Is the Porsche 918 Spyder a Landmark Vehicle?

We’ve visited the Porsche 918 Spyder recently, but the good people at Jalopnik posed an interesting question. Per their claim, the 918 Spyder is a landmark vehicle in every possible way. Strong words—which to be honest, I was originally unsure about.

It’s a hybrid supercar. A bizarro new term that pitches a strange bi-polar dichotomy of automotive terms. To automotive enthusiasts, it’s everything we tend to hate and love about cars. The 918 is pushing 887 HP / 940 LB-TQ with a curb weight of 3,715lb, which seems worlds apart from one of its most immediate challengers, the 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari with its 963 HP / 663 LB-TQ and 2,800 lb curb weight.

But as we also know, the 918 recently set a record lap on the Nurburgring at a staggeringly impressive time of 6:57 (though it’s been overtaken by the Radical SR8 and SR8LM), which are fully fledged race-ready track cars, so they don’t count. Bear in mind the next fastest lap after the 918 was the Nissan GT-R Nismo at 7:08.68.

So yes. The 918 is that good.

Let’s get technical, with highlighted points from Chris’ video.

• The engine makes 887 HP with a committee like system which includes…
• A 608 HP 4.6L v8 with an assisting 156 HP electric motor AND a 129 HP electric powering the front wheels
• The V8 uses no drives, belts, or pulleys. It spins to 9,150 RPM, weights 135 kg, and produces 132 HP/litre
• Harris calls the V8 one of the sexiest street car engines designed AND its augmented by 2 electric motors.
• It uses the 7-speed Porsche PDK transmission turned upside down for better weight distribution
• You can get 18 miles on full electric and it’s a proper plug-in hybrid
• Top speed 216 mph with active aerodynamics

And my favorite: The 918 uses a charcoal filter to collect particles during petrol fill ups. According to Chris:

“The 918 is so clean that even its petrol farts are pre-cleansed”. 

Then you saw it on the track – and it’s no wonder Chris’s mind was blown. We saw him drive the car at 10/10’s and his verdict was that it’s a good car. Very. Very. Good. He states however that because it’s been over-engineered to hide its mass, the weight does show slightly on the limits of a hot track run.

So what do you think? Does technical marvel and ulta-trick engineering make for a landmark vehicle? To me, it does.

The Spyder might not be the lightest, or the purest, but it certainly sets the standard for what the future could be like for the supercar world – especially as we continue to find new, lighter, more efficient technologies. According to interwebz hearsay – there’s still mixed feelings with a love it or hate it attitude.