2015 Porsche 918 Spyder

2015 Porsche 918 Spyder: Production Spec Finally Revealed

It’s easy to argue that some of the most impressive numbers in automobiledom belong to Porsche. Our first drive of a prototype 918 Spyder a few months back confirmed that. Despite its recent penchant for using actual names for its vehicles, just say 356, 908/3, 917, 912, 956, 935, 962, 930, or—of course—911 and there’s no doubt we’re talkin’ Porsche. Now we have the production Porsche 918 Spyder, so let’s do it by the numbers.

887. That would be the total horsepower available in the 918. Start with 608 at 8600 rpm from the RS Spyder-based 4.6-liter naturally aspirated V-8. The 9150-rpm redline engine creates an impressive 133 horsepower per liter—same as Ferrari’s 458 Speciale that’s also bowing at Frankfurt—and is tucked deep in the chassis aft of the driver. This gas engine is connected via a clutch to a 154-hp electric motor that also drives the rear wheels. Now add in the 127 horsepower of the motor that powers the front wheels. We know those numbers add up to 889, but to quote Porsche, which gives the 887 figure, “The engine and motors reach max power at different rpm, so the combined power output at any given point is not necessarily cumulative.” One more number: 180. The V-8 has a 180-degree crankshaft, which adds wickedness to the exhaust note.

940. The total torque of the powertrain in seventh gear when you combine the 390 lb-ft of V-8 torque at 6600 rpm with the twist supplied by the motors. Seventh is also the highest forward gear in the PDK transmission mounted out back. Up front is a separate gearbox that handles the front wheels, but also decouples them from the driveline once you’ve topped 146 mph.

6.8. The kilowatt-hour energy capacity of the lithium-ion battery, which is made up of 312 cells and is liquid-cooled via its own cooling system. Warranty on the traction battery is seven years, and should you plug it into your 110-volt home system you’ll need around seven hours to recharge it. At 240 volts you’d be out and running in less than four hours, and if you opt for the DC “Speed Charging” system you could be on your way to Starbucks in less than 25 minutes.

18. Roughly the max number of miles for a round trip to that Starbucks if you want to drive in pure electric mode. Gently. Push the 918 too hard in battery-only mode and the range will be less. Example? If you were to prove to your passenger that the Porsche will get to 62 mph in less than seven seconds and up to 93 mph on just battery juice.

Sub-2.8 and 211. Those are the magic numbers we all look for, the sub-2.8 being the seconds to 60 mph, the 211 the 918’s top speed with all systems on tap. On the way to the top-dog number you’ll pass by 125 mph in about eight seconds, through the quarter-mile in 10.2 seconds, and top 185 mph in 23 seconds. Hope you have enough road . . .

71. Peg that number as the mpg of the 918 if you go by Porsche’s claim of 3 liters per 100 kilometers on the optimistic Euro test cycle. This gets a bit fuzzy as it does with all plug-in hybrids because the manner in which you drive could greatly affect the real mpg, but the point is that it is impressive mileage when you consider such numbers as 887 horsepower or 0–60 in less than three seconds. A gas-guzzler tax would seem inappropriate.