Porsche 918 Spyder prices starts at $845,000, production starts Sept. 2013

March 21, 2011May 4, 2011 Omar Rana 918 Spyder, Convertibles, electric-cars, electric-vehicles, plug-in hybrids, Porsche 918, Porsche 918 Spyder, Porsche 918 Spyder Concept, Roadsters, Sports Cars, Supercars

Porsche 918 Spyder (Production Model Sketches)

Today is a very important day in Porsche’s history – and no it’s not because it is fully merging with Volkswagen (that’s still an ongoing issue). However, Porsche today is making a total of 918 dreams come true with the announcement that dealers worldwide are now taking custom orders for the popular 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid supercar that will average a fuel-economy of an outstanding 78 mpg (official EPA figures will be announced closer to launch date).

Power for the production Porsche 918 Spyder, which also gets some minimal design changes to meet safety standards, will come from a plug-in hybrid system that will be mated to a 4.0L V8 engine producing at least 500-hp. Two electric-motors – one on the front and one on the rear axel – will provide an additional 218-hp. The whole setup will offer a variable all-wheel drive system with independent control of the drive forces on both axles. The electric-motor will be powered by a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery that can be recharged from a standard household outlet (will take about 7 hours on a 110V outlet in the U.S.). On a full charge, the Porsche 918 Spyder can travel a total of 16 miles. Under the right conditions, the 918 Spyder will be able to drive on electric power alone at speeds up to 94 mph for limited distances.

Click here for more news on the Porsche 918 Spyder.

Alright – let’s get to the fun power. Mated to a 7-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK) double-clutch gearbox. The Porsche 918 Spyder is estimated to go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds with a top track speed of 199 mph. Porsche says the production 918 Spyder should be able to tackle Germany’s Nurburgring Nordschleife in less than 7 minutes and 30 seconds, which is two seconds faster than the Porsche Carrera GT.

Before we get into pricing you might wonder why the sketch above shows the 918 Spyder looking like a coupe. Porsche says: “Unlike the concept car, the two-seat production version, based on a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic monocoque, will feature a manual roof system with removable panels that can be stored in the front luggage compartment.”

Porsche said it will start production of the 918 Spyder at its Stuttgart plant on Sept. 18, 2013 and will offer the car with a starting price tag of $845,000 (and that doesn’t include destination and handling charges). To ensure exclusivity, Porsche will produce no more than 918 units of the model. Porsche said that the first customer cars will begin arriving in the United States near the end of 2013.