Porsche 918 Spyder (2013-2015)

Concept car premiere: 2010 March 2, Geneva motor show (Salon international de l'automobile de Genève)
Production car premiere: 2013 September 10, IAA Frankfurt Motor Show
Market launch: 2013 November

Tech specs and comparison

	Power unit	kW	Torque	Gearbox	0-60 mph	0-100 km/h	0-200 km/h	0-300 km/h	Vmax	Weight	Power-to-weight	Dimen- sions mm	Pro- duc- tion	Nord- schleife
2013 918 Spyder	4.6V8 447kW + electric motors 95kW/210Nm front and 115kW/375Nm rear	652	917+Nm 674+lb-ft	PDK 7-speed	2.7 sec.	2.8 sec.	7.7 sec.	22.0 sec.	345km/h 214mph	1675kg 3692lb	389 W/kg	4643x 1940x 1167	918 incl. Weissach Editions
2013 918 Spyder Weissach	4.6V8 447kW + electric motors 95kW front and 115W rear	652	917+Nm 674+lb-ft	PDK 7-speed	2.5 sec.	2.6 sec.	7.2 sec.	19.9 sec.	345km/h 214mph	1634kg 3602lb	399 W/kg	4643x 1940x 1167		6:57
2010 911 997 GT2 RS	3.6B6 bi-turbo	456	700Nm 515lb-ft	manual 6-speed	3.4 sec.	3.5 sec.	9.8 sec.	28.9 sec.	330km/h 205mph	1370kg 3020lbs	333 W/kg	4469x 1852x 1285	500	7:18
2004 Carrera GT	5.7V10	450	590Nm 435lb-ft	manual 6-speed	3.8 sec.	3.9 sec.	9.9 sec.		330km/h 205mph	1380kg 3042lbs	326 W/kg	4613x 1921x 1166	1270	7:28
1997 911 996 GT1 street version	3.2B6 bi-turbo	400	600Nm 441lb-ft	manual 6-speed	3.7 sec.	3.9 sec.	10.5 sec.		308km/h 191mph	1150kg 2535lbs	348 W/kg	4710x 1950x 1170	20
1996 911 993 GT1 street version	3.2B6 bi-turbo	441	653Nm 480lb-ft	manual 6-speed						1125 kg 2480lbs	392 W/kg	4683x	2
1987 959 Sport	2.8B6 bi-turbo	331	500Nm 368lb-ft	manual 6-speed	3.6 sec.	3.7 sec.	13.0 sec.		317km/h 197mph	1350kg 2976lbs	245 W/kg	4260x 1839x 1280	292

Please note: year is the year for the start of production, not model year. All the 918 had 2015 model year VIN, even the cars produced in 2013.

The work of 100 Weissach technicians, who developed the 918 Spyder concept car, received deserved honour on July 28, 2010, when the supervisory board of Porsche AG decided to develop the concept car into series production car. 8 pilot vehicles for testing different components aswell as 25 prototypes were made. Michael Drolshagen was appointed as the director of the 918 production. On March 21, 2011 Porsche started taking orders and on September 18, 2013 making of the first production 918 started. 918 was produced at the Porsche's main factory in Stuttgart (for comparison, the Carrera GT was produced in Leipzig, with only the engine made in Stuttgart). The last, 918th, order was taken in November 2014 for the car to be finished by the middle of 2015. Of the 918 cars 297 were ordered for USA. Buyers both in Germany and in China ordered around 100 cars.

Body

The Spyder's body is fully made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) and has a two-piece Targa roof. The car has a 43/57 weight distribution.

Rear-axle steering

The hybrid system's batteries and electric motors made the 918 Spyder relatively heavy for a sports car and to make it agile, the rear-axle steering system was created. It comprises an electro-mechanical adjustment system on both rear wheels. The adjustment is speed-sensitive and executes steering angles up to 3 degrees in both directions. At low speeds, the system steers the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels - this makes cornering easier and reduces the turning circle. At higher speeds, the system steers the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels and the car virtually changes lanes sideways. It is more complicated when power sliding as then the ground speed is not high, but the rear wheels should steer at the same direction with the front wheels.

Petrol engine and top exhaust pipes

In contrary to the 2010 concept car where the exhaust pipes exited in the sides, the pipes of the production model exit just above the engine. The top pipes’ greatest benefit is that the hot exhaust gases are evacuated as quickly as possible and the exhaust gas back pressure remains low. This design required a new, thermodynamic air channelling concept: the exhaust manifolds are located inside in the cylinder V and the intake tracts are outside. There’s a further benefit: the engine compartment remains cooler. Just that when filling the car at the gas station, extra care has to be taken into account as the fuel filler neck is not too far from the hot exhaust pipes.

