Video: Porsche drives 1900 Semper Vivus hybrid across the stage in New York

At a media preview event at the 2011 New York Auto Show, Porsche execs hopped into a copy of a 1900 Semper Vivus hybrid and piloted it across the stage, ending their three-second journey next to the automaker's 2012 Panamera S Hybrid.

The Semper Vivus, considered to be among the world's first hybrid vehicles, was originally built in 1900 by the now-legendary Ferdinand Porsche. Housed in the Porsche Museum, the recreated hybrid took a team of engineers and designers, working from nothing but old photos and sketches, three years to make. The Semper Vivus' twin DeDion Bouton 1.7-liter one-cylinder engines power generators that direct juice to the hybrid's dual in-wheel motors. Hit the jump to catch video of the Semper Vivus in action

[Source: YouTube, Green Car Reports]

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