Don't let the Porsche 918 Spyder's princely $845,000 price tag or its 795-hp output distract you. This plug-in hybrid's most telling number resides in its model name.
That 918 badge implies that this two-seat plug-in hybrid is a spiritual successor to the legendary 917, an incredibly successful race car whose later iterations boasted in excess of 1100 horsepower and a notorious appetite for victory. If that doesn't speak volumes to the 918's stratospheric ambitions, consider the other figures surrounding this low-slung sled: a Nürburgring lap time of 7:14 (20 seconds faster than its V-10-powered ancestor, the Carrera GT), an electric motor that produces a 442 lb-ft plateau of torque between 1000 and 9000 rpm, and an improbably high 78.4-mpg fuel-economy estimate that defies those outrageous performance specs.
We went for a ride in a Porsche 918 Spyder prototype a year in advance of its build date—which, you guessed it, is Sept. 18, 2013. Here's what we learned.
The Tech: One High-Strung Hybrid
There's a point to this bonanza of incomprehensibly complex technology: The 918 Spyder serves as a bleeding-edge testbed for future Porsche hybrids and a dramatic statement about the company's engineering prowess. Built around a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic tub, this amalgam of internal combustion and electric power constitutes a wish list of ultra-high-performance components.
The fossil-fuel-burning part of the equation consists of a dry-sump-equipped 4.6-liter V-8 that spins 580 hp at a screaming 8500 rpm. That's 50 more hp than the LMP2 race car from which the mill is derived. Rear power is driven through a seven-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) transmission adapted from the 911 Turbo S.
Assisting the internal combustion effort are a 95-kilowatt hybrid module at the rear axle and an 85-kw electric motor driving the front. Together they can pump out 795 hp. A separate gearbox diverts electric power to the front wheels, decoupling above 146 mph. Power is stored (and regenerated into) a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery with 312 individual cells, which can also be charged using a household 110-volt plug. And 55 control units manage the interplay between fuel and electric power. Because efficient performance is the name of the game, there was no consideration given for a hydraulic steering system; the 918 Spyder uses an electromechanical setup with a rear steer feature, which can countersteer to offer quicker turns at low speeds or turn in the same direction of the fronts at higher speeds to prevent the tail from kicking out.
A small red steering wheel button lets you select from five options for the hybrid powertrain: E-Power (all-electric, which can run for up to 16 miles), Hybrid (which uses gas and electric power for maximum efficiency), Sport Hybrid (a more aggressive version of Hybrid), Race Hybrid (in which the electric motors offer short bursts of high output), and Hot Lap (which drains the batteries in an all-out attempt for maximum speed.)
Active aerodynamic features include air inlets below the headlights, a rear wing that deploys and alters the angle of attack, and underfloor air flaps positioned ahead of the front axle to direct air into diffuser channels. The 918 Spyder is expected to tip the scales at 3747 pounds, or 3670 pounds with the stripped-down Weissach package.
The Ride: From Silent to Speeding
We conducted our shotgun ride in a Porsche 918 Spyder on the roads surrounding Germany's famed Nürburgring, where the car later turned in its previously mentioned astounding lap time. Our tester, which was one of 20 or so preproduction vehicles in existence, wore an exterior that's about 80 percent complete, according to one Porsche engineer, and mechanical components that are roughly 70 percent finished.
At idle in the Nürburgring pits, you might never guess that this waist-high prototype is capable of neck-snapping performance. Yes, heat rises with menace from the rear decklids (during development the exhaust pipes migrated to an upward position because that was the only way to manage the intense thermal interplay between battery and internal combustion). However, the sound coming from the V-8 is raw and unrefined.
Still, there's plenty of acoustic tuning that will help make the 918 sound expensive once it actually hits the market. The roadster's seat-of-the-pants impressions reveal far more about how this complicated beast operates.
As we pull out of the pits in EV mode, the nearly silent whir of the electric motor replaces the din of the V-8. This Porsche tester being a work in progress, there are still some driveline noises and high-pitched frequencies making their way into the cabin. But, apart from the bulky diagnostic equipment and cobbled-together interior parts, the 918 scoots along with potent authority.
As the driver selects Hybrid mode, the V-8 comes to life, acceleration gets noticeably huskier, and all four wheels do their part to pull the 918 ahead with alacrity. The engine shuts down and fires up intermittently in this mode, and while the transition feels somewhat (but not entirely) seamless, the underlying grunt feels satisfyingly robust.
That is, until we experience a brief but intoxicating stretch in Race Hybrid mode, which reveals the 918's ability to dart forward with long-legged insistence, digging into tarmac with Michelin tires that seem to accelerate, brake, and corner with more g-forces than should be possible from efficiency-minded rubber. That momentary dalliance with thrust is a tasty tease into what promises to be a full repertoire of relentless, jaw-clenching performance.
The Bottom Line: The Trickledown Effect
The Porsche 918 Spyder's personality might be defined by numbers: 0-to-60 mph in under 3 seconds, 78.4 mpg (which will likely drop when the EPA offers it own rating), and that outrageous Nürburgring lap time. Yet the true magic of this car lies in how its traditional internal combustion marries to the techy world of hybrid powertrains.
Only 918 paying customers will be able to pony up the near-seven-figure price tag to have their own 918. But this most technologically ambitious Porsche will eventually be known as the car that enabled exotic hybrid drivetrain components to trickle down into more accessible cars. And for that, the 918 Spyder is a perfectly justifiable exercise in excess.