A couple of weeks ago, Porsche officially announced it would be building the Porsche 918 Spyder concept car it showed off for the first time at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Dealers are taking orders for the $845,000 Über Porsche for delivery towards the end of 2013.

As a side note, I can’t imagine spending nearly a million dollars on a car I’m not going to see for at least two and a half years, possibly more if any production delays enter into the picture. Guess there are some seriously patient rich people out there.

The Porsche 918 Spyder reminds me of the Porsche 959 back in the 80′s. I just caught the Top Gear episode where they test drove a Porsche 959 alongside a Ferrari F40. Such an advanced car for it’s day. The 918 Spyder promises to be the same for today.

Here are some highlights:

• 500+ hp 4.0 liter V8 with a pair of electric motors providing a combined boost of 218 hp (at a minimum)
• Fuel economy on the order of 3.0 L every 100 km, which equates to nearly 16.5 mph, based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC)
• Manual roof system with removable panels you can store in the front luggage compartment
• 7 speed PDK transmission
• 0 to 60 in just a touch over 3 seconds
• Estimated top speed of 199 mph
• Anticipated times around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under 7 min, 30 sec
• Capability of reaching speeds up to 94 mph solely on electric power
• Batter rechargeable via a standard household outlet

This is going to be one heck of a car. Fast, efficient, and filled with technological advances. One of those cars we see from Porsche once a decade or so.

Can’t wait to see one of these babies parked at the local Papa Murphy’s for a pizza pickup.

This morning, at the Detroit Auto Show, Porsche unveiled the latest of it’s creations. This time it was the 918 RSR. The car is a race track bound vehicle that takes design cues from the Porsche 918 Spyder concept car and the hybrid technology from the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car.

This is one heck of a melding of two cars. I love the look and the fact that they have the hybrid technology included. Would be sweet if left the hybrid components exposed next to the driver like they have in the interior pictures.

No word on release date or if they’re even going to build the thing. Although I’m assuming since the 918 Spyder has a green light, this will as well.

Here’s the full press release if you want to see it:

Detroit, Jan. 10, 2011 — Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is continuing to extend its performance and high efficiency competence via intensive development work in the field of hybrid technology. With the Porsche 918 RSR, the manufacturer of sporty premium vehicles is presenting a high-end synthesis of 2010′s successful hybrid concepts. The two-seater mid-engine coupé 918 RSR clearly reveals what happens when the technology fitted in the 911 GT3 R hybrid and the design of the 918 Spyder are transferred to a modern, innovative super sports car.

With its highly-efficient flywheel accumulator, the 911 GT3 R hybrid racing car proved to be an attention magnet during competition racing on the Nuerburgring Nordschleife circuit, during the American Le Mans Series races (ALMS) in Road Atlanta/USA and the ILMC run in China’s Zhuhai. It demonstrated its massive performance potential under realistic motor racing conditions against top competitors. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid, referred to internally as the “Race Lab” actually surpassed the high expectations of Porsche Motorsport. Competitiveness, high reliability and exemplary fuel efficiency combined with top performance under-scored the Porsche technicians’ basic idea of generating additional power in an intelligent manner. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid obtains its additional power from its own vehicle dynamics when braking. Porsche is now transplanting this technology into the mid-engine coupé 918 RSR, the motor sports version of the 918 Spyder concept car.

From the tradition established by classic Porsche long-distance race cars such as the 908 long-tail coupé (1969) and the 917 short-tail coupé (1971), the Porsche designers created a link to the postmodernism of the “form follows function” philosophy. In the 918 RSR, the lines’ elegant flow is dominated by muscular wheel arches, dynamic air intakes and a pulpit-like cockpit. A visible fan wheel between the ram air intake tubes and a rear spoiler with RS Spyder dimensions additionally emphasize the racing laboratory function. The new “liquid metal chrome blue” color which has been created underscores the sculptured curves of the forms, whilst the typical Porsche hybrid orange color on brake calipers and the body’s longitudinal stripes lends remarkable touches.

