Porsche reveals the pre-production 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid

It’s easy to understand why Porsche chooses to press ahead with the plug-in 918 rather than pushing the baby Porsche. The 918 Spyder Plug-in better conveys what Porsche stands for as it moves into the 21st century with sports plug-in models. 770 horsepower serves Porsche better than a Mini SUV.

Combining a V8 engine with two electric motors, the output would be almost 800 horsepower, according to Porsche, unleashed after two years of waiting, which will become three when the 918 Spyder hits the streets next year.

Now let’s look at what stands out in these photos Porsche has sent us. If you compare the concept photos with these, you’ll see that some things have changed: the exhausts no longer exit from the sides of the vehicle but spectacularly above the engine. Also, while the front remains almost the same, it has been “shaved” to match the line of the nose’s drop to improve aerodynamics.

The roof panels will apparently be removable in some way and can be stored in the 918’s “boot”. I don’t think that’s the best idea; an electric opening and closing mechanism seems more appropriate, but it’s also well known that all these frills add more weight to the car, which Porsche obviously doesn’t want.

I think the strong point of this new 918 prototype is the rear and the way they’ve worked to achieve greater downforce, without neglecting the aesthetics, since the rear lights are among the best we’ve seen recently. Overall, the rear end looks like the most successful part of this 918.

The 918 will cost 500,000 euros or more. Although both the price and the Porsche name remain out of reach for many of us, there are already several reservations. We don’t know how many people have signed up now, but when it was presented it had already received 900 orders (and that was over two years ago). Love at first sight.