Porsche 918 Spyder: A Sports Car Aficionado’s Dream

Posted on 23. Aug, 2010 by PB in 911

Porsche not only has the reputation for being the most prestigious automotive brand in the world, the company also has the highest profit per unit sold of any auto manufacturer. In other words there's no need to hold any benefits or bailouts for Porsche.

The company just keeps doing what it has done since 1931, which is producing fine tuned, exquisitely styled cars that are usually years ahead of the competition in terms of consumer attraction, financial expression, and downright beauty. The new Porsche 918 Spyder lives up to founder Ferdinand Porsche’s vision to design moving works of art that are the antithesis of the tanks he built during the big war. In fact in a strange metaphoric way the 918 Spyder is a twenty-first century version of Ferdinand’s first design, the Volkswagen beetle.

The first Porsche, the Porsche 64, was designed using Volkswagen parts and it became the car for the fast lane rich and famous. In that respect the Spyder has VW blood running through its three electric motors and 3.4 litre V-8 500 hp engine. That’s the engine Porsche used in the RS Spyder Le Mans Prototype racing beauty. The seven speed gear box is married to Porsche’s double clutch system which delivers amazing power to the rear axle. Two of the electric motors drive the front wheels and the third electric motor provides additional power to the rear wheels. That means the Spyder wakes-up from 0 to 60 in 3.2seconds and has a top speed of over 200 miles per hour which will certainly draw attention from anyone wearing a uniform.

The energy storing system is a lithium-ion battery that’s liquid cooled. The batteries can be recharged using the regenerative braking system as well as from excess output from the engine when the car is coasting, plus the old fashion plug-in method is always an option. Like its great grandfather the fuel consumption factor is a big plus. At 78 mpg and a CO2 emissions rating of 70g/km, the Spyder pays for itself in due time although the payback may not be measured in normal terms.

The four different running modes make the Spyder irresistible to those fortunate enough to put up a letter of intent to purchase one of these great dames for $600,000. The E Drive mode allows the car to operate on battery power alone for about sixteen miles, and the three hybrid modes use the electric motors and engine to provide different levels of performance as well as economy, although economy takes on another meaning when the push-to-pass race mode button is engaged for additional electrical power.

The carbon-fibre-reinforced chassis and sleek magnesium and aluminium components keep the weight down to 3,300 lbs. The interior is detailed in true exotic sport car fashion, so slipping into the cockpit is a true out-of-body experience.

The Porsche 918 Spyder is sports car aficionado’s dream, but we may have to wait to get one. The first 1,000 Spyder’s are spoken for, but that may work in our favour. It will give the rest of us time to see the flaws and to save enough to put a down payment on a used one.

This guest post is contributed by Porsche pens stockist: The Pen Company.