Weissach package

With this package the weight was added by rear side fins and 6-point harnesses, but reduced thanks to many features, including:
• magnesium wheels (minus 14.9 kg/32.8 lb). The wheels were in the same sizes as the ones on the standard car: 9.5x20" in front with 265/35 tyres and 12.5x21" at the rear with 325/30 tyres.
• film-coating instead of body paint (minus 2.3 kg/5 lb)
• lighter brake system (minus 2.0 kg/4.4 lb)
• titanium chassis bolts (minus 0.8 kg/1.7 lb)
• ceramic wheel bearings (minus 0.7 kg/1.5 lb)
• less sound isolation
• deleted Speed Charging onboard equipment
• deleted automatic function for AC
• deleted Burmester sound system
In total the package shaved off up to 41 kg/90 lb (from 1675 kg/3692 lb to 1634 kg/3602 lb). Parts of the interior were upholstered with Alcantara instead of leather, and visible CFRP replaced much of the aluminium. The frame of the windscreen, roof, mirror housings and rear wing were also of visible carbon fibre reinforced plastic. The Weissach package costed about 10% on top of the car price, which meant you could get another Porsche for it.

Weight

With the concept car the announced target weight for the production car was under 1490 kg /3285 lb. This was not achieved. It was the same with the Carrera GT - the target weight was 1250 kg, but the finished car weighed 1380 kg. The engine capacity was increased in order to keep up with the higher weight. With the 918 the initial weight target was 1490 kg and the V8 had 3.4-litre capacity. The production car weighed at least 1634 kg and the new 4.6-litre engine was needed.

Electricity

The power steering and air conditioning system are both run on electric motors. There is no need for the strong 12V battery for the on-board electrics, so the car has just a 20 Ah lightweight lithium-ion unit in addition to the hybrid system's large battery. The 918 Spyder can brake using both electric motors and thus recuperate the energy. The electric energy is stored by a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery comprising 312 individual cells with an energy content of 6.8 kWh. The 140 kg/308 lb battery provides best performance at temperatures 20-40°C/68-104°F. The battery had 7-year warranty.

The plug-in interface enables the battery to be connected directly with the home mains supply. The battery can be charged within 4 hours from a 10 A power socket on the 230 V mains supply. A compact charging station for the garage was also supplied with the car which permits charging within approximately 2 hours.

A button on the steering wheel allows the driver to choose among five different running modes.

E-Power mode

It is for running the car under electric power alone, with a range of about 16 miles/25 km. When the vehicle is started up, this mode is the default operating mode as long as the battery is sufficiently charged. Acceleration to 62 mph/100 kmh takes 7 seconds in electric mode and top speed is 93 mph/150 km/h. When the charge state of the battery falls below a set minimum value, the vehicle automatically switches to hybrid mode.

Hybrid mode

Uses both the electric motors and the V8. At the speeds over 146 mph/235 km/h the front drive is decoupled.

Sport Hybrid mode

The V8 is now in constant operation and provides the main propulsive force. Most of the drive power goes to the rear wheels, with Torque Vectoring serving to additionally improve the car’s driving dynamics.

Race Hybrid mode

Meant for race track use, the drive systems are focused on pure performance. The combustion engine charges the battery when the driver is not utilising the maximum output. With the battery sufficiently charged, the push-to-pass button can be used to exploit the full power of the car, for example when overtaking or for just the maximum acceleration. In contrast to Sport Hybrid mode the electric motors run at their maximum power output limits.

Race Hybrid Hot Lap mode

The “Hot Lap” button in the middle of the map switch releases the last reserves and can only be activated in “Race Hybrid” mode. Similar to a qualification mode, this pushes the battery to its maximum power output limits for a few fast laps. This mode uses all of the available energy in the battery.

