Porsche 918 Spyder: More Details Leaked For Hybrid Supercar

Many embargoes died to bring you this information. Colors, drive modes and performance estimates about the latest über-car from Porsche, the 918 Spyder, have been leaked through internal dealership documents.

The 918 Spyder will initially be available in four monochromatic colors: Carrera White, Black, Platinum Silver Metallic, and Basalt Black. All will have a black interior, but Porsche will add other colors to the palette.

The powertrain is still unchanged from Porsche’s specifications: a gasoline-powered V8 with more than 4.0 liters, and two electric motors. The V8 will produce at least 493 horsepower, while the two electric motors will develop a total of 215 horsepower. With this power comes a PDK transmission with seven cogs.

There will be four drive modes available: E-Power, Hybrid, Sport Hybrid, and Race Hybrid. E-Power is for maximum fuel efficiency, and uses only the electric engines—Porsche says that the 918 Spyder can travel up to 16 miles solely on electricity. Hybrid is for the sort of day-to-day grocery schlepping that people do in range-topping supercars, while Sport Hybrid and Race Hybrid are the where the excitement happens: Sport is for back-country driving with a rear torque bias, while Race is for “uncompromised control of the entire drive system at the absolute limits of performance.”

With an estimated 0-60 time of 3.1 seconds, we don’t care if it’s powered by sparkles and unicorn kisses (which, actually, would be kind of cool, come to think of it). It is expected to top 199 mph, presumably in California’s HOV access lane. And given the all-encompassing importance of Nürburgring lap times, the 918 Spyder will lap it in approximately 7 minutes and 30 seconds, enough to make you forget to fill in that federal hybrid tax credit on Form 8910.

[Source: WorldCarFans]