This, according to Porsche, is the gene pool for their future sports cars - and it has absolutely nothing in common with the 911.
The 918 Spyder was developed from scratch on a clean sheet of paper - in fact, the car was designed around its hybrid drivetrain. More importantly, it was designed and developed in Porsche's racing department.
There's been a lot of cross-pollination between the 918 project and the 2014 Le Mans race cars. Even the basic architecture - a tub and sub-frame forming a rolling chassis under a non-load bearing composite body - is typical of Porsche racing cars, not their road cars, which have a conventional metal monocoque.
The V8 petrol engine was developed from the LMP2 RS Spyder race car, while the tub and subframe are made of carbon fibre and many of the bought-in chassis components come from manufacturers with a proven record as suppliers for race cars.
The hybrid drive is based on what Porsche's performance boffins have learned from racing the 911 GT3 R Hybrid; thanks to the separately controlled, second electric motor on the front axle, the electronic stability programme can safely be re-mapped for extremely high cornering speeds - and all the driver has to do is put foot!
RECORD BREAKER
That makes the 918 Spyder a potential record-breaker; it's already posted a lap time of 7min14 around the iconic Nordchleife at the Nurburgring - in the presence of international journalists - during test drives in September 2012. That's about 20 seconds quicker than a Carrera GT, and the test crew reckon it can still do better.
Hybrid cars are, by definition, extremely heavy, but by building the entire load-bearing structure out of carbon fibre Porsche have kept the 918 Spyder's weight down to an acceptable 1640kg - not bad for a 650kW supercar - and every single component that weighs more than 50kg is located inside a rectangle drawn through the four wheel-hubs.
That gives the 918 a near-ideal, slightly rear-biased weight distribution of 43 percent front and 57 percent rear. Putting the battery pack in the middle and low down behind the driver has not only put it in the ideal position for cooling air-flow, it also lowers the centre of gravity to about the level of the wheel hubs!
The 918's multi-link suspension comes straight off the race-track, supplemented by adaptive dampers and speed-sensitive, electr-mechanical rear-axle steering - up to three degrees in either direction.
At low speeds it steers the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels to reduces the turning circle and make cornering even more direct, faster and more precise. At higher speeds the system steers the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels to improve the stability of the rear end when changing lanes quickly.
ADJUSTABLE AERODYNAMICS
In ' Race' mode, the retractable rear wing is set to a steep angle to generate high downforce at the rear axle. The spoiler positioned between the two wing supports near the trailing edge of the airflow also extends and two air flaps in the underfloor, ahead of the front axle, are opened to direct air into the underbody diffuser channels, producing a 'ground effect' at the front axle.
In ' Sport' mode, the aerodynamic control system reduces the angle of the rear wing, which enables a higher top speed. The spoiler remains extended. The underfloor flaps close to reduce aerodynamic drag and increase top speed.
In ' E-Power' mode the car is set up specifically to reduce drag, with the wind and spoiler retracted and the underfloor flaps closed, along with the adjustable air inlets under the main headlights.
These intakes are always open in 'Race' and 'Sport' mode for maximum cooling air intake. In 'E-Power' and 'Hybrid' modes, they close immediately after the car is driven off in order to keep aerodynamic drag to a minimum and they don't open until the car reaches about 130km/h - or starts overheating.
POWER DISTRIBUTION
The 918 is all about using its three power sources as efficiently as possible, via a five-way map switch on the steering wheel. When you start the car, it will default to 'E-Power', using battery power alone as long as the battery lasts - usually about 30km.
In pure electric mode, the 918 Spyder can accelerate from 0-100km/h in less than seven seconds and tops out at 150km/h. When the battery's charge state drops below 10 percent, the car automatically switches to 'Hybrid' mode.
In 'Hybrid' mode, the electric motors and the petrol engine work alternately, with the eye on minimum fuel consumption; the ECU will automatically swop the drive from one to the other as needed.