235 LEDs were totally used in the car and no single incandescent bulb © Porsche

The windshield and rear window are of lightweight thin glass as well as are of thin glass the hydrophobically coated side windows© Porsche

The Liquid Metal coating in Silver or Chrome Blue costs as much as a new Boxster. Please note, it is not a paint, but a layer of metal applied on the carbon fibre.© Porsche

In Porsche's vocabulary 'e-' means 'plug-in' © Porsche

Marked with red paint to detect the possible failure of central locking nut© Porsche

Exposed CFRP mirror housings of the Weissach Edition © Porsche

Aerodynamic part that reduces the wind vortex and this way keeps the exhaust gases away from the open cockpit © Porsche

Fuel filler cap is on the left and charging socket on the right side of the car (was vice versa on the concept car) © Porsche

Make sure you tank the car by yourself and be cautious with the fuel fumes near the hot exhaust pipes. The 70 liter tank is made of aluminium. © Porsche

The wing moves up and in an angle © Porsche

US-versions have red side lamps (32% of all the 918 made)© Porsche

USA-version with German number plates in Spain (Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia)© Porsche

On the snow and ice in Levi, Finland © Porsche

Weissach aerodynamic package and Salzburg livery© Porsche

Single arm windscreen wiper system© Porsche

Perfect from any angle - the praise goes to the design teams of Michael Mauer and Anthony Hatter!© Porsche

The 4.6V8 can rev up to 9150 rpm © Porsche

Porsche uses Acid Green contrasting color to distinguish the hybrid models from the others© Porsche

The rear view camera can be used also as a rear view mirror - it works also when driving forward© Porsche

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 - the best cannot be the best without the best. The tyre pressure monitoring system has Normal and Performance air pressure monitoring.© Porsche

1: standard equipment, 2: wheels painted Platinum, roof panel removed, 3: Weissach package (includes magnesium wheels) © Porsche

Designed by the Porsche Design Studio and developed by Porsche in Weissach, the luggage collection is an ideal match for the interior. The luggage set was available in the same color combinations as the interior: Garnet Red-Silver, Onyx Black-Acid Green, Onyx Black-Silver, Mocca Brown-Silver and Mocca Brown-Orange.© Porsche

Active aerodynamics: the ribs are closed when the cooling is not needed in order to reduce aerodynamic drag© Porsche

Active aerodynamics under the car © Porsche

Proudly sideways on this photo, but actually the middle-engined cars (incl. 918) are not easy to keep steadily sideways © Porsche

On the public road that once in a year transforms into the Le Mans 24 hour race track © Porsche

Salzburg livery decals and Weissach package © Porsche

918 Spyder with Weissach pack as the 2019 Porsche Racing Experience safety car — 918 Spyder with Weissach pack as the safety car at the 2019 Porsche Racing Experience© Porsche

American version can be told by the front amber turn signal lenses. The full LED headlamps have the Race Light function - the faster you go the brighter they get. © Porsche

The unusual form of the specially designed trolley leaves enough space in the luggage compartment to stow the removable roof halves© Porsche

The steering wheel is only longitudinally and manually adjustable to save weight. The visual 'aluminium' is not real aluminium because it is too heavy, it is CFRP covered with a layer of metal - wow!© Porsche

M-button inverts the PDK to manual mode © Porsche

No more PSM (Porsche Stability Management), now ESC (Electronic Stability Control) © Porsche

Can you find the gear selector (R-N-D)?© Porsche

A carbon case for the centre console was included in the luggage collection. The box fits into the centre console and opens on the passenger's side. The storage box for the glove compartment is opened and closed using the flap of the glove compartment. © Porsche

The luggage collection was available in 3 versions: as a 5-piece set (2 storage boxes, 2 garment covers and a trolley), a 3-piece travel set or a 2-piece stowage set © Porsche

Cloth seat (Weissach edition only, without contrasting piping), leather seat with alcantara center part and full leather seat© Porsche

Burmester sound system has 11 speakers and 500 watts of total power© Porsche

2013 September 10, IAA Frankfurt Motor Show: project leader Frank-Steffen Walliser and design leader Michael Mauer explain the 918

Hot lap with Patrick Long at the Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas

Jay Leno interviews Daniel Eastman, 918 Client Relationship Manager Porsche Cars North America. The 918 is covered with Liquid Metal coating.

Liquid cooled high-voltage lithium-ion battery is placed between the seats and the engine © Porsche

6.8 kWh capacity at 385 V nominal voltage, 312 individual cells of 3.7 V© Porsche

The air is sucked in through the CFRP headers on the outside of the engine and the exhaust gases leave through the exhaust system made of Inconel© Porsche

Based on the information from the rear axle recall concerning 45 cars built between May 7 and June 18, 2014 - in 42 days - it tells that approximately one 918 was completed a day. The second recall was announced on December 23, 2014, concerning 205 cars. The press release said the cars would be taken in for 2 days for chassis components replacement.

