Video takes a nuts and bolts look at the Legendary Porsche 918
Built from knowledge gained from an extensive and racing heritage and history, the 918 is Porsche’s most advanced production car built to date.
At a price of $845,000, Porsche lost money on every one that they built. It is an incredibly complex vehicle to say the last. Fortunately, Saabkyle04 posted a comprehensive review of the legendary vehicle covering just about every nut and bolt.
The Porsche 918 is a marvel of automotive engineering. The engine of the 918 weighs just 298 pounds. It is built using the same architecture as the RS Spyder Le Mans Prototype. Its cams are chain driven and it doesn’t have any accessory drive belts. This is a good thing as it is an incredibly complex vehicle to work on. So complex, in fact that complex servicing entails splitting the car in half. It is composed of two main sections: the passenger shell and the engine cradle.
The vehicle profiled in the video has the optional ‘Weissach Package’, priced at $84,000 over the listed price. It is a lightweight package that includes a set of lightweight magnesium wheels. So important is the weight savings that the vehicle ships from the factory with only a vinyl wrap, saving 6.6 pounds.
Weight savings translate into performance gains. The 918 is powered a 4.6-liter V8 engine producing 608 horsepower. With two electric motors delivering an additional 279 horsepower, total output is a combined 887 horsepower.
