A Porsche 918 Spyder prototype has been timed at 7 minutes 14 seconds around the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit. The plug-in hybrid car is still a year from production but the time is among the fastest recorded for road legal vehicles.
Dr. Frank Walliser, overall project leader for the 918 said: "By turning in a fabulous time of 07:14 minutes, the 918 Spyder prototype has already fully confirmed the viability of its future concept after just a few months on the road."
The 918 Spyder prototype was equipped production tyres from Michelin and the optional 'Weissach' package, which reduces weight and enhances performance. There was only time for one lap of the 20.6-kilometre circuit and the time was clocked from a standing start.
Leaked information about the Porsche 918 Spyder from a customer brochure has turned up online. This has revealed that the 4.6-litre V8 petrol engine develops 580hp at 9,000rpm and that the electric motors take the total power to 800hp. The options list includes the classic Martini livery as seen on one of the prototype 918s.