Porsche reveals Martini-look 918 Spyder

Porsche has revealed it is targeting a lap time at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife of less than 7:22 for its upcoming 918 Spyder, which is still a year away from production.

The news comes alongside images of a 918 Spyder prototype wearing vintage Martini Racing livery that recalls Porsche racers from the 1970s, following a licensing deal between Porsche and Martini’s parent company, Bacardi & Company Limited of Switzerland.

Martini was the Porsche factory team’s official sponsor between 1973 and 1978 - during which time it claimed victory in the 1973 Targa-Florio, the 1976 Sports Car World Championship and the 1976 and 1977 Le Mans 24 Hours – and the distinctive Martini Racing colours have adorned Porsche 908, 917, 935, 936 and a various 911 RS and RSR models.

The release of official images of the full-colour Martini Racing 918 prototype comes after a black and white Martini-look 918 was spied in recent weeks and an earlier 918 test mule was revealed in close-to-production form in matte-black colours in May.

Porsche says the 918 has now reached final prototype stage – following hot-weather testing in Spain and high-speed tests at the Nurburgring - and the release of official provisional specifications shows the plug-in hybrid supercar will remain faithful to the original performance targets announced when it debuted in concept guise at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

Just 918 examples will enter production on September 18 next year (9/18, as it’s known by some), priced at $US845,000 plus taxes in North America.

After local import duty and luxury car tax that equates to around $1.3 million in Australia, but the 918 will not be built in right-hand drive.

As promised, the 918’s advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain will comprise a mid-mounted 4.6-litre V8 and seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission matched to an electric motor on each axle, providing all-wheel drive capability and the ability to run in all-electric or all-petrol power, or a combination of the two.

Total output of the 425kW dry-sump V8, 90kW rear motor and 80kW front motor is no less than 575kW. No official weight figure has been revealed, but the 918 is expected to tip the scales at less than 1700kg.

Wrapped in a two-seat carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer monococque body with two-piece Targa roof, the 918 is claimed to accelerate to 100km/h in less than three seconds on its way to a 325km/h-plus top speed.

Porsche says the full parallel hybrid system will also offer the ability to run in zero-emissions mode for at least 25km (at up to 150km/h).

In a commendable double-act, however, the 918 will also offer official combined fuel consumption of less than 3.0L/100km and CO2 emissions of about 70g/km, making it more fuel-efficient than anything with a petrol engine on the road today.

The car’s 6.8 kWh lithium-ion battery can be charged from mains power, while a brake energy recuperation system – in conjunction with the standard PCCB ceramic brake discs – will further extend its driving range.

Suspension will be via a double-wishbone front axle and multi-link rear axle with an adaptive electromechanical rear-wheel steering system while power steering is electro-mechanical.

An electro-pneumatic lift system to raise the car’s front-end will be optional, while a special track pack is also reported to be on the cards.

Porsche has previously said pre-production versions of the 918 have lapped the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit in less than 7:22 – two seconds quicker than Nissans GT-R (7:24)  and four seconds quicker than the new Porsche flagship’s spiritual predecessor, the V10-powered Carrera GT (7:28).

Expect the production 918 to be quicker than that at the testing 20.8km German track, however, given a number of production supercars have already lapped faster than that, including Porsche’s own outgoing 911 GT2 RS (7:18), the Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition (7:14) and 2010 Dodge Viper ACR (7:12).

Expect the final production version of Porsche’s ground-breaking new 918 Spyder to finally break cover at next year’s Frankfurt Motor Show on September 10, 2013 – a week before production commences in Stuttgart.

In the meantime, Porsche is reported to be readying a Panamera-based ‘shooting brake’ concept for the Paris Motor Show this September – when it will also reveal all-wheel drive Carrera 4 versions of its new 911 - and will show its second-generation Cayman coupe at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

Porsche’s all-new Macan medium SUV will hit Europe next October (and Australia in early 2014), and the company’s first direct rival for BMW’s large 5 Series sedan – so far dubbed the Pajun - could emerge as Porsche’s seventh model line after the 918.

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