04 April 2011
Just because you lust after a prestige vehicle doesn’t mean you also want to throw your eco-caution to the wind or continue to pay big bucks for petrol, right?
Then here’s the good news – Porsche is now taking orders for its most fuel-efficient car. And the cost? Australians can grab one for the bargain price of $1.5 million.
The bad news? Produced as only a left-hand drive vehicle, you won’t actually be able to register and drive it on the road – leaving the race-track as the only option to drive your luxury ride.
The 918 Spyder will be a two-seater, as per the 2010 concept car; and is a plug-in hybrid, using only three litres of fuel per 100 km and releasing a meagre 70 grams of CO2 emissions per kilometre. To compare: the Toyota Prius Hybrid emits 89 grams per 100 km.
Able to be charged in a conventional socket in less than three hours, the hybrid has two electric motors, producing a combined output of 160kW; the front motor effectively making the 918 an all-wheel-drive car, with the V8’s power sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual clutch auto. According to Porsche, the 918 will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and reach a top-speed of 32-km/h.
Available in 2013, the sexy car will be made of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic monocoque and will feature a roof with panels you can remove to create a sunroof.