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Passion
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R
iding in a Porsche 918 Spyder is the closest you
might get to the experience of piloting a fighter jet.
Sitting deep inside the car‘s carbon fibre body, ac-
celeration from the 887 horsepower (hp) system presses
you back as the 918 jumps from 0 to 100 km per hour in
just over 2.6 seconds. Less than five more seconds and
the speed hits 200 km per hour. By the time you realize
you lost your breath, it is hundreds of meters behind.
High performance, low consumption
This raw powerhouse has already claimed at least one
track record and yet remarkably is not actually a race
car. Porsche designed the 918 for everyday utility and
performance. Steerable front and rear axles improve sta-
bility and handling. Adjustable driving modes keep the
car ready for anything from comfortable transportation
to race-ready.
And yet, remarkably, the car uses a hybrid drive sys-
tem, with a traditional V-8 engine that offers a maximum
608 horsepower power output and two electric motors
that, between them, add another 285 hp, hence an im-
pressive total output of 893 hp. Hybrids that combine
internal combustion engines with electric power have
become increasingly popular around the world for their
eco-friendliness with the ability to increase mileage,
which reduces carbon emissions and decreases the
cost of operation. With all the performance the 918 of-
fers, the hybrid construction allows it to travel 100 kilo-
metres on only 3.0 litres to 3.1 litres of petrol. “Porsche
has an obligation not only to provide our customers with
the most thrilling automotive experience possible, but to
find solutions that can increase the environmental friend-
liness of even our highest performance vehicles,” said
Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President of Motorsport
at Porsche AG.
The car is a miracle of refined design, intricate engi-
neering and demanding production. But Porsche had an
advantage that is invisible to the eye. The company used
a special coating inside an innovative engine that weighs
less and consumes less fuel. The material helps reduce
friction and improve performance.
Most internal combustion engines are designed
around a system of cylinders and pistons. Vaporized