Porsche 918 Spyder

When Porsche announced it was going to build an SUV, the automotive community gasped and balked. How on earth could a company dedicated to sports cars even consider building an SUV? It was inconceivable – especially considering so many other luxury-performance manufacturers had tried their hand at the SUV segment and otherwise delivered lack-luster vehicles. They rode too stiffly, were fish-out-of-water off road, noisy and simply unbefitting of the emblem upon their noses. Why would Porsche want to traverse the territory? Because they were going to do it their way. And it worked.

Cayenne delivered Porsche performance coupled with compliant ride and handling, and an adept off road vehicle. It truly was the no compromise car. Maybe the old 959 taught them something, but regardless, Porsche delivered to a doubtful world a possibility. And it opened eyes in doing so. When the Panamera came about there was less doubt about a sedan bearing the Porsche crest – people were eager, excited to see the new car because they’d seen how the SUV was handled. And, like the Cayenne, the Panamera delivered in droves – comfortable, powerful, stable, nimble, it conquered the ultra-luxe sedan market with ease.

So, when Porsche announced they were taking orders for a hybrid, people were more at ease – weirded out a little, but more at ease. A gas sipper from Porsche? OK. The public waited and watched, and Porsche is just about ready to deliver. Exotic and arguably beautiful, the 918 Spyder is the hybrid people want – it’s the anti-hybrid hybrid. It’s aggressive and sporty, low slung and rebellious. Boasting a chassis of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic monocoque, Porsche has used magnesium and aluminum extensively throughout the car, keeping the weight to a respectable 3,300-pounds. Based heavily on the Carrera GT, 917 and RS Spyder, the production 918 is also very closely related to the 2010 Geneva show car known as XG10 but carries with it certain Ferrari and Audi design cues. No matter, though, it’s unmistakably Porsche, in which the Carrera GT lineage is easy to spot, which gives it a sort of “taking the baton” feel for the future.

All-wheel-drive, the 918 is a true two-seater sports car powered by a mid-mounted 3.4-liter 500-horsepower V8 engine spinning the rear wheels and two electric motors producing over 200-horsepower driving the front wheels. The newish-but-well-proven 7-speed PDK automatic transmission has been assigned to handle and deliver the power. Power for the electric motors is supplied by a liquid-cooled lithium ion battery placed aft the passenger compartment which regenerates power by collecting excess braking energy, excess power created by the gas engine while it’s decelerating and, of course, plugging it in. Sources say the 918 is capable of 78-mpg, and provides 16-miles of battery-only driving. Nicely too, the 918 will pounce from 0-60 in a Porsche-esque 3.6-seconds and achieve a top speed of around 200-miles per hour, if anyone is really interested in doing so. Production of the Porsche 918 Spyder begins in September 2013 and is slated for delivery in November 2013 at a price of around $845,000.

Customers can order a 918 Spyder from any participating Porsche dealership in the world, meaning the dealership has signed an agreement with Porsche on how sales and deliveries are handled. Step one, the dealership sends Porsche an Allocation Request Form, which results in an Allocation Response Form. Simple, direct – so Porsche. The Response tells the dealership if and when there will be a car available for them. Once that’s all settled, the dealer submits the order with a $200,000 down payment, upon receipt of which Porsche will respond with a specific month-to-produce the car. Another $200,000 will become due 12-months before the production date. The remainder of the balance is due when the car is complete. Porsche is being very cautious producing the 918 Spyder, making sure each car is spoken for by an owner – which is not bad business – and Porsche is certain they will easily sell all of the planned 918 units of the initial 918 Spyder. Interestingly, and ironically, you can bet a few will end up in the hands of oil tycoons. To make time go by more pleasantly while clients await the arrival of their 918, Porsche is offering everyone who orders a 918 Spyder the opportunity to purchase a 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder. Available in coupe or cabriolet, the 911s will also be limited to 918 units with special 918-related appointments – definitely limited edition collectible cars, they’re priced much more palatably at about $200,000. So, for a gnat’s hair over a million bucks, you can have an absolute space-age hybrid with a matching 911 Turbo, and guaranteed exclusivity. There is something to be said about that. And, being a hybrid, there’s a slice of guiltless green in every rev.