Porsche’s new sports car is super high tech, so high in fact, the amount of technology matches the price!

Many Porsche Purists may have cringed back in Gevena in 2010, when Porsche first showed their hybrid 918 Spyder Concept and they may yet continue cringing, as Porsche gets ready to put the 918 Spyder into production. 

The Porsche 918 Spyder combines high-tech racing features with electric-mobility to offer a fascinating range of qualities; the car is a mid-engined sports plug-in hybrid. Power comes from a 4.6 litre V8 engine, making 580 bhp. The ‘electric-mobility’ refers to the two electric motors that accompany the V8 and power each axle, making an extra 211 bhp. The exterior design is said to be inspired by Porsche’s Intelligent Performance philosophy with advanced motorsports technology. That, combined with a clean, functional shape, makes the car a pleasingly modern design, which makes a bold statement everywhere you choose to drive it.

That combination of the sleek body and that powertrain means that the century sprint is dealt with in just 2.9 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 338 km/h. However, should you decide to run this car as a pure electric vehicle, you wouldn’t be too disappointed either; the onboard electric motors can propel the car up to 151 km/h, which, in any case, is a lot faster than can be legally achieved on the road.

If you decide that the power-to-weight ratio of the standard car is not good enough, or want to regularly take the car on trackdays, you could opt for an upgrade, which comes in the form of the Weissach Package, which trims the body work in carbon fibre, adds hollow-spoked magnesium wheels, aerodynamic tweaks and flame-resistant upholstery, to shave off nearly 37 kg off the curb weight.

Before you dart off to your local dealer to get a 918, there are a couple of things worth mentioning. Firstly, only 918 will be built and many have already have been snapped up by wealthy collectors and aficionados, and secondly, based on current exchange rates, each 918 will cost a cool S$1,238,650 without options (the Weissach pack alone costs S$113,000), taxes and importation fees!

The 918 is a really, really cool car, which we believe, will more than live up to its hype. Extracting so much power from such relatively untested technology may seem insane, but we do believe the guys at Porsche can more than pull it off. No doubt, it is a phenomenal car with crazy specs to match.