FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Porsche 918 Spyder outed

Porsche has formally confirmed it will stage the world debut of its advanced new 918 Spyder super-coupe, the first production-ready image of which has now been officially revealed via Twitter, at the Frankfurt motor show next week.

Although the awe-inspiring plug-in hybrid supercar made its public dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, Porsche said it remained a pre-production model.

Now the first image of what it has confirmed is the final production version – pictured at California’s Pebble Beach last month -- has been tweeted, it’s clear that Porsche’s direct rival for super-hybrids like the LaFerrari and McLaren P1 will be as sleek as the concepts that previewed it.

Set to be revealed alongside the new 911 Turbo and Turbo S, a more powerful new Panamera Diesel and a special 50th Anniversary Edition of the 911, which marks five decades since its debut at the 1963 Frankfurt show, the 918 is claimed to mark a new beginning for Porsche.

“The super sports car with plug-in hybrid drive marks the beginning of a new era for sports car manufacturing,” said Porsche. “Never before has a super sports car designed for everyday use offered such an impressive dynamic performance combined with the fuel consumption of a compact car. In setting this technological benchmark, the Porsche 918 Spyder is taking on a pioneering role similar to that of the 911 when it was unveiled at the IAA 50 years ago.”

Porsche says the 918 “boasts an unprecedented combination of performance and the virtually silent locomotion of an electric vehicle” and with a total power output of (887hp) and no less than 1275Nm of torque, we have no argument.

Officially claimed by the notoriously conservative Porsche to hit 100km/h in just 2.8 seconds, the 918 combines a mid-mounted dry-sump 447kW/530Nm 4.6-litre V8 with a front-mounted 95kW electric motor and rear-mounted 115kW hybrid module.

As we’ve reported, the two-seat 918’s full parallel hybrid system delivers at least 800Nm between 800-5000rpm and features all-wheel drive, a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission, lithium-ion battery pack, idle-stop functionality, energy recuperation, four cooling circuits and five selectable drive modes “for optimum coordination of all drive units”.

While the V8 can spin to 9150rpm and features titanium connecting rods, thin-wall low-pressure crankcase and cylinder-head casting an alloy steel/nickel exhaust system, the 918 also features active suspension, active aerodynamics and rear-wheel steering from the 911.

Cradled by a carbon-fibre reinforced-plastic (CFRP) monocoque chassis, the two-piece Targa-topped Spyder’s V8, hybrid module and transmission are bolted together to form a single drive unit, while the front electric motor and gearbox drive the front wheels at speeds of up to 235km/h.

Top speed is 340km/h and the 918’s Nürburgring-Nordschleife lap time of 7min 14sec puts it ahead of the likes of the Corvette ZR1 and Nissan GT-R, but even in full-electric mode it can hit 100km/h in under seven seconds and a 150km/h top speed.

Despite the scintillating performance (which can be further increased by an optional Weissach package expected to comprise ceramic, titanium and magnesium parts), official combined fuel consumption is listed at between 3.0 and 3.3L/100km, with CO2 emissions of 70-79g/km also undercutting the world’s best hybrid runabouts. Kerb weight is listed at 1640kg with the Weissach pack.

The bad news is a pricetag of 781,155 Euro ($A1.113m) or 853,155 Euro ($A1.215m) for the Weissach pack, which including local taxes would be closer to $1.5 million in Australia, where the left-hand drive-only vehicle will remain illegal to drive on public roads.

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