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Video: Jay Leno gets private time with Porsche 918 Spyder

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Performance, Videos, Porsche

Jay Leno and Porsche 918 Spyder

Jay Leno’s Garage gets private time with Porsche 918 Spyder – Click above to view video after the jump

One of the things we like most about Jay Leno, aside from being a hugely knowledgeable car guy, of course, is his access. Who else would Porsche pick for some private time in a hangar with its forthcoming hybrid supercar, the 918 Spyder, during last week’s festivities in Pebble Beach? Certainly not us. We waited by the phone, but sadly Porsche never rang.

Jay did get the call, however, and in addition to being allowed to place his all-denim outfit within inches of the 918 Spyder, he also got face time with Michael Mauer, Head of Design for Porsche. Jay didn’t have total access, however, as Mauer shot down his request to open the hood and view the car’s high-tech secret powertrain. Ah, well.

Follow the jump to hang with Leno as he learns more about the 918 Spyder straight from the designer’s mouth.

Gallery: Monterey 2010: Porsche 918 Spyder at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Porsche 918 Spyder concept in Monterey

[Source: Jay Leno’s Garage]

Continue reading Video: Jay Leno gets private time with Porsche 918 Spyder

Video: Jay Leno gets private time with Porsche 918 Spyder originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey [w/videos]

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Performance, Videos, Porsche

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept at Pebble Beach – Click above for high-res image gallery

While we’ve heard rumblings that Porsche was going to show its hot new 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept here at Pebble Beach, it appeared that the car was only going to be shown to a select few at private events scattered around the Monterey Peninsula during the week.

Well, today at the Pebble Beach Lodge, site of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company surprised us by driving the hybrid supercar up to the concept lawn for all to see – and hear. They did a quick turn around after sitting still for a second and as the V8 rumble died away, the car started moving forward again. A couple of people were taken by surprise as they thought the driver may have forgotten to engage the parking brake, but no, the car had switched over to battery power.

We shot a little video and took a few pics as we pushed through the massive scrum surrounding the car when it finally came to rest. Follow the jump to see the video and click below to see our high-res images.

UPDATE: Porsche has revealed that the 918 Spyder actually made its driving debut a couple days earlier on a closed road in Monterey. The company kept the drive a secret, though produced a nice video of their own that really shows off how the car sounds under its own power. Added after the jump.

Gallery: Monterey 2010: Porsche 918 Spyder at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Porsche 918 Spyder concept in Monterey

Continue reading Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey [w/videos]

Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Porsche 918 Spyder lapped the ‘Ring in 7:20?

Filed under: Convertible, Hybrid, Performance, Porsche, Rumormill

Porsche 918 Spyder concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Porsche 918 Spyder is an impressive vehicle in almost every conceivable way. The stunning, production-approved drop-top should be motivated by something close to the concept’s 500-horsepower V8; almost weak by supercar standards but the still-powerful mill is only part of the powertrain story. The 918 concept also featured a pair of 109-hp electric motors powered by a lithium-ion battery capable of EV-only propulsion that theoretically enables the 918 to drive 16 miles on electricity alone. Then there is perhaps the most awesome statistic: the 918’s rumored €500,000 ($650,000 in U.S. dollars) price tag.

What could make the 918 still more impressive? How about a 7:20 lap around the famed Nürburgring? That’s the word coming out of the Teamspeed forums, where an image quoting the ‘Ring time (see it here) was allegedly used in a presentation by Ferdinand Piëch. If true, the 918 would best ‘Ring kings like the Corvette ZR1 and Nissan GT-R. A lap time of 7:20 would even best the time of the last exotic Porsche, the Cerrara GT, by eight seconds.

Such a quick lap isn’t out of the realm of possibility, especially since we’re talking about a $650,000 Porsche, but we’re not inclined to believe it until we see some in-car video. For one, we don’t even know if the 918 Spyder has actually been to the ‘Ring yet, let alone laid down such quick times. If it had, we would expect our spy photographers to have caught it on film, which they haven’t… yet. Second, the forums are also claiming that Piëch once said his hybrid supercar did a simulated lap of the Nürburgring in 7:30, which further adds to the confusion. Finally, the 7:20 lap time could also just be a target for the production 918 Spyder, something not yet achieved but that Porsche hopes the car will do on the other side of its development.

Whatever the case may be, even the mention of being that quick around Germany’s Green Hell implies that Porsche is developing the production 918 Spyder to compete like no Porsche has before.

Gallery: Porsche 918 Spyder concept

[Source: Teamspeed forums via World Car Fans]

Rumormill: Porsche 918 Spyder lapped the ‘Ring in 7:20? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: Porsche approves 918 Spyder for production

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Hybrid, Porsche, Electric

Porsche 918 Spyder concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

As expected, the Porsche supervisory board has approved the development of the 918 Spyder concept into a series production model. The 918 debuted as a concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show with a plug-in hybrid powertrain claimed to provide 78 miles per gallon.