Concept car

The following photos and videos show the concept car with side exhaust pipes and side cameras instead of mirrors. The combustion engine in the concept car was the 3.4V8 unit from the RS Spyder LMP2 racing car. The weight target set by the development team was under 1490 kg / 3285 lb.

Wolfgang Hatz, board member for research and development, at the wheel © Porsche

Photo of a concept car. The production model had its exhaust pipes on top, not on the sides © Porsche

Cameras instead of side mirrors © Porsche

No steel brake discs, only ceramic to save weight© Porsche

The car was named 918 probably due to Porsche running out of the 9xx numbers and because the 917 was the most powerful Porsche and most powerful racing car ever made. So, 918 is the perfect name for the absolute top weapon.© Porsche

Michael Macht (CEO of Porsche AG in 2010) and Walter Röhrl unweiling the Porsche 918 Spyder concept car on the first press day of the 2010 Geneva Motor Show on March 2.© Porsche

(1) Power electronics, (2) Electric drive, (3) Lithium ion battery was very small in the initial design, (4) V8 engine, (5) PDK, (6) Electric motor weighing ~135 kg/300 lb, (7) Power electronics© Porsche

2010 March 2, Geneva Motor Show, Chris Harris interviewing Wolfgang Dürheimer, Executive Vice President of Research and Development, Porsche AG

2010 August 13, Head Designer of Porsche AG, Michael Mauer drives the 918 in Carmel Valley, California during a secret video shoot

2010 August 15, Concours d'Elegance Pebble Beach, California

918 Spyder driving on petrol power and on electric power

2012 March 26: Rolling chassis

Many body parts used from 911 racing cars to cover up the 918 rolling chassis© Porsche

Dr. Frank Steffen Walliser, 918 Spyder project manager and Wolfgang Hatz, board member for research and development of Porsche AG© Porsche

Rear bumper of 911 991 cut in halves© Porsche

Exhaust system is made of thin high-strength material called Inconel © Porsche

2012 February, Nardo, Evo magazine's Editorial Director and Founder Harry Metcalfe does a walk around the 918 rolling chassis

2012 February, 28 minute film shot at Nardo

2012 May 15: Road-legal prototype and optional Salzburg livery

Optional Salzburg livery shown for the first time. It is inspired by the 1970 Le Mans winning 917 of the Porsche Salzburg team. On the prototype the livery is white on black and on the production car it is red on white.© Porsche

The headlamp and the side turn signal clearly show it is a prototype© Porsche

Rear lamps still those of the 991 © Porsche

Prototype mimicking the psychedelic livery of the 1970 Le Mans 917. This livery didn't make it to production.© Porsche

2012 July 5: optional Martini livery unweiled

The Martini Racing livery is optionally available for markets where advertising alcohol companies is not prohibited. Advertising alcohol might have been cool in the seventies, but not in 21st century. Come on, Porsche!© Porsche

2012 July 18 (or earlier) test drive on Nürburgring

2012 September 18: Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time of 7:14 achieved by Marc Lieb

918 was initially designed to be able to lap Nordschleife in 7:22. Considering its heavy weight, it would be a good result, but as Porsche already had a faster car, the 911 997 GT2 RS with it's 7:18 lap record, the Weissach engineers had to push the 918 further. The Weissach edition of the 918 Spyder was able to lap the Nordschleife in only 7:14 on September 18, 2012. This of course with the street legal Michelin tyres. And this time even from the standing start!

The fins behind the rear wheels are part of the Weissach racing package© Porsche

991 rear lamp used on the 918 prototype© Porsche

2012 September 18: 918 Spyder prototype achieving a 7:14 lap time on Nürburgring Nordschleife. Video shows Walter Röhrl and Chris Harris among the others.

Filmed on September 18 and aired on October 2, 2012 by Chris Harris On Cars. Video shows Holger Bartels, Porsche chassis engineer and Frank Walliser, 918 project leader.

2013 May 9: journalists get to drive the near production ready version

With the May 16, 2013 press release the power was raised: for the 4.6V8 from 426 to 449 kW, front electric motor from 80 to 95 kW, rear electric motor from 90 to 115 kW, combined power up from 585 to 652 kW, torque up from 750 Nm/551lb-ft to 800 Nm/588 lb-ft. This meant the acceleration 0-100 kmh went down from 2.9 to 2.8 seconds, 0-200 kmh down from 8.9 to 7.9 seconds and 0-300 kmh down from 26.9 to 23 seconds. Top speed was up from 203 mph / 326 km/h to 211 mph / 340 km/h. Nice! The journalists got to drive the last, 25th prototype, number '25'.