Motor racing technology also dominates within the particularly light, torsionally stiff carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) monocoque. The V8 engine is a further development of the direct injection engine from the successful RS Spyder race car and now offers an output of precisely 563 hp at 10,300 rpm in the 918 RSR. The electric motors on the two front wheels each contribute 75 kW, i.e. a total of 150 kW, to the peak drive power of exactly 767 hp. This additional power, which is generated during braking, is stored in an optimized flywheel accumulator.

In the 918 RSR, the two electric motors offer a torque vectoring function with variable torque distribution to the front axle. This additionally increases agility and improves steering response. Mounted upstream of the rear axle, the mid-engine is integrated with a racing transmission also based on the RS Spyder race car. This further developed six-speed constant-mesh transmission with longitudinally mounted shafts and straight-toothed spur gears is operated using two shift paddles behind the racing steering wheel.

The vehicle’s functional equipment underscores its puristic motor racing character. Whether it be the characteristic doors which open obliquely upwards, the air intake in the roof bet ¬ween the wing doors, the quick-action locks on the front and rear CFRP lids, the two roof-mounted aerials for pit radio and telemetry, the RS Spyder-like small, lateral front flics or the air splitters beneath the front lip or no-profile racing slicks on 19″ wheels with central locking, the vehicle can be clearly recognized as an experimental racing laboratory.

In contrast to the 918 Spyder concept car, unadorned racing atmosphere predominates in the interior of the 918 RSR. The figure-hugging bucket seat’s brown leather covering cites the history of the gentleman driver; the gear flashes on the racing steering wheel and a recuperation display on the steering column in front of the display screen supply the pilot with information. Instead of the futuristic, ergonomically avant-garde centre console with touch-sensitive user interface from the 918 Spyder concept car, the 918 RSR’s cockpit is split by a minimalistic console with rocker switches. Instead of a second seat, the flywheel accumulator is positioned to the right of the console.

This flywheel accumulator is an electric motor whose rotor rotates at up to 36,000 rpm to store rotation energy. Charging occurs when the two electric motors on the front axle reverse their function during braking processes and operate as generators. At the push of a button, the pilot is able to call up the energy stored in the charged flywheel accumulator and use it during acceleration or overtaking maneuvers. The flywheel is braked electromagnetically in this case in order to additionally supply up to 2 x 75 kW, i.e. a total of 150 kW, from its kinetic energy to the two electric motors on the front axle.

This additional power is available for around eight seconds when the system is fully charged. In the successful 911 GT3 R Hybrid, this additional power can also be used as a consumption aid depending on the racing situation, e.g. to delay pit stops or reduce the fuel tank volume and therefore the weight of the vehicle.

With the new 918 RSR racing laboratory, Porsche is now elevating this motor racing hybrid concept to an experimental level. In the 918 RSR, “Porsche Intelligent Performance” equates to research into methods for further sustainable efficiency improvement under the intensified conditions of the race track, lap times, pit stops and reliability – a metier in which Porsche has been demonstrating its success for over 60 years.

Finally, the starting number, 22, pays homage to the anniversary of a further triumph. Back in the days when overall victories in Le Mans were not yet an entirely routine matter within the Porsche racing department, the pilots Dr. Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep were the first to cross the finishing line in 1971′s 24-hour classic. The distance record set by their Porsche 917 short-tail coupé – 5335.313 kilometers (3315.21 miles) at an average speed of 222.304 km/h (138.13 mph) – did not remain unbeaten for an eternity, but for exactly 39 years until 2010. At the time, the 917 in the Martini colors was also an experiment and far ahead of its time: a magnesium space frame set new standards in Porsche’s lightweight construction domain.

[Source & Images: Press.Porsche.com]

Auto Express spends a day beating up the latest Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Some great driving footage on the track.

As a side note, I love the red steering wheel accents, red headliner and red belts. Just “looks” fast.

This is another great Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid video. This time with some driving footage. The video was shot in Monterey California a few days before the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Man o man I can’t wait to see this car in person!

This was a great episode of Supercars Exposed. I’m not a big Tanner Foust fan, but he drives some amazing TECHART tuned Porsches and shows some behind the scenes footage of the tuning facility. There’s some other great rides in there as well. Definitely worth watching. Thanks for sending it over, Lyndon!

