Porsche 918 Spyder First Drive
While patiently awaiting a third swing at the hero car, I strap into the older prototype for some hot laps at Walter Rohrl velocities. Rohrl makes it look easy, using one hand on the straights and a very light touch in the turns. The mercurial skies are darkening yet again when I finally strap in to determine how the most complicated Porsche ever tackles the racing world's trickiest corners in the dry. Accelerating out of the pits and into Monza's Parabolica, I try to detect the rear axle's 3-degree contribution to the steering effort, but the intoxicating twin-four-banger exhaust note barking right behind my ear proves too distracting. The brake pedal impresses with its utter linearity -- there's no clue as to when the handoff from regen to hydraulics occurs. The steering also provides plenty of information as to the surface grip and tire condition (which seems to degrade ever so slightly after three laps) without wiggling or squirming as front-wheel torque pulls us out of the turns. 8-plus-million prototype while 17 other top journalists are watching stymies my attempt to definitively report on this feature.
In fact, because of my early and gentler braking and the engine's aggressive recharging efforts in Race mode, the battery's state of charge increases from 70 to almost 90 percent during three laps. I am prepared to go out on a limb and declare that this is far and away the best-driving, most competent, coolest, most geeked-out street-legal Porsche ever. Hot Vee: The 918 Spyder ranks as the only naturally aspirated vee engine to route exhaust out through the valley of the vee. By placing the hottest components up high, the engine compartment -- which also houses the battery pack -- stays considerably cooler. Another bonus is an incredibly low-volume, low-back-pressure exhaust system. The "muffler" for this 4.6 liter engine measures just 24 liters, in contrast to the 3.8-liter GT3's 48-liter muffler. Because this plug-in cruises by the pass-by noise microphones in stealth mode, the muffler is only tasked with tailoring the exhaust note to please the driver's ears, located just 24 inches ahead. Oh, and that engine cover? It's made of stainless steel and perforated with 7346 laser-cut hexagonal holes. The specially treated stainless steel cover weighs less than would a titanium one configured to tolerate the 850-degree temperature.
Charged up: The super-speedy battery is well suited to track days. It requires just a half-hour to recharge between lapping sessions if you use a DC fast charger. Gas Tank Tech: The liquid chemical-energy storage cell is almost as sophisticated as the "liquid-cooled chemical-energy storage system" (battery) mounted directly below it. The aluminum 18.5-gallon cell is formed in two superplastic-formed (pioneered by the Panoz roadster's body panels) halves that are robotically welded together once all the baffles and internal pumps and so forth are installed. Assembled, it weighs 46 lbs. Even with the fuel-sipping hybrid gear onboard, the fuel system is tuned to deliver 55 gallons per hour when storming a racetrack. That's a Wrap: The cladding disguising our black and orange 918 Spyder is not just to foil would-be spy photographers. It mimics the famous Salzburg racing livery of the venerable 917 racer. This design and several other vintage race liveries, like the famous Martini design will be available as foil wraps tailored especially for the Weissach package. Deleting the multi-layer paint-job saves 5 pounds.
LeMans Engine: Why no turbos or extra cylinders? The copious electric energy onboard serves the same basic purpose as turbocharging -- adding power on-demand while allowing the engine to be smaller than would otherwise be needed to achieve the desired performance. The 4.6-liter V-8 was deemed to be the smallest, lowest-friction engine capable of producing the required power. Its flat-plane crankshaft design reportedly helps produce 25 more horsepower than a traditional 90-degree (cruciform) crank would produce. Metalized Carbon-fiber: Most car companies take a metal or plastic dash and apply decorative carbon-fiber to it. The base car's dash is made of carbon fiber to save weight, and then a metalized finish is applied to make it look and feel like aluminum. 7500 extra to make that carbon fiber look the way the other guys' carbon-fiber trim does. Carbon Mounts: Instead of inserting aluminum or steel pieces into the carbon-fiber monocoque for the 60 or more suspension and powertrain mounting points, forged carbon fiber inserts are used, saving precious ounces. Light Lights: Ultra-efficient LED front lamp units weigh just 1.9 lb each and are 50 percent efficient, using just 18W (25W in Race mode), versus 35W for Xenon.
Some of the variable-pattern capabilities these lights deliver elsewhere in the world may not be available due to our FMVSS regulations. Active Aero: The adjustable rear wing works in conjunction with underbody diffusers at the front to maintain a downforce balance near 35/65 front/rear. Using underbody diffusers is just as effective as Gurney Lips or flippers in front, but with far less drag. The rear wing does not function as an aero-brake, as some supercars do (like McLaren 12C), because it was not deemed necessary. The abundant regenerative braking provides more than enough support to the mighty (standard) carbon-ceramic discs. Weissach-package cars get little vertical fins at the outboard edges of the rear fascia to assist with boundary-layer separation for reduced drag. No AM: What may be the most complex car on earth utilizes 55 computer/controllers, a Linux operating system running HTML5, and complete Bluetooth/USB/internet app integration. What it does NOT offer is AM radio. Integrating the fussy AM antenna was deemed too much trouble for the limited AM audience among million-dollar-car drivers.