Reeves Import Motorcars

Just look at it. It’s beautiful. Sure, you can say the wheels look too much like science fiction… but this is a concept car – it’s supposed to push the limits of reality. This Porsche certainly does just that.

The jaw-dropping, stunning Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid – that’s right, hybrid – has a whopping 500 horsepower that propels the car from zero to 62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds. That’s faster than the 750 hp Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, the 806 hp Koenigsegg CCX, the 627 hp McLaren F1, the 660 hp Ferrari Enzo… you get the picture. It also has a top speed of 198 mph.

What makes it even more amazing isn’t the speed, but something you normally don’t think about when you think Porsche: this thing gets 78.4 miles per gallon. Was that your jaw that just dropped and hit the ground? Don’t worry it happened to me, too.

Lets take a closer look at Porsche’s latest masterpiece. The 918 Spyder Hybrid, based on the 911 GT3 R, is a plug-in supercar. It is powered by a mid-engine V8 and two electric motors. The power for the motors is stored in a lithium-ion battery behind the seats. The electric motors, situated at the front and back of the car, combine for 218 horsepower. All those horses reach the ground through a seven-speed PDK gearbox.

Porsche has given the Spyder four driving modes. If you don’t need to go further than 16 miles and can spare a few seconds on that zero to sixty time then turn on the E-Drive (all electric) mode. Choose Hybrid mode and the power will come from both the lithium-ion batteries and the gas tank. Sport Hybrid mode adds a little more umph and uses a bit more gas. Feeling like tearing up the road? Flip the car into Race Hybrid mode and everything will be tuned for maximum performance. Push a button and the electric motors can be used to give you an extra burst of speed.

Porsche made sure they kept things as light as possible by using a ton of carbon-composite materials, magnesium and aluminum. The final weight is 3,285 pounds.

The future of supercars looks like somewhere I want to be. Here’s some more eye-candy…

Photos: Porsche

Source: Wired.com

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