Monday, 16 September 2013

Porsche 918 Spyder...because seat belts are actually meant to be fastened!

Porsche has revealed the final production version of its 918 Spyder hybrid supercar, which has lapped the fabled Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany in 6m57s.This time was set by an upgraded version featuring the 'Weissach’ package, named after Porsche's test and development centre.
It's intended for those customers for whom the standard car's 887bhp, with 0-62mph in 2.8sec is not sufficient. 


Magnesium wheels reduce unsprung weight, decreasing the gross weight by about 35kg. Other references to motorsport include six-point harness seat belts for the driver and front passenger, an optional film coating instead of a paint finish, plus additional aerodynamic add-on parts in carbon-fibre.


Let's start just aft of the driver's head in the engine bay where you'll find a 4.6-liter, eight-cylinder engine that produces 608 horsepower. To save weight, the engine uses carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) for components like the oil tank and air intake system, titanium for its connecting rods, a high-strength, lightweight steel for the crankshaft, and a thin-walled alloy steel/nickel exhaust system.
The exhaust system is noteworthy for its top pipes, which fire out of the top of the engine bay, providing the shortest exit path for hot exhaust gases, keeping the weight down thanks to shorter piping, and giving the 918 Spyder a mean, race car look.



But when the V8 does ignite, skies darken, the film goes into fast forward and a strangely ferocious presence joins you in the car. One of the curiosities of the 918 is its two coffee-can-like “top pipes,” welded thin-steel chambers venting exhaust gases from the top of the deck lid, like a Formula One car. Because of an unexpected backpressure resonance in the tightly nested exhaust track, the 918 has a wild low-rpm gurgle, like an unplugged sewer line.


In addition to the Hybrid mode, the 918 Spyder also boasts Sport Hybrid and Race Hybrid modes. In these modes, the gasoline engine is the primary source of power, with the electric motors providing support. In Sport mode, there's still some optimization for efficiency, but the track-ready Race mode uses the electric motors to their maximum potential, draining and charging the battery much more aggressively. Race Hybrid mode also puts the PDK gearbox into a more aggressive setting.
The 918's suspension and chassis are nearly as high-tech as the engine that they cradle.Which adjusts to meet the needs of vehicle. The rear wheels are steerable, turning with the front wheels at high speeds to increase stability and counter the fronts at low speeds to increase agility. 

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