Back in 2014, Porsche shocked the automotive world by announcing its unique take on the hypercar. As one of the defining cars of the new segment, the Porsche 918 came in both a coupe and targa-top variant. This innovative hypercar made use of Porsche’s powerful V8 motor along with two electric motors to produce a seamless plug-in hybrid concept.
As a limited production vehicle, Porsche looked to the 918 as a statement to the industry of what Porsche can do. While the technology found in the 918 was fairly new, much was taken from the Porsche 911 GT3 Hybrid. The development work done on the 918 formed the foundations of their future Turbo-Hybrid vehicles and even the all-electric Taycan that was released in 2019. Here are 10 things gearheads forgot about the Porsche 918.
10 Limited Production
The Porsche 918 was designed from the start to be a limited-edition hypercar. With only 918 units leaving the production line in Germany, the Porsche remains a very valuable and rare car today.
The 918 units were produced from September 2013 through to June 2015. The hypercar came in two variants, a 2-door targa-top roadster, and a 2-door coupe. These two models differed slightly, but were both iconic to the brand.
9 Targa Top Spyder
Designed and manufactured in Germany, the Porsche 918 came in two, equally iconic variants. The 918 came in both a coupe and targa-top variant. The targa top was painted black and perfectly contrasted with the various colors the 918 came in.
While the targa top made the Porsche stand out, it did come with some downsides as well. The most notable being the standard doors compared to the butterfly doors on the RSR coupe model. The RSR concept of the coupe did not make it to production, but was still an iconic concept.
8 Porsche’s First Hypercar
Although many may confuse the supercar and hypercar segments, Porsche made it clear that the 918 was built to be a hypercar from the ground up. The hypercar segment is can defined as an even more super supercar.
In modern terms, this relates to flagship supercars that leverage modern technology for impressive performance gains. Some of the most popular hypercars in the last decade have been the Porsche 918, Ferrari LaFerrari, and the Lamborghini Essenza.
7 Mid-Engine Powertrain
The Porsche 918’s powertrain was uniquely built off the hybrid technology found in the 911 GT3 Hybrid. The same V8 engine was used in the RS Spyder Le Mans Prototype and weighed around 298lbs in total. This V8 managed to pump out 599 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque.
However, the Porsche 918 paired this V8 engine with two electric motors. These two electric motors provided another 282 hp to the overall power output of the vehicle. This hybrid system allows the car to accelerate from 0-60 in 2.6 seconds.
6 6.8 kWh Battery
The Porsche 918 came with two electric motors. The first electric motor was connected to the rear wheels, while the second acted as a generator to provide extra power to the overall powertrain. These engines were powered by a 6.8 kWh lithium-ion battery.
This impressive battery is what gave the 918 its impressive fuel economy, performance, and range. The range of the hybrid powertrain is stated to be around 420 miles, one of the best in the segment. However, this range is only 12 miles if you use the electric-only mode.
5 Butterfly Doors
The exterior design of the Porsche 918 looked more like a Le Mans race car than any road-going car Porsche had made before. While Porsche sports cars are built along the same design language, the 918 stood out as a futuristic work of art.
The coupe version was upgraded in an RSR concept. This concept built on the 918’s popularity and included butterfly doors. This added to the supercar styling of the car and secured its place amongst the most powerful supercars on the market.
4 PDK Dual-Clutch Gearbox
The Porsche 918 comes with a 7-speed PDK gearbox. This dual-clutch system has been developed and perfected by the engineers at Porsche for almost a decade. The double-clutch technology has been shared within the Volkswagen Group and is even included in the new VW Golf.
This impressive gearbox was designed for performance and durability. The PDK system can radically change depending on the drive mode that you set the vehicle in. If you decide to go into sports mode, the shifts will become sharper and more aggressive.
3 Regenerative Braking
The PHEV system designed within the Porsche 918 made living with a hybrid effortless. While you may think that you still need to charge the car manually, Porsche implemented technologies to help recover energy and charge up the battery while driving.
One of these technologies is regenerative braking. This harnesses the braking force of the car and uses it to actively charge the battery. The onboard computer manages the entire system to ensure that you can maximize your range.
2 Increased In Value
When the Porsche 918 first hit the market, Porsche made it clear that the limited-edition car would not be cheap. The hypercar came with a staggering price tag of $845,000. Despite this insane price, the car quickly sold out in a matter of months.
This price was federally subsidized by the U.S. Government due to the hybrid technology built-in. This helped decrease the price by around $3,500. While many may say that the $850,000 price tag was too high, the vehicle is worth well over $2 million today.
1 Special Editions
Although the Porsche 918 is already a rare car, there are two variants of the hypercar that take it to a whole new level. This being the Weissach Package and the 918 RSR Concept. The Weissach Package was the most practical, as it was a weight-saving version of the car that improved its 0-60 time to around 2.1 seconds.
The entire package included magnesium wheels and an extended rear diffuser. The interior of the hypercar was also upgraded to include Alcantara instead of leather, as it was a lighter material. The Weissach version of the 918 also included a windscreen frame, roof, and mirrors made from custom carbon fiber.