Wing down, roof up, front inlet ribs closed© Porsche

Near production version, front inlet ribs open. Project leader Dr. Frank Walliser at the wheel. © Porsche

Production headlamps and side blinkers not seen on the earlier prototypes© Porsche

Production rear lamps not seen on the earlier prototypes© Porsche

Rear side fins come with the Weissach package © Porsche

2013 May 14: Chris Harris's video about his experience behind the wheel

2013 September 4: Nordschleife record 6:57

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 looks very simple compared to the Cup 1© Porsche

Minimal lift-off at this jump proves the car has huge downforce© Porsche

2 cars and 3 drivers were used for the record attempts© Porsche

Head of 918 project Frank Walliser, Porsche factory driver Marc Lieb and Porsche test driver Timo Kluck. Walter Röhrl was the third driver, but naturally younger boys are now faster.© Porsche

Marc Lieb's 6:57 around the 20.8 km Nürburgring Nordcshleife track means his average speed was 112 mph/180 km/h. This is truly an unbelievable result. Especially for those who have been in the Green Hell and understand what it means to go that fast. Of course the optional Weissach package was used together with the standard Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres to achieve this. Compare to Marc Lieb's 7:14 achieved a year ago in a 918 prototype or to the Carrera GT record of 7:28.

2013 September 4. This is probably not the fastest lap, but a very quick one indeed (seems to be around 7:02)

The many 918 prorotypes were tested for a total of 1.500.000 km (900.000 miles) before the car was ready for the customers. The prototypes were tested in Italy, USA, South Africa, Scandinavia, France and naturally in Germany on the Nürburgring's North Loop.

The making of

This photo is actually from 2012 prototype building, but it says all about the weight of the monocoque © Porsche

Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) monocoque was made using resin transfer moulding (RTM) technology© Porsche

The bigger inlet valves have 'E' written on them (Einlassventil in German) and the exhaust valves have 'A' (Auslassventil) © Porsche

It takes 20 hours for one technician to assemble the engine which weighs 140 kg/308 lb by the time it is finished© Porsche

First V-engine with the exhaust manifolds between the 'V' and inlet channels on the outside of the engine © Porsche

Side air curtain with pyrotechnics shown © Porsche

An interesting novelty with the 918 production were the Bluetooth-equipped wireless screwdrivers which transmited the actual torque values of safety-important screw connections into the database.

The last one

2015 June 19: number 918 of 918 © Porsche

Suppliers

Building the 918 Spyder needed the cooperation with over 250 suppliers. Here are the most important ones:
• Alfing Kessler GmbH (Aalen-Wasseralfingen, Germany): lightweight crankshaft with central oil feed
• c2i s.r.o. (Dunajska Streda, Slovakia): rear mounting bracket featuring RTM technology, luggage compartment tray in prepreg format and CFRP radiator frame for the front and rear
• Connova AG (Villmergen, Schweiz): heat protection
• Eissmann Cotesa GmbH (Mittweida, Germany): CFK components such as central control unit and glove compartment fitting, dashboard carrier and door panel car-rier made from visible carbon fibre
• GKN Driveline GmbH (Offenbach, Germany, and Brunneck, Italy): front axle module (clutch and drive shaft)
• Magna Steyr Battery Systems GmbH & Co OG (Graz, Austria): 12 V lightweight main power supply battery featuring LiFePO4 technology
• MHG Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH/Proseria (Heubach, Germany): exhaust system made of Inconel®, coolant expansion tank
• Mubea Carbo Tech GmbH (Salzburg, Austria): carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) monocoque made using resin transfer moulding (RTM) technology
• S1nn GmbH & Co. KG (Stuttgart, Germany): HTML5-compatible infotainment system with tuner, media player, telephone, navigation system and vehicle functions (ADR Automatic Distance Regulation – display and domain controller)
• Simfy AG (Berlin, Germany): APP based flat rate for music
• Oerlikon/Metco AG (Winterthur/Wohlen, Switzerland): Plasma coating for the crankcase

Continue to 918 RSR

Anniversaries: Apr, 25 – 90th birthday of the Porsche company (1931); May, 09 – 35th birthday of the 961 (1986); May, 10 – 78th birthday of Wolfgang Porsche (1943); May, 14 – 60th birthday of the 787 (1961); May, 15 – 39th birthday of the 956 (1982)