Porsche 918 Spyder

📸: Photo courtesy CarandDriver.com

Although we have taken a few days (okay, weeks) off, we are still on the category of Hot Hybrids. Auto manufacturers must be given proper respect for not only making these cars, but for pushing the technology forward in a way that demonstrates that sporting performance and renewable energy praxis are compatible. When Porsche unveiled their 918 Spyder in 2013, it represented a significant milestone for the company and the industry as a whole. While their German competitor Audi had already used hybrid powerplants competitively at Le Mans, Audi had not introduced the technology in their high performance street cars. Porsche led the way.

📸: Photo courtesy Autoevolution.com

Let's look at that performance: a naturally-aspirated 4.6 liter V8 assisted by two electric motors. One 123 horsepower motor was dedicated to the front wheels, while a 154 horsepower motor assisted the ICE with the rear wheels; the rear electric motor also performed as the main generator for recharging the batteries. This added up to a totally output of around

875 horsepower, pushing a car that weighed about 3700 pounds. Heavy for a small, two-seater sports car, sure, but batteries... in any case, the 918 Spyder moved like a much lighter car: zero to 62mph in 2.5 seconds; zero to 190mph in 19.9 seconds; top speed of 218mph. The very definition of a "Hot Hybrid."

📸: Photo courtesy ChicagoAutoShow.com

Perhaps the most unfortunate fact about the 918 Spyder is that production ended in 2015 with only 918 units produced.