The Porsche 918 Spyder made history with its lap around the legendary Nürburgring track. Equipped with only a skilled driver and the Weissach Package, it etched in a jaw-dropping time of 6 minutes 57 seconds. It set a new record for street legal cars while setting the bar for the upcoming McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari. Luckily for all of us automotive aficionados, the 918 Spyder is now available to the public with the Weissach Package. The 918 is the Frankenstein monster of Porsches. It is the first of the known “big three” hybrid supercars to surface on the market, and it easily impressed the world with its technology. Two electric motors pair up with a 4.6-liter V8, and together they produce 887 horsepower. This power projects the hybrid from 0-60 mph in just 2.5 seconds, and from 0-100 mph in a knuckle-whitening 4.9 seconds.
The combination of strength and electrical power bring forth a racecar that could convince spectators it was built from nine separate machines and a bolt of lightning. The most challenging racetracks in the world become a work of ease even for the inexperienced driver as the 918 dominates every corner and hurls down the straightaways. However, understanding the supercar may have you a bit baffled. Many wondered, “How did they create a hybrid faster than a traditional supercar?” The answer is in the motors; one electric motor is fixed comfortably on the front axle, producing 129 horsepower, and another electric motor on the rear axle adds an additional 156 horsepower. This gives the driver impeccable control over acceleration and perfectly balanced power to all four wheels. In plain terms, you will never lose power, even when the V8 engine is at low idle. The energy is propelled directly to the wheels, projecting the 918 gracefully around every corner. The V8 engine is another story. Porsche created a powerhouse that could sustain high-rev output like an F1 racecar without compromising street legality guidelines.
READ: PORSCHE 918 SPYDER SPECS, PRICES, PHOTOS & REVIEW
The high-revving engine weighs in at a low 300 pounds and is positioned low on the chassis for a precise center of gravity. The dry-sump lubrication with a separate oil tank, aluminum pumps, and titanium connecting rods equal an even lighter ride, sparing no expense for performance. Inside of the hybrid, you will find a clean-cut cabin completely designed for keeping your attention forward. Every detail of the 918 cabin offers superb quality. The driver is gifted with a multifunction steering wheel, center console with a seven-inch display and a Porsche application for your smartphone that tracks information relevant to your next drive, including the battery charge. After bringing so much to the table, the world couldn’t envision the possibility of Porsche having anything additional to offer. That’s when they announced that the Weissach Package would be made available for the 918 Spyder, making the legendary Nürburgring track performance available to consumers. The Weissach Package is a weight reducing package that shaves off 90 pounds to bring the total weight of the supercar to 3,602 pounds. This makes it 0.1 seconds faster from 0-60 mph, even quicker than the Ferrari LaFerrari. The top speed is still electronically controlled at 214 mph, but that’s okay; this is a monster built for conquering the loops and curves of a track, not for running in straight lines. The 918 Spyder with the Weissach Package is, without a doubt, the most brilliant machine to ever leave Germany.