I happened on a post on Autoblog.com this weekend about the Porsche 911 Sport Classic. The title of it was “2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic is proof that money really can buy happiness.” Classic! Judging just from the video I posted a few months ago (911 Sport Classic Video), I’d have to agree. Based on styling alone, I absolutely love this car.

The Porsche 911 Sport Classic was announced late in 2009 as a limited production car with all 250 units quickly being snatched up by buyers. No cars were officially produced for North America. I’m sure some made it here regardless. The Sport Classic is finished in a gray paint called Sport Classic Grey with a great Espresso Nature based interior. Lots of little extras were included on the Sport Classic including the engine “Powerkit”, PCCB, flared turbo fenders and a sweet throw back ducktail spoiler.

A couple of things that stand out in my mind aside from the typical stuff already mentioned. First are the subtle racing stripes running down the middle of the car. Those are classy looking and I love how you have to do a double take to figure out if they’re shadows or something actually on the car. My buddy’s Porsche Cayman Design Edition has those. They really set the car off in my opinion.

The second thing is the special design used in the middle of the seat bottoms, seat backs and door inserts. It’s a woven pattern Porsche calls “woven leather.” They describe it as a “special material woven out of strips of leather and yarn strengthened by a lining at the bottom.” Little touches like that in these special edition cars just bolster their desirability in my book.

The Autoblog.com post is definitely worth reading, especially since they compare the Sport Classic to the normal 911 Carrera S and the 911 GT3. This is definitely a Porsche for the Ultimate Car List.

Read the Autoblog.com post here: 2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic is proof that money really can buy happiness.

[Source & Images: Autoblog.com]

Thanks to Lyndon, one of our PorschePerfect.com readers, for sending this link over. Some of the numbers tuners are getting out of the Porsche 911 are just mind boggling. When you start getting up to 600, 700, 800 or even 1,000 horsepower, you’re talking a world most of us will never experience. I can’t imagine having that much power on tap. Maybe some of you can shed light on what it would even be like to drive a car with that much power on the open road.

In typical tuner fashion, Sportec has taken an already great car and attempted to squeeze top tier supercar performance out of it. Here’s a few of the upgrades for the 2010 Sportec SPR1R:

• 858 hp bi-turbo, 3.6 liter, 24 valve flat six
• All wheel drive
• Weight reduction (even over previous SPR1 upgrades) across key componenets
• Driver adjustable traction control system controlled by a touch screen in the center console
• 0-62 mph in 3.0 seconds
• 236 mph top speed
• Various interior and exterior modifications including 20″ forged alloy wheels

This is a nice looking car and one heck of a power monster. Leave it to the Swiss to push the limits of the capabilities of these cars.

[Via GlobalMotors.net]

So far I have seen any indication of how limited of a production run there would be for the Spyder. That alone could pump up demand even more.

I suppose it’s a great sign that Porsche has attached a dollar figure to the 918 Spyder. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.

[Source: Bloomberg.com, USAToday.com; Image: Press.Porsche.com]

This is an amazing find by a guy named Alex Nunez. He happened on what appears to be the first ever Porsche 911 Turbo at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance earlier last month. He said it was a little tucked out of the way and unless you read the placard in front of the car, you’d think it was just another 1976 or 1977 930. This special car is the prototype 911 Turbo. The very first factory turbocharged Porsche 911.

Here’s what Alex had to say in his post:

As the story goes, it began life as a regular ’73 911S company car driven by Porsche chief engineer Helmuth Bott. From there, it won the Porsche genetics lottery when it was sucked into the automaker’s experimental program to serve as the basis for the Turbo. As such, it became the first roadgoing Porsche 911 to get the turbo engine, along with the now-famous widebody treatment and whaletail.

Would love to know how this car made it’s way into the States. I’m surprised this one isn’t part of the factory collection.

The late 70′s and 80′s model 911 Turbos are still my favorite. Some day…some day.

[Source: Autoblog.com; Photos by Alex Núñez / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.]

This is a really cool video on the Porsche 917 with some great insight and tidbits about the car and it’s history. Also included is driving footage and commentary. Reminds me of a couple of Porsche 917 slot cars I had when I was a kid. They, of course, were the fastest ones I had!