ED209[Purist]
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The Porsche 918 Spyder at Thermal Club - Part 1
Dec 14, 2014,23:03 PM
I was lucky to be invited by a
fellow PuristS to attend a very special event for the Porsche
918. The Porsche 918 Spyder is a mid-engine hybrid supercar
powered by a 4.6L V8 engine paired with two electric motors.
This is Porsche's second plug-in hybrid car with the first being the
Panamera S E-hybrid model.
For this special occasion, Porsche
chose a unique location, The Thermal Club which is private motorsports
facility located nearby Palm Springs, California. The Thermal
Club features 4.5 miles of racetrack, full paddock, skid pad, a
Clubhouse, and Villas. In otherwords, think of a golf country
club with houses lining the course, except it's a racetrack for members
only. I think it's an amazing concept and perfect club for
motorsports enthusiasts.
We arrived in the late
morning and was met by security staff outside to check our
credentials. Once we presented our customized badges from
Porsche, we drove through the front gates down a long palm tree lined
driveway. I noticed that the Thermal Club is still in
development with construction on the surrounding villas.
There were plenty of parking spots available
for guests. We found the Porsche building and entered into
the display area for the Porsche 918
Spyder.
At the center display was the Porsche 918
Spyder serial number 000 and it proudly wore the "Liquid Metal Silver"
color exterior. Wheels are 20" front and 21" rear and painted
black with a polished front face surface. There is an optional
single-piece forged magnesium wheel that resembles a BBS style (and is
standard on the Weissach package). The weight savings of the
magnesium wheels are nearly 33 pounds compared to the standard
wheels. Actually throughout the day I learned that the weight
savings theme was apparent for every little detail to improve
performance.
Brakes on the 918 Spyder PCCB Porsche
Ceramic Composite Brake system. Fronts are 410mm and rear are
390mm diameter discs and have the 'Acid Green' colored painted
six-piston/four-piston fixed calipers. The brake discs are
near 50% lighter than the standard cast iron discs and contributes to
the weight savings theme and saves time on the race track.
Porsche offers the 918 Spyder with a Weissacht package
that cuts down the weight by another 90 pounds. From speaking
to the Porsche Driving School Instructors, this weight savings on the
Weissacht version made a significant difference while testing at
Nurburgring. The Weissacht beat the lap time of the standard
918 Spyder by 3 seconds which resulted in a overall lap time of 6:57 on
the Northern Loop. Also on the Weissacht package is more use
of carbon fiber trims on the rear wing, mirrors, windshield frame, and
exterior mirrors. The magnesium wheels have a central locking
device with blue bolts for the right wheel and red for the left wheel,
just like in motorsports racing.
Interior of the 918 Spyder is form fitting
but still has a luxurious feel.
The cockpit has a familiar Porsche layout
with 3 circular gauges. I liked the feel of the steering wheel
and just like a true race car the drive settings can be controlled from
the buttons on the steering wheel. During the track session
with the driving instructors, we changed the driving mode (using the
controls on the lower right hand corner) that changes the driving
characteristics of the 918 Spyder from full electric power, hybrid,
sports hybrid and race-hybrid. In the electric mode the 918
Spyder can go up to a distance of 19 miles and reach a top speed of 93
mph.
The mid-engine 918 Spyder has a 4.6 liter V8
powerplant and is the lightest V8 in Porsche production. What
is even more impressive is the approximate weight of 300 pounds and
produces 608 hp. In addition to the engine, the 918 Spyder is
paired with two electric motors positioned directly on the rear and
front axles. This adds more than 286 hp to the
powerplant.
The exhaust system is situated on top of the
rear midsection. This is a race inspired design and not only
reduces exhaust back pressure but also has a beautiful acoustic effect
while driving. Heat is also transferred out more
quickly.
Next up in part 2, we take the Porsche 918 Spyder on the race track. More pics coming up soon!
Regards,
ED-209
This message has been edited by ED209 on 2014-12-14 23:06:23
Comments:
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The Porsche 918 Spyder at Thermal Club - Part 1
By: ED209 : December 14th, 2014-23:03
I was lucky to be invited by a fellow PuristS to attend a very special event for the Porsche 918. The Porsche 918 Spyder is a mid-engine hybrid supercar powered by a 4.6L V8 engine paired with two electric motors. This is Porsche's second plug-in hybrid c...
A phenomenal supercar
By: ED209 : December 15th, 2014-17:43
There's so many details on the 918 Spyder. Amazing to see up close. Regards, ED-209
Man...I was having chills and blood flowing as I was...
By: Clueless_Collector : December 15th, 2014-11:08
reading and looking through the photos of this beautiful monster... what does that supposed to mean :) Lucky you and that person, heard there'll be one owner joining the forum. Rgds Raymond
Lucky and very thankful to a fellow Purist
By: ED209 : December 15th, 2014-17:48
Thanks for reading Raymond, I know what you mean :) Seeing it in person and up close is just a amazing experience. Driving it on the track was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm very grateful to my friend for allowing me to join him at Thermal. I'll ...
OnDaTrack? Wow...
By: patrick_y : December 15th, 2014-11:48
Looking forward to reading your impressions about this very special car on the track!
Yep, on the Thermal track
By: ED209 : December 15th, 2014-17:55
The 918 is stooopid fast 0 to 60mph in about 2.2 seconds is insane. And the sounds from the engine in race mode is beautiful..... Regards, ED-209
That is stooopid!
By: patrick_y : December 15th, 2014-20:50
Yeah, so stoooopid fast! Saying "0-60 mph in 2.2 seconds" takes 3.3 seconds!
I need an upgrade now
By: ED209 : December 15th, 2014-21:35
After driving the 918 Spyder, on my long drive home I realized how slow the Vette was. Kinda sad LOL. I guess I'll need to upgrade. Maybe Santa will deliver a new Z06 Stingray Convertible. Happy Holidays! Regards, ED-209
Uh oh. Slippery slope...
By: patrick_y : December 16th, 2014-09:13
I really want to try a Z06 Stingray with the new 8-speed automatic transmission. I think that car would be awesome.
I would be honored to drive a hyper car ..
By: bimbeano : December 15th, 2014-14:30
.. the sound of the 918 is amazing ... well actually is completely amazing ... are you going to buy one ? You can always sell the house :-) ... . Looking forward to the 'drive' .. video ??? Filip
The sounds were incredible
By: ED209 : December 15th, 2014-18:03
I was truly honored to be a guest at this event and given the opportunity to drive it on the track. Amazing experience. The speed, the handling, everything about the 918 Spyder was phenomenal and the overall experience is something that I will remember fo...