Alastair's BLE 2 Blog: Porsche 918 Spyder

2012年1月17日火曜日

Porsche 918 Spyder

The 2010 Geneva Motor Show was all abuzz with the unveiling of the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept, a vehicle that, once it hit production, would be the successor for the Carrera GT. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long to receive confirmation that this concept would indeed be hitting the production block, and now we get to have a look at the first step to seeing the Spyder in its full form with this image of the first scale clay model.

Once that clay model turns into something a little less arts and crafts and a lot more mind-bendingly powerful, Porsche has announced that they will be investing around 150 million euros in a high-tech wind tunnel, that will help "to maintain Porsche’s top position in the fields of aerodynamics and design and to further extend our lead."

In a previous statement Porsche announced that the production version will deliver more power than the concept. Michael Macht, President and Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG said: "Production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base."

UPDATE 03/21/2011: Order books are now open for the production 918 Spyder. According to Porsche, their plug-in hybrid sports car will be priced at 645,000 Euro in Europe and $845,000 in the U.S. There will only be 918 units produced.

UPDATE 05/15/2011: Porsche opened up the order books for the production 918 Spyder back in March, and now, less than two months later, all 918 units have already been spoken for. For those who were lucky enough to snag one, production will begin on September 18, 2013. Still a long ways away, but more than likely, it will be worth the wait.

UPDATE 01/16/2012: While Porsche has kept a little mum lately about the production version of the 918 Spyder, new details have emerged on the internet stating that the car will be making its world debut in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show and that the first deliveries will be made in 2014. Also, the concept’s 3.4 liter V8 engine will be replaced with a new 4.6 liter version based on the RS Spyder LMP2 race car. This engine will deliver a total of 550 HP and will be combined with three electric motors that will increase the total output to an impressive 720 HP. The production version will also be about 5.8-inches longer and half-an-inch wider than the concept and will weigh somewhere under 3,700 lbs. (TeamSpeed).

Read more about the production version of the Porsche 918 Spyder and the tedious ordering process it takes to buy one after the jump.