A Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid prototype has recorded a lap time of 7 minutes and 14 seconds at the 20.6 km Nürburgring Nordschleife. The lap time was set during an official Porsche test session with several of their prototypes and Porsche are therefore calling it an ‘official’ lap time. Rumour has it that the circuit was only available to the development team from Weissach for one lap.
Rumours also suggest that the car had the optional ‘Weissach package’ fitted to the prototype model. There is little clarity on what that package entails, but previous 918 Spyder reports suggest it may include a six-point racing harnesses, high-performance brakes and a load of weight-saving measures. The car was apparently fitted with regular Michelin road tyres.
The time was recorded on September 18th and the time, “far surpasses all expectations placed in it. By turning in a fabulous time of 07:14 minutes, the 918 Spyder prototype has already fully confirmed the viability of its future concept after just a few months on the road,” said Dr. Frank Walliser, overall project leader for the 918 Spyder. The car is one year away from being production ready.
The 918 Spyder will most likely get a 4.6-litre V8 engine with two electric motors. The combined power output is expected to be somewhere around 566 kW, allowing it to perform the 0 – 100 km/h sprint in under 3 seconds and hit a top speed of 325 km/h. The 918 Spyder is speculated to cost more than US$845 000 when it does go on sale, making the R1.5 million Nissan GT-R and its unofficial lap time of 07:21 still sound like mighty good value.
