Still hoping to place your order for the Porsche 918 Spyder? Fat chance, since following 21 months of production, the hybrid sports car has rolled off the conveyor belt Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen for the last time.
The 918 Spyder became the latest in a long line of Porsche supercars when first unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, boasting a heritage that dated back to the 959 of 1986. In the decades that followed, Porsche fans would also welcome the 911 GTI (1997), and the Carrera GT (2004), each a game changer in its own respective right.
Foregoing the raw pace of its V10 predecessor in favour of a more considered approach to speed, the 918 Spyder incorporates a 4.6-litre V8 with a 95kW electric motor at the front axle and a 115kW electric motor at the rear for a combined output of 875bhp and 944lb ft of torque that, following our inaugural drive in the beast in 2013, crankandpiston.com found very entertaining. Said hybrid mapping – which converts kinetic energy to electrical power – is something that will filter into regular Porsches in the future, and this has left many wondering ‘what next’?
[Not a valid template]While Porsche has yet to release any details surrounding its next supercar, teaser images released during this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend included past, present and future liveries for the company’s World Endurance Championship 919 Hybrid as well as a new model shrouded beneath silk. Unsurprisingly speculation has been rife, with many suggesting a mid-engined rival to the McLaren 650S and Ferrari 488 GTB rather than the range topping P1 and LaFerrari respectively.
Oh, and since lap record runs at the Nürburgring have now been banned following a spate of accidents at the circuit, what better time to dust off Porsche’s 6m 57s run at the Green Hell?
