Tacet-Conundrum

To clarify do you mean a 3.8 or 3.9? Please explain.

A430v

Currently, the exhaust pipes are milled out of one solid block of aluminum ~ so changes will definitely be made. Whether Porsche keeps to the "side" design is yet to be determined.

The 918 definitely looks compact. I would say, compared to the CGT, it is close to 10%-15% smaller in all dimensions.

Well, performance is the objective here. According to the rep, the electric motors give instantaneous response ~ torque wise. Always on, no need to wait for the motor to spool up. The V8 will give the necessary high-end, high-screaming rpm power, while the electric motor will give the added torque and boost.

The rep informed me, that underneath the car, it was plugged in and constantly being charged. I wanted to see some of the instrumentation and display screens at work, but he said the car was experiencing some electrical problems - apparently the charging mechanism shorted out due to voltage issues. He swore all the gauges and stuff were being displayed the day before.


I whole heartedly concur with you and mooty! Make it super light, high-revving, high-strung V-8 motor...take out all the hybrid crap, low production #s, high $400ks to right around $500k, PDK or even a stick option and I'll highly consider!

axhoaxho

Ditto.

I truely agree. Offer a Hybrid Delete option (wonder how many lbs it will save?), keep the 3.4L V8 RS Spyder based engine (make it rev high and sound great), and I will love to beg Porsche to let me buy one.

Regards,

20C4S

Gentlemen,
sadly that's not gonna happen. i was told Porsche is rushing it to make the world 1st hybrid super car. good that the waiting time will be less. bad that the hybrid is a sure thing.

Carrera GT

3.9, just a typo.

KINGSRULE

This car might be one of the most beautiful cars ever designed.

I also agree on the option delete. The current state of hybrid mentality is waning very rapidly. The 918 as currently offered will be unservicable and basically a museum piece. A VERY risky proposition for a buyer to consider. And with over 1000 to be offered no rarity and exclusivity.

BTW I think $275- 300k is the right number for a non hybrid version and VW should build all they can sell

ADias

What is the basis for your thinking that? I have the impression that more and more people are buying hybrids, not because it makes sense, but due to peer pressure. PAG is definitely under the gun - at every opportunity they tout 'social responsibility' in their pronouncements. They realize though that it's an image issue and they still care for performance - that though comes at the price of complexity and more mass.

The campaign against oil based products is in full swing. The latest is this pronouncement that plastic (as in food containers, water bottles) makes you obese... It has nothing to do with obesity (a bad thing) but all to do with eliminating the use of oil.

KINGSRULE

PAG is under the gun from who?
All they care about is profit, period

I have no idea about your real world experiences but I can tell you no one gives a damn about /against oil based products in the states where I live ( East Coast)

Hybrids in general...been there and done that is the general feeling. The feeling is not worth the upcharge

You don't even see many of those crappy Toyotas any more. And when you do they're in the hammer lane trying to do 80........

And, only losers succumb to peer pressure

ADias

PAG is definitely under the EU and EPA pressure and it is easy to see under most of its pronouncements.

Hybrids are the rigueur on the left coast and I can assure you the peer pressure is real. Please do not read that I agree with that.

TRAKCAR

I don't get the 918. At all. Probably because I am millions + per year off the focus group.

If I'd live in California and had to drive Hybrid nonsense to be able to drive in the HOV or "fast" lane and give a crap about peer pressure, I'd rather have the GT3R with kers but with with license plates.

If not caring about the HOV lane and able to put of with extra weight and AWD, I'll take the Turbo S
If it is about torque, give me a GT2RS.

For the track give me a fixed roof (Something I don't like about CGT) and light weight.
At least the CGT is minimalistic and pure. The purest of all probably.

The wet dream is the Ruf V8 in a 911 body at less weigh then the RS, I could get 2 of those for the price of a 918, but I would choose it over the 918 at even money.

Beautiful yes, but if I want an exotic spaceship looking car, I can get that in Italy.

