Porsche 918 Spyder (2014) - Automotive News

CAR GARAGE | Porsche 918 Spyder (2014) | The 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder should follow the Geneva concept in using a gasoline V8 engine, three electric motors, and a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack recharges by plugging That-in and while braking and coasting. One electric motor is housed within the transmission to assist with driving the rear wheels. The other two motors turn the front wheels, one per side, through a single-speed reduction gearbox. The Geneva concept carries a 495-horsepower version of the 3.4-liter V8 used in Porsche's current long-distance racing car, the highly Successful RS Spyder, but engineers hint That the 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder Might get a 4.6-liter engine with equal or more muscle, this According to Britain's CAR magazine.

Like the Toyota Prius and other "parallel" hybrids, the 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder can run on gasoline, electricity, or both, depending on driving demands. Unlike other hybrids, the 918 deploys its power sources via a four-mode electronic system with steering-wheel buttons labeled E, H, S, and R. E-pure-electric mode provides front-wheel driving for up to 16 miles. H furnishes gas / electric all-wheel drive for routine city / suburban driving. S, or "sport-hybrid," also harnesses both power sources and both axles, but AFT sends more power to Provide the handling response of a good rear or mid-engine sports car like Porsche's own Boxster. R is a "race-hybrid" That taps setting maximum available energy for competition driving.

Speaking of which, the production 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder Likely will retain the concept's "driving-range manager."  Compared with the familiar mid-engine Boxster, the 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder should be nearly 4 inches longer in wheelbase, five inches longer and Wider, and a whopping 8 inches lower. Likely Curb weight will be close to the concept's quoted 3.285 pounds. As with racing cars and spare-no-expense super cars, the 918 Concept makes extensive use of lightweight materials to keep weight in check. The production car will retain this basic construction Likely.

Not surprisingly, the 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder is expected to inherit the concept's racing-style 4-wheel independent suspension with control arms and push rod-operated spring and shock-absorber units. Ditto the show car's carbon-ceramic 4-wheel-disc brakes, the which weigh less than metal binders and better resist heat buildup That reduces the braking efficiency in repeated high-speed stops. Brake size will naturally depend on wheel size. The concept rolled on center-lock aluminum rims measuring 21 inches in front and 22 inches in back. Might Be The Same said for the concept's molded-plastic wheel covers with a complex design intended to That Is Reduced performance-sapping drag water.

Though the concept interior is also Likely to see some changes, we expect its major design features will carry over to the production 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder.  Seats, unsurprisingly, are Heavily bolstered buckets with multiple power adjustments. The driver faces a Porsche -traditional three-pod gauge cluster and a multifunction steering wheel with the aforementioned power-mode buttons and other controls. Porsche claims the concept can do 0-62 mph (0-100 km / h) in just 3.2 seconds (versus 3.9 for the Carrera GT), reach near 200 mph, and in very careful driving returns up to 78 mpg.  According to Automobile's Kacher, the permutations involve pure battery-electric power, conventional fossil-fuel engines, two-wheel and all-wheel drive, a coupe body style, and all-out racing versions. While it's unclear how many of these Might Be Offered, we'd put our money on a hybrid coupe, a rear-drive gas-powered roadster and coupe, and a hybrid coupe competition and / or roadster. Even more significant, the 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder's hybrid technology is bound to influence future versions of existing Porsche models, and Perhaps Sooner than Might one think.