Porsche's plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder - ready to order
Anyone ordering the firm's new hybrid supercar also gets the privilege of being allowed to splash out on a limited edition version of the Turbo S... for a further £125,000.
"Green" power and dazzling performance aren't all that prospective buyers of Porsche's new plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder super sports car are buying into.
With a total of just 918 models being produced (and of course the small matter of the price, a cool £672,000), exclusivity is pretty much guaranteed too.
Porsche has announced that production of the car will begin on September 18 2013 - 9/18 in US date convention - at the firm's main plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, with first deliveries planned for November 2013.
Porsche says that thanks to its hybrid technology (its batteries can be charged from a normal household plug in around three hours), the 918 Spyder will achieve 94mpg - despite offering 0-62mph in just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 199mph.
Powered by a high-revving V8 engine "with a displacement exceeding 4.0 litres", says Porsche, the 918 will produce a useful 500bhp. However, two additional electric engines, one working on the front axle, the other working on the rear, will together produce an additional 218bhp. The configuration means that the Spyder gets four-wheel drive with variable control of power to both axles.
In electric-only mode, the new car will have a range of 16 miles. However, assistance from the liquid-cooled, lithium-ion battery-driven electric motors means that the 918 Spyder will emit only 70g/km of CO2.
Inspired by the firm's concept car unveiled at the Geneva motor show in 2010, the mid-engine two-seater will be based on a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic monocoque, complete with a manual roof system with removable panels that can be stowed in the front luggage compartment.
Porsche is offering 918 Spyder customers "the exclusive opportunity" to buy a 911 Turbo S "Edition 918 Spyder" (also limited to a run of 918 units) from £125,865 for the coupé or £133,553 for the Cabriolet. Basically a Turbo with a power updgrade and acid green embellishments, it will also have special badging and illuminated door entry guards. And the limited edition badge on the glove compartment lid bears the same number as the 918 Spyder the customer has ordered.
