Image: MotoAuthority
Last week, on a crisp, late-summer morning, a 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder gave it a go at the 13-mile Nürburgring Ring track, and, on its first run, set the production-car record at a cool 6:59. The new Porsche 918 Spyder destroyed the times previously laid down by the Ferrari 458 Italia, 7:32, and the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, 7:19.
Oh, and get this, the new 918 Spyder just happens to be a hybrid supercar!
To earn such a time, test driver Marc Lieb made use of the Spyder’s “Hot Lap” button that tells the car to use its 6.8 kwh, 385 volt lithium-ion battery, capable of zapping out a sizzling 230 kilowatts and nearly 600 amps, as quickly as battery-ly as possible.
The lads over at Porsche are tickled pink about the time trial at the famous track. Frank Walliser, 918 project director, said, ““The Nürburgring is the ultimate test of horsepower, aerodynamics and handling… I cried out for the whole team,” Dr. Walliser said later. “There was a lot of pressure and everybody wanted to get the most out of the car.”
The base price for the car that is starting retail production this week is $845,000. With federal tax credits, this price drops to just a touch more than $841,000.
