Porsche underestimates the power of its 918 Spyder: It’ll actually do 0-60 in 2.5 seconds

By Stephen Edelstein November 18, 2013

2015 Porsche 918 Spyder — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When you’re talking about an 887-horsepower plug-in hybrid supercar, it’s hard to be modest. Yet Porsche was apparently being a little modest when it came to the 918 Spyder’s performance figures.

Thanks to some final tuning, the 918 Spyder posts even more incredible numbers than before. Porsche says the car will now do 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds, compared to the previously-quoted time of 2.7 seconds. It will also do 0-124 mph in 7.2 seconds – an improvement of half a second – and reach 186 mph in 19.9 seconds.

Both figures are for 918s equipped with the optional Weissach package, which lowers the curb weight from 3,715 pounds to 3,616 pounds, and includes some aerodynamic improvements.

That’s when the 918 is operating as a hybrid. In electric-only mode, the car can still accelerate to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, which Porsche says is 0.7 second faster than previously estimated. With the Weissach package, the time drops to 6.1 seconds.

Producing this impressive performance is a plug-in hybrid powertrain consisting of a 4.6-liter V8, two electric motors, and a lithium-ion battery pack. Total system output is 887 hp and 590 pound-feet of torque.

Despite its immense power, the 918 has always seemed to be at a disadvantage compared to the Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1, because of its relative lack of power (both the Ferrari and McLaren have over 900 hp) and relatively heavy curb weight.

That may not be the case. Substantial performance figures for the LaFerrari haven’t been released, but the P1 will do 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds, and 0-124 mph in 6.8 seconds. So the Porsche will at least beat it off the line, not surprising given its all-wheel drive traction.

The Porsche will also probably be a better hybrid than the McLaren. The car from Woking, England gets an estimated 34 mpg, but the 918 is expected to rerun around 85 mpg on the European combined cycle. U.S. EPA fuel economy estimates haven’t been released. Expect them to be lower than the European numbers, but still very impressive.

Porsche will only build 918 918 Spyders, with a base price of $845,000 each. There may still be a few order slots open.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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