Leaked: Porsche 918 Spyder Production Version

A video, released on YouTube over the past few days, has given us our first glympse of the Porsche 918 Spyder as it will be sold to customers. We think that it was shot in New York during a customer preview, it clearly shows a different Porsche 918 Spyder than the prototype that has visited motor shows.

From looking at the car, we can confirm that the side exit exhausts have been ditched. More conventional rear-exit exhausts have been added. The front gains a GT3-style air intake at the point where the bonnet meets the front bumper. Conventional rear-view mirrors have been added instead of the camera types we saw on the prototype.

It looks as though there is a larger viewing area for the engine at the rear the wheels remain the same though. It features side marker lights which denote it’s American market compliance. The final change we spotted is the simpler LED headlight array that features on this car. Porsche chose to present the 918 Spyder next to the Porsche 918 RSR concept.

Development of the Porsche 918 Spyder continues. The car has moved into a new phase that will see extensive testing at the Nurburgring in Germany. The car has already been spotted testing several times before. One of the development goals for the Porsche 918 Spyder project is a lap time of less than seven minutes and 22 seconds. Engineers believe that this will be possible.

The Porsche 918 Spyder will get a combustion engine and two independent electric motors – one on the front axle and one in the drive line, acting on the rear wheels. The engineering and design focus is centered on minimal fuel consumption and maximum performance. We are told that Porsche engineers have been impressed so far with the testing results.

The first is a 4.6 liter V8 originally fitted to the three-time ALMS LMP2 Championship-winning RS Spyder. This will feature 570hp on its own and the exhaust outlets will exit in the middle of the engine block to reduce engine compartment heat. This will be coupled to an 80kW lithium-ion electric motor powering the two front wheels. In total, this means 770hp, with 553 pound-feet of torque available across the rev range. There is a second electric engine at the back.