Porsche 918 Spyder: leaked images join Nurburgring claim | CarAdvice

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Porsche 918 Spyder: leaked images join Nurburgring claim

PORSCHE 918
By David Zalstein |
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A handful of new official-looking Porsche 918 Spyder images have been leaked onto the internet, joined by a claim from the German powerhouse that its latest hybrid-powered hypercar has lapped the Nurburgring in seven minutes and 14 seconds.

The glossy Porsche 918 Spyder images, reportedly leaked from an official brochure, show a Meteor Grey Metallic version of the super-hybrid, both stationary and driving, within a mountainous backdrop and finished in the previously seen Martini Racing livery as well as a Salzburg Racing design.

Porsche 918 Spyder - Brochure Image 3

The interior is also shown, highlighted by the large centre control panel that appears to incorporate touchscreen technology and the instrument binnacle that again clearly indicates a tachometer reading to 10,000rpm.

Porsche 918 Spyder - Brochure Image 7

Further pages reveal the 918 Spyder could be available in up to 12 different exterior colours, ranging from solid to metallic paint finishes.

More images of the suggested 585kW hybrid-powered Porsche – the car’s powertrain incorporates a V8 engine, hybrid module and an electric motor – have been plastered on the company’s Facebook page with the text, “Sometimes, words cannot describe a feeling. But in this case, a simple figure can. Location: Nurburgring, Nordschleife. Car: Porsche 918 Spyder. Lap time: 7 minutes, 14 seconds. Any questions left?”

Porsche 918 Spyder - Nurburgring 3

The time - on par with the Lexus LF-A Nurburgring Edition’s 7:14.64 record and significantly better than the 7:24.22 set by the Nissan GT-R - was reportedly achieved with a prototype 918, sporting what Porsche refers to as an optional Weissach package believed to include several yet-to-be revealed handling upgrades and running on standard Michelin road tyres. No video proving the achievement has been released.

The Porsche 918 Spyder is due to start production in September of 2013, with the first deliveries to follow later that year.

Click on the Photo tab for more images.


 

  • Monk

    Times like this we miss President Akuma

  • Zaccy16

    Sounds great! a new carrera gt, interior looks good

  • Noddy of Toyland

    The centre console is reminiscent of the Carrera GT, but jazzed up for the modern age with a touch screen. Very cool.

  • gt86.com.au

    finally a good looking porsche :)
    very nice indeed.

  • pixxxels

    I do love this car, but the one thing that gets me is the tail lights. It looks like the designers just flogged some brake lights from the 997′s parts bin and glued them into those oversized holes there. Those holes would look better if they were filled out by the lights. 

  • Shak

    Not Ugly. Good job Porsche!

  • Rick

    Since as usual o one likes to admit it . I guess I should point out that it’s still 2 seconds slower than the dodge viper acr (which only makes 450kw) that’s 135kw less that this marvel of german technology.

    • Mick Dunn

      And still I don’t care.  Bragging rights aside, what does 2 seconds difference over a 7 to 8 minute lap really mean?  There’s too many variables for those times to be taken too seriously.  Conditions at the Nurburgring vary wildly from one part of the track to another let alone day to day.  When F1 cars, doing 1:30 laps can have their times improve by a couple of seconds just over a weekend due to improved track conditions, I don’t think two seconds from one day to another in completely different conditions is worth looking at.

      It’s not just internet fanbois that fall foul of this but the manufacturers themselves seem to put too much stock into these times.  When it comes to the people who buy these things, who is really going to say “no, I’ll take the Viper because it’s two seconds faster around Nurby”?

  • Guest

    I suspect the Porsche wasn’t pushed flat out. I guess if they had a driver take the car to the limits of grip at every corner with a lot of risk it might well gain more time. It might also have been a prototype that Porsche didn’t want to crash just in the interest of getting a headline lap-time.

  • Rob

    Surely it will a very fast and sophisticated car but at the same time there will be many people including me shocked about Porsche going fully digital and obsessed with electronics just like Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, etc. The touch screen centre console makes me speechless. I miss the days when Porsche remained as the only sports car maker that sticks to the old school way. Finally it’s dumped it… sad.