The concept used a 500-horsepower V8 along with a pair of electric motors with 109 hp each and a lithium ion battery that can provide 16 miles of emissions-free driving from grid energy. The powertrain is not expected to be changed much for production and Porsche has not announced when 918 will be available. There has been speculation that the production model could cost up to €500,000 (about $650,000 USD), although if it comes to the States, it should be eligible for a federal tax credit. Even with up to $7,500 it still makes the Chevrolet Volt look downright cheap.

Before you start looking in your couch cushions for a down payment, check out the official press release after the jump and our high-res gallery below.

Gallery: Porsche 918 Spyder concept

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading BREAKING: Porsche approves 918 Spyder for production

BREAKING: Porsche approves 918 Spyder for production originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unlikely Ire: Dan Neil excoriates 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Porsche, Design/Style

2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder – Click above for high-res image gallery

When we look at the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder rap sheet, it’s hard not go get a bit excited. It looks seriously terrific, it weighs but 2,811 pounds, and it packs 320 mid-mounted ponies. Good stuff. When we spent some time behind the wheel of the Spyder, we fell more than deeply in love with this, the purest of Boxsters. If only automotive super-journo Dan Neil agreed.

Neil’s review of the Boxster Spyder in The Wall Street Journal falls somewhere short of glowing prose – in fact, it’s about 500 miles short of glowing and a mere six inches past poor. The Pulitzer prize-winning author pans the Spyder’s top as beyond difficult (we called it “trick”). Okay, so a convertible top that was designed to save 46 pounds is probably going to shape up as less than ideal (Neil: “Find me the guy who designed the canvas top. Bring me his head on a platter”), but if Neil thinks this top is Erector Set hell, he should get his hands on a Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster.

Anything else wrong here? Well, there’s the power for starters. Neil feels the Spyder’s 320 horses are hamstrung by 273 pound-feet of torque that can only be best accessed when pushing the flat-six hard. And then there is the six-speed manual transmission, which Neil feels is inferior in every way to the PDK dual-clutch tranny (“Those purists out there still clinging to your six-speed manuals, please go home. Your black-and-white TV is on the fritz.”).

So… is the Boxster Spyder God’s gift to lightweight roasters or is it a reason to fire the engineers who designed this Porsche’s lightweight top? We know Dan – he’s a swell guy and one hell of a writer, but even though we’re decidedly short on Pulitzers, we can’t help but think that to slate the Spyder for not being a great everyday car is to miss its point altogether. Factory lightweight specials like this one are always a bit silly for street use, always ask for more concessions of their drivers, and, if they’re German, they always cost a bunch more, too. And yet… we’d still rock the top Boxster any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Oh, and we’re just fine with the three-pedal setup, thanks – like seemingly every dual clutch gearbox, the PDK still has lousy low-speed drivability – and you can call us hopeless romantics, but when it’s not about chalking up lap times, we still love to row our own gears.

Head over to the WSJ to read Neil’s scathing review for yourself.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder

[Source: The Wall Street Journal – sub. req.]

Unlikely Ire: Dan Neil excoriates 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Confirmed: Audi RS5 coming to America in 2012, R8 Spyder priced from $161,000*

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Audi, Luxury

2011 Audi RS5 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The on-again/off-again rumors about whether or not Americans will get to sample the hotter-than-hot Audi RS5 Coupe end now – the automaker has officially stated that the coupe will hit the States sometime in 2012. Yes, that’s a bit later than what had originally been speculated, but we’re still stoked that Audi has decided to include us on the RS5 goodness. No mechanical changes will be made to the coupe before it launches in the U.S., so the high-revving 450-horsepower V8 will still be intact. Awesome.

But in the meantime, we have lots of other Audi hotness hitting the streets, including the sexy R8 Spyder, which goes on sale next month. Audi has officially priced the topless R8 from $161,000 (not including the $1,250 destination charge) for six-speed manual models. If you want the six-speed R-tronic manu-matic (and you don’t), be prepared to shell out an additional … wait for it … $9,000. Just stick with the manual – trust us on this one.

The full details are available in Audi’s press release after the jump, and be sure to scroll through the galleries below to gaze upon the RS5 and R8 Spyder in all their glory.

Gallery: 2011 Audi RS5

Gallery: Audi R8 5.2 FSI Spyder

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Confirmed: Audi RS5 coming to America in 2012, R8 Spyder priced from $161,000*

Confirmed: Audi RS5 coming to America in 2012, R8 Spyder priced from $161,000* originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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