Automotive

918 Spyder is quicker than Porsche thought

918 Spyder is quicker than Porsche thought
Porsche shows the 918 Spyder at the LA Auto Show (Photo: CC Weiss)
Porsche shows the 918 Spyder at the LA Auto Show (Photo: CC Weiss)
View 15 Images
1/15
The 918 got to work on the track and broke Porsche's estimates
2/15
The 918 got to work on the track and broke Porsche's estimates
0 to 62 mph in 2.6 seconds
3/15
0 to 62 mph in 2.6 seconds
After nearly four years, the 918 is ready for customers (Photo: CC Weiss)
4/15
After nearly four years, the 918 is ready for customers (Photo: CC Weiss)
5/15
Porsche at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show (Photo: CC Weiss)
6/15
Porsche at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show (Photo: CC Weiss)
Ready for fill-up (Photo: CC Weiss)
7/15
Ready for fill-up (Photo: CC Weiss)
The Porsche 918 Spyder debuted as a concept at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and is now ready for market (Photo: CC Weiss)
8/15
The Porsche 918 Spyder debuted as a concept at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and is now ready for market (Photo: CC Weiss)
When using only battery power, the 918 hits 62 mph in 6.2 seconds (Photo: CC Weiss)
9/15
When using only battery power, the 918 hits 62 mph in 6.2 seconds (Photo: CC Weiss)
A peek at the 918's flaring nostrils (Photo: CC Weiss)
10/15
A peek at the 918's flaring nostrils (Photo: CC Weiss)
Inside the 918 Spyder (Photo: CC Weiss)
11/15
Inside the 918 Spyder (Photo: CC Weiss)
The 918 Spyder at the 2013 LA Auto Show (Photo: CC Weiss)
12/15
The 918 Spyder at the 2013 LA Auto Show (Photo: CC Weiss)
The view from the driver's seat (Photo: CC Weiss)
13/15
The view from the driver's seat (Photo: CC Weiss)
Porsche shows the 918 Spyder at the LA Auto Show (Photo: CC Weiss)
14/15
Porsche shows the 918 Spyder at the LA Auto Show (Photo: CC Weiss)
The 918 with Weissach package
15/15
The 918 with Weissach package
View gallery - 15 images

Ever since the Porsche 918 Spyder debuted as a might-never-be concept at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, we knew it was quick. But we didn't know just how quick. In preparation of the first 918 deliveries, Porsche has announced that the hybrid supercar outperforms the company's previous, already-impressive performance estimates.

The 918 Spyder with Weissach package – and when you're already paying US$845,000 for a car, why not throw in an $84,000 performance package – is nearly as quick as the Bugatti Veyron, dashing to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.6 seconds (the Veyron does it in 2.5 ticks of the wristwatch). The car will double that 62 mph speed in 7.2 seconds from 0, a half-second faster than originally estimated. The trip from 0 to 186 mph (300 km/h) comes in 19.9 seconds, more than two seconds quicker than original estimates.

While it shoots out of the gate like a bullet out of a gun, the 918 does much more than fire straight forward. The hybrid supercar (with Weissach package) recently set a Nurburgring record for fastest street-legal car with a time of 6:57, proving that it doesn't have to walk a line to perform at its peak.

The 918 with Weissach package
The 918 with Weissach package

We're betting 918 buyers won't be quite as interested with all-electric acceleration times, but Porsche notes some improvements here, too. As newly tested, the 918 rolls to 62 mph in 6.2 seconds (6.1 seconds with Weissach package) when the electric motors are firing without the help of the V8 engine. That's well under the seven seconds Porsche was quoting earlier this year.

It's still hard to say that an $850,000 car is a "bargain," but given that it now boasts quickness that can rival nearly any car on the planet, the 918 offers that much more bang for the buck.

The Porsche's updated performance numbers are so hot off the track, the informational pamphlet the automaker is handing out at the LA Auto Show still lists the older figures. You can see a few live photos from the show in our gallery and read more about the ins and outs of the 918 in our in-depth look.

Source: Porsche

View gallery - 15 images
6 comments
6 comments
Jetwax
Not only fast, but the best-looking Porsche as well d'-)
mcgmark
The new Nissan GT-R NISMO just released at the Tokyo Motor Show on November 19th is next fastest car to the 918 at the Nurburgring with a time of 7:08.69.
The NISMO GT-R seems like the real bargain here, at less than $150K.
steveraxx
Yet another profit center for the Porsche company for guys with more money than talent.
The Skud
Just goes to show - if you have money to throw at a non-existing problem, you can sell anything to the rich and gullible. 99 per cent - or more - of owners would never need that accelleration and 'ring' worthy ability anyway.
turbolove
"for guys with more money than talent"? Really? Porsche makes some of the most beautiful and high performance cars in the world. And for all the Nissan GT-R lovers, I don't understand how that's a 'good' looking car? And to 'The Skud'- why are you even commenting? Seems like you don't even like cars. Congratulations to Porsche on a very impressive car! Can't wait to see one on the road soon.
patrick.taylor1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_N%C3%BCrburgring_Nordschleife_lap_times
Two street legal LM8 Radicals have gone around faster than the Porsche and cost under or around US$200,000 http://www.radicaleastusa.com/radical-models/