OUR EDITOR HITS THE TRACK IN A PORSCHE 918 HYBRID HYPERCAR
Staring at the 918 hypercar in Porsche’s Auckland dealership in late 2015, I dreamed about driving it, which was about as realistic as me having dinner with Porsche’s famous driver, actor Patrick Dempsey.
Actually at that stage, I had a better chance of nabbing a meal with McDreamy because Dempsey was due in New Zealand for the Leadfoot Festival held over Waitangi weekend.
Though Dempsey was a no-show at Hahei due to filming commitments, my other Porsche fantasy became a reality. Porsche NZ rang to ask if I’d like to take the 918 hypercar for a spin at Hampton Downs.
Yes, I did squeal, and I did a happy dance by my desk at Driven.
With a price tag of $1.4m and the exclusivity of only 918 models of the 918 sold worldwide, I’d thought the closest I’d get to the electric hybrid car in action was at the recent Festival of Motor Sport at Hampton Downs, where it was driven in demonstration laps alongside two examples from Porsche’s museum.
But a chance came up for a select group of motoring editors to test the super-exotic sports Spyder.
It would be the only time the 918 would be driven in New Zealand by a non-Porsche NZ employee (and a high-ranking employee at that), as it wasn’t registered for our roads.
Though the 918 has done 4500km, that has only been on the back of a truck, being transported to dealerships around New Zealand. And with a new price tag of $2 million, it’s not a vehicle to have sitting around.
The 918 gains the hypercar label thanks not only to its performance but also its technology.
The 918 is a stunning vehicle that combines an understated Porsche design with futuristic elements, five driving modes and removable roof panels.
That is from Porsche’s racing DNA, with the 4.6-litre, eight-cylinder petrol engine taken from the RS Spyder, producing 447kW of power and 540Nm of torque. The 918 hybrid AWD then gains two electric engines — one sitting on the front axle to produce 95kW and one on the rear producing 115kW. Combine all three and you get the eyewatering, and delightful figures of a maximum torque of 1280Nm in seventh gear, with 0-100km/h in 2.6sec, 0-200km in 7.3sec and top speeds of 345km/h or 150km/h in electric mode.
The 918 weighs just over 1600kg thanks to a lightweight engine of 135kg plus the extensive use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic.
It’s also a Spyder with two roof panels inserted between the windscreen frame and rollover protection system by the headrests. These can be removed and placed in the luggage area.
The 918 is a stunning looking vehicle that combines an understated Porsche design with futuristic elements.
But it’s under the stylised bonnet (and axles) that is the most important part.
The 918 has five driving modes: E-Power (pure electric with speeds up 150km); hybrid (with the petrol and electric engines working alternately); sport-hybrid (a dynamic driving performance with the engine getting boost from the electric motors); race hybrid (giving maximum performance with the electric engine adding maximum power); and hot lap (all three engines giving their all for a few, very fast, drives on a circuit).
The 918 weighs just over 1600kg thanks to a lightweight engine of 135kg plus the extensive use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic.
Due to insurance restrictions we were only allowed to drive the hypercar in electric, hybrid and sport-hybrid modes, and we had a driving instructor next to us to make sure we behaved. Those three modes were plenty.
I was the first motoring editor to test the 918 on six laps at Hampton Downs. I was too excited at getting the chance to drive the car to be nervous.
The 918 was in pure electric mode for one lap — and that’s when I started laughing. This car is like driving in the future — there is only a “whirr” from under the bonnet and the silent power available.
I got too excited exiting one corner and planted my foot on the accelerator, which in electric mode started the petrol engine. My instructor, Tim Martin, told me that if the driver exceeds the kickdown threshold, the car overrides electric mode.
So backing off from exerting the power, I enjoyed the instant torque from the electric modes instead.
Lap two and three were in hybrid mode and let’s just say, you’re not driving a hybrid taxi. Instead the power, aerodynamics and handling of the 918 see the sports DNA from Porsche kick in and I found myself flying along the straight, enjoying myself too much to look down at the speedo.
Lap four and five were in sport hybrid mode — and this time you could imagine how Porsche’s endurance team (including Kiwis Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley) felt in the 919 racing hybrid car.
The power from the 918 exceeds expectations. If I hadn’t had an insurance-wary instructor beside me, I could have planted my foot on the back straight.
Lap six was cool-down circuit — more for the driver than car — with my delight obvious as I exited.
I was on high until 4pm that day — when I hit severe post-918 blues. It was a privilege to drive the car — and also a taste of the future when it comes to motoring.
And talking of tastes, with the 918 drive ticked off my fantasy list, it’s McDreamy’s move to make up for missing Leadfoot.