ADias

I am with you on this. BTW... the silly CA hybrid HOV lane exemption is long gone as it was limited to a certain number of vehicles. I doubt they would assign an exemption to a GT3R Hybrid but it would be nice.

Hybrid users may be a CA phenomenon and often it is ridiculous. I witnessed this weekend someone parking a hybrid car and leaving it in some working mode where fans were on and the ICE was periodically started to recharge the batteries. This went on for over 17h, with the owner oblivious to the situation. Just pathetic.

Carrera GT

I resemble that remark!

I have a 2005 Prius. Great car. "Yellow" HOV lane stickers. Invaluable. Pity it all ends 1/1/2011. It is conceivable to get an all electric with "white" HOV stickers, but they're all junk until the sedans from Tesla and Fisker eventuate -- and those might turn out to be junk, too.

Anyway, for the 17 hours of a Prius parked "on" ... that car used less than one gallon of gas. I've done the same thing by accident years ago -- I came outside to notice the dull glow of the cabin lights at night and thought "oh crap ... that's a flat battery for sure" only to find the engine was "on" and it was merrily starting itself every now and then to cycle some juice into the 12V battery. The "traction" battery was still up on several green bars of charge. I then read on the priusonline or priuschat forum that someone (one of the "hypermilers") had done some calculation as to "gallons per day idle" (I can't find it ... it was a subject line something like that) and found the number to be well under 1 gallon ... or about the same as the amount used by my 2005 Excursion diesel just to warm up and hitch up to the race trailer ... : |

Much as I enjoy the Prius, no question, there are some Bay Area Prius drivers that will be first with their backs against the wall come the revolution.

ADias

CarreraGT: Sorry but you may not apply. I have nothing against hybrid owners in general and hybrids do make sense in many cases. You may have a hybrid but you are clearly a car guy. The 'hybrid' crowd I referred to is composed mostly of those with a chip on the shoulder re cars. They are not the ones who will buy a future 918 and that is why I see not sense in a battery driven KERS on a 918.

C.J. Ichiban

porsche sure does seem in a rush with this car- are they really just trying to beat the 599 Hy-KERS of Ferrari to market? Obviously the mpg rating will help across the line for the 2020 CAFE regulations, but I'm just stuck on the price. 500. sure. 600? come on now- it can't just be a regular car with a regular depreciation curve for 600k. or 500k for that matter. remember- the CGT went from 440 msrp down to about 385 used over the course of a few months because the volume was so high that dealers were desperate to sell them and owners were worried the bottom was falling out of them.

porsche for whatever reason for the last 5 or 6 years has had a volume problem- the people who CAN get the cool cars like the GT3RS, boxster spyder, CGT, etc are all bummed out because so can the other guys- driving the implied resale value lower. When they couldn't make the 07RS fast enough, they were going for OVER sticker. it seems to be a lose/lose for them.

Another issue is the realistic nature of diminishing returns- the 996GT3 vs the 997GT3 vs the 997.2 GT3 etc etc-- how much faster will cars really go than 3.0 seconds 0-60? eventually porsche will have to make a car with a flux capacitor but some of us will still be lamenting the demise of "that old fashioned noise and smell of the 993"

it's cool that porsche is building this car- really it is. I'm just not sure about how cool the car is really going to turn out to be. maybe because I know that logically it can't really be that big of a delta from the CGT I've already got, except for the fuel economy thing.

stout

Don't really care whether it has batteries, a Mr. Fusion, or a flux capacitor on board so long as:

1. It has an interesting transmission with a clutch pedal (GT3 Cup/RSR sequential adaptation with at least some of the gear whine would be ideal)

2. It doesn't weigh a ridiculous amount.

3. It's at least as fun to drive as the CGT, which should be possible given that car's handling left room for improvement.

As to price etc., I'll leave that to those who have a better handle on what it "should" be. I can't comment, frankly, but I can say that many of the issues raised re: CGT and GT3 RS .1 and .2 have got to be critical talking points within Porsche...

pete