking possession of the first examples by the end of 2013. The plug-in hybrid will command a heady price tag, though. Porsche has confirmed the company will ask a whopping $845,000 per model, each with a 500 horsepower 4.0-liter V8 engine and two electric motors.

Altogether, the gas-electric drivetrain should be good for a 3.1-second 0-60 sprint and a top speed of 199 mph. Perhaps even more impressive is the news that the 918 will be able to propel itself with electric power at speeds of up to 94 mph. That little fact helps account for the news that the vehicle should be able to return around 78 miles per gallon on the EU cycle. Scroll down for the brief press release, but not before checking out the high-res gallery.

Continue reading Porsche shows off 918 Spyder Prototype

Porsche shows off 918 Spyder Prototype originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 May 2012 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche 918 Spyder to get more power when it reaches production?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:57:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Porsche

Porsche 918 Spyder - Click above for high-res image gallery

What could be better than a mid-engine Porsche with a 500-horsepower 3.4-liter V8 and an additional 218 ponies courtesy of a pair of electric motors? More power, obviously. And that's exactly what a report from Autocar alleges is going to take place for the upcoming 918 Spyder. According to the report, Porsche is said to be enlarging the displacement of the gas-swilling engine in order to extract more grunt from the mill.

The Brit pubs goes on to posit that the production 918 Spyder, which was first seen moving under its own power at Pebble Beach, will sport both soft and hard tops along with a somewhat beefier front end in order to provide adequate crash resistance. Also, somewhat predictably, the concept's 22-inch wheels are very likely to be downsized and the side exhausts may be rerouted to the rear when the hybrid supercar hits the market.

Assuming all goes according to schedule, Porsche is said to be planning a run of about 1,200 918 Spyders, each costing over $625,000 (£400,000) when it finally goes on sale sometime around 2014.

Gallery: Monterey 2010: Porsche 918 Spyder at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Porsche 918 Spyder to get more power when it reaches production? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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