On the 60th Anniversary of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Porsche surprised spectators by driving the 918 Spyder on Cypress Drive down to The Lodge at Pebble Beach, all on its own power.
After a glimpse of the hybrid supercar as it cruised by and dived into a massive sea of media and Porsche fans, all your other senses shut down automatically to better hear the glorious exhaust note of the V8. The unsuspecting would have concluded that a Le Mans prototype race car was among their midst, however, according 918 Spyder’s project leader, Dr. Gernot Döllner, the engine is a 3.4-liter V8 derived from the Audi parts bin. Add to that ingredient, not one but three electric motors totaling a combined 718 hp for a better power to weight ratio than the Carrera GT predecessor.
And you can plug it in to achieve an estimated 78 mpg!