Porsche 918 road car will remain a Spyder, 918 RSR coupe is only for motorsports

January 25, 2011May 10, 2012 Omar Rana 918 RSR, 918 Spyder, Convertibles, Coupes, Motorsports, Porsche 918 RSR, Porsche 918 Spyder, Porsche 918 Spyder Concept, Porsche 918 Spyder Coupe, Roadsters, Sports Cars, Supercars

Porsche 918 RSR

At the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, Porsche surprised the world with the debut of the 918 RSR Hybrid Race Car. According to Porsche’s outgoing development boss Wolfgang Durheimer, the 918 RSR will be built alongside the drop-top 918 Spyder road car project.

During the debut of the 918 RSR at the Detroit Auto Show, speculative reports suggested that the 918 project as whole as become coupe focused… well, that’s not the case.

Durheimer said that the 918 RSR race car coupe will focus on motorsport while the 918 Spyder will remain the road application.

“There is no decision taken that the coupé type will be available on the Spyder,” he told AutoCar. “We learned from the Carrera GT that the driving pleasure of the car is enhanced when you have the possibility to drive open or closed. We have always told people interested in the 918 Spyder that it will have a roof concept similar to the Carrera GT’s, with a lightweight carbon fiber panel. A closed car is better for motorsport, though.”

Refresher: The Porsche 918 RSR is built on a stiff carbon fiber plastic monocoque and is powered by a direct-injected V8 from the RS Spyder making 563-hp. The two electric-motors on the front wheels contribute a burst of 150 kW bringing output to peak drive power of 767-hp. The additional jump in power is generated during braking and is stored in an optimised flywheel accumulator.