In “Sport Hybrid” mode the V8 stays on all the time provides most of the drive, while the electric motors provide extra grunt when needed; the emphasis is on performance rather than economy.
In 'Race Hybrid' mode the petrol engine charges the battery whenever the driver doesn't have his foot flat, and the electric motors come in whenever he does, at full voltage for maximum race-track performance. At the same time the mapping of the double-clutch transmission is tweaked for sportier driving
The 'Hot Lap' button in the middle of the map switch can only be used in 'Race Hybrid' mode, and pushes the battery to maximum power output limits for a few fast laps. It's the only mode that will allow the battery to drain below 10 percent charge and it'll do that in just a few minutes.
COMBUSTION ENGINE
The 918's primary power source is a 4.6-litre dry-sump V8 rated at 447kW, derived from that of the RS Spyder, which explains why it spins to a screaming 9150 rpm.
Its carbon-fibre oil tank and air-box are built into the sub-frame, and it has titanium con-rods, a lightweight steel crankshaft and a very thin-walled nickel-steel exhaust system. Since all the ancillaries are electrically driven, there are no external belts and the engine is very compact.
This engine also makes a characteristic wail; that's because the exhaust ports are in the vee of the cylinders rather than on the outside, which keeps the exhaust heat away from the battery and allows the shortest possible exhaust routing and the lowest back pressure.
PARALLEL POWER
Coupled to it via an electromechanical clutch is a 115kW electric motor; because the two run in parallel, the rear wheels can be driven by either or both.
A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (which has actually been turned upside down in comparison to 'normal' Porsche street cars to lower its centre of gravity) handles power delivery to the rear axle.
If the car is coasting along in pure electric mode, the clutches (and the de-coupler of the electric motor) open and the V8 engine switches off.
As is typical of Porsche racing cars, the whole power pack is mounted ahead of the rear axle; there is also no physical connection to the front axle.
The 95kW electric motor in the front axle drives the wheels at a fixed ratio - with an electromechanical clutch to prevent over-revving at high speeds.
How high? Porsche quote 0-100 in 2.8 seconds, 0-200 in 7.9 seconds and 0-300 in 23 seconds, with a top speed of more than 340km/h.
CHARGING SYSTEM
The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery has 312 individual cells with an energy content of about seven kilowatt-hours, and is guaranteed for seven years. A normal 15-amp cable connects the on-board charger to a conventional 200V mains socket, which will charge the battery fully in about four hours.
If you install the optional universal charger and charging dock in your garage, however, you can reduce that to two hours or, with the optional speed-charging system on three-phase power, to just 25 minutes.
FOCUSED CONTROLS
The cockpit is divided into two basic areas: first, there are the controls that are important for driving, which are grouped around the multi-function steering wheel, combined with driver information displayed on three large, round instruments.
Then, there's the infotainment block in a raised centre console, first seen in the Carrera GT. The automatic climate control, wing adjustment, lighting and Burmester high-end sound system are operated by multi-touch with a new type of black-panel technology.
'WEISSACH' PERFORMANCE PACKAGE
For (very rich) true performance junkies there's also the Weissach package, instantly recognisable by special colours and designs inspired by legendary Porsche race cars, and six-point harnesses for driver and passenger.
The roof, rear wings, rear-view mirrors and windscreen frames are clear-lacquered carbon fibre, sections of the upholstery are finished in alcantara rather than leather, most of the interior aluminium trim has also been replaced with the light stuff and forged magnesium-alloy rims replace the standard cast-aluminium hoops - all of which reduces all-up weight by about 35kg.
Production of the 918 Spyder is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2013 and the final production version will debut at the Frankfurt motor show in september - the 918 in these pictures is a pre-production test car. Orders are being taken at €781 155 (R9.5 million) for the standard model and €853 155 (R10.4 million) for the Weissach package.
It will be produced only in left-hand drive, so won't be available in South Africa. Pity.