Ok... I'm going to first say..."droooool". The Germans are at it again....
Just look at this car. It's fabulous looking.
Better still, it's disturbingly FAST. It can reach speeds of nearly 200 mph.
Even better still, it's extremely powerful. It can clock a 0-60 time in a blistering 3.2 seconds. (That's about as long as it takes to drop something, then bend down and pick it up off the ground, btw.)
The ultimate? It can lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in a ridiculously fast 7 minutes and 29 seconds. That's faster than the Porsche Carrera GT supercar.
The the ultimate "topper"? It can achieve 78miles per gallon. That's right, nearly 80mpg.
How in the world is that even possible? Thanks to the megaminds at Porsche AG, it is.
Introducing the Porsche 918 Spyder. They should've just skipped the typical Porsche numerical model designation and called it the "Porsche Answer"
Combining a traditional V8, and useful plug-in hybrid technology (consisting of two powerful electric motors, and a regenerative braking/battery system), this beautiful beast is good for about 718 horsepower. Yes, you read that right. Over SEVEN HUNDRED horsepower.
No sooner did I anoint the BMW Active Hybrid Concept as the "second coming of the supercar" in my mind, than Porsche decided to unveil this piece of art and magic in Geneva, at the 2010 Auto Show.
Looking at this shift to hybrid powered cars over the last few years, I've witnessed a range of emotions as a "car guy". I'm excited to see symbols of innovative thinking like this, continue in the world of automobiles. This innovation is what has brought us everything from the seat belt (and later the airbag), to the turbo charger and active suspension systems. The Porsche 918 Spyder is yet another example of the march of progress and innovation into the future.
Conversely, like many who cling to the familiar, I'm fearful of the loss of what I have grown to love. There is nothing like the sound of a fabulously tuned, high revving V12 internal combustion engine. Nor is there anything like the music that a 7 liter 427 Cobra makes. It's music to my ears. These things are still enduring symbol of mechanical power, technology, and an aspiration to greatness in times past. These things have also become a symbol of the greater question, that asks if they are now just symbols of 'dated' ideals. I'd like to think not, as I see them as historically significant, but one can argue the contrary.
So where does that leave us?
There is a will now, to explore the frontier of new energy. For example, Sugarcane derived Ethanol powered all the cars in the Indy 500, over this Memorial Holiday weekend. This is a true potential energy source that is clean burning, and is renewable. That's one example is a litany of proposed alternative solutions to the global thirst for energy. However incomplete, flawed and imperfect all of the world's solutions are to energy source change, there is no disputing that all are measurable steps toward a better future.
Behaving like a company with a vested interest in this outcome, Porsche is stepping into the fray to offer something exciting. Something to whet the 'appetite of possibility' for auto enthusiasts around the world. Again, enter the Porsche 918. It is a concept that is both fascinating and admirable. It's a feat of engineering. It's a feat of ideology.
It says to this world that fast, and exotic can be exciting while being mindful.
To read more about this fantastic car, go here:
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