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  • Porsche 918 Spyder - Superhybrid

  • Porsche has been associated with racing cars for years and one of the proofs stands next to me.

  • This is Porsche RS Spyder that has successfully competed in many races, for instance in 24h Le Mans.

  • However, as we all know, there are numerous Porsche cars with sports pedigree on the roads as well.

  • Among them there's the 959, a groundbreaking car from the eighties.

  • There's also the Carrera GT, the car that has brought a revolution to the supercar world back in 2003.

  • And then, there is a new car we're going to test today. This is Porsche 918 Spyder.

  • At Porsche they have one great thing about them. Every time they say they do something that's the best in the world, they allow us to try it out.

  • And this is what we're going to do today...

  • In Poland this car costs 4 million Zlotys, equivalent to nearly one million Euro and yet there are five people in our country that have decided to buy it.

  • Of all 918 cars Porsche has sold slightly more than a half so far.

  • You operate this car with a conventional key.

  • You put it in the ignition and turn waking up all the electric systems on board this Porsche and there are a lot of them.

  • Let me get back to it a bit later.

  • So, shall we start it?

  • That's it! The car is running.

  • I mean, all the electric motors are working now.

  • The combustion engine is still asleep somewhere behind my back, but I hope to wake it up in a moment and hear it working at full revs.

  • We're leaving in electric mode.

  • Never in my life have I entered the race track from the paddock without the assistance of a combustion engine.

  • I feel a bit like an underground train operator.

  • We switch the dial twice to the right to activate the Sports mode and finally the V8 comes alive behind me.

  • Yes! This is it!

  • I can catch up with the 911 GT3 driven by a racing driver without any effort.

  • This is Timo Kluck!

  • The steering is electrically assisted but you don't feel this at all.

  • There's nothing artificial to it, nothing we know from other cars with similar mechanism.

  • The braking pedal is a bit dead and some might find it irritating.

  • It's not natural because in a car that has both combustion and electric motors that you can operate separately

  • there is always a forced resistance on the brake pedal and here you can feel it.

  • But apart from this...

  • That's fast!

  • I can't say too much right now as I'm too busy driving this car but this is just incredible!

  • One electric motor up front, one electric motor in the back and this petrol V8 engine that produces over 600 horsepower.

  • Altogether this powerplant produces nearly 900 horsepower!

  • I can see how Timo is struggling wit his 911 GT3 trying very hard to stay in his racing line

  • and I feel I could reach out my hand and touch him here.

  • I haven't done 6500 laps on therburgring in various Porsche cars as he has.

  • I actually do not have to reach for the paddles to change gears

  • because this seven speed double-clutch PDK gearbox does this job for me,

  • especially when it comes to downshifts.

  • Look, we are trying to catch this 911 and we can do it so easily!

  • Get out of my way!

  • The ESP system intervenes only when the situation is critical and it does not cut in any earlier.

  • I could feel a little of oversteer right now.

  • Let's go!

  • We are now pushing the red button, named hot lap to make one quick round on the circuit.

  • It is even faster now! All the power from the engines has been released.

  • My god! If he has not been driving in front of me, I would have never gone so fast on this corner.

  • Now the electric motors act as a kind of special boosters. They try to release the maximum power.

  • O mother...

  • You can feel that ESP breaks in even later now and allows the rear to slide much more.

  • Incredible!

  • This is unbelievable! Go!

  • I'm speechless, I simply am speechless but the emotions are incredible.

  • Again, the rear a bit oversteery.

  • I have to tell you that this feeling is terrific, absolutely terrific.

  • Even some racing cars, and I say it with full responsibility, do not drive so good on the race track like this Porsche 918 Spyder.

  • Look, we have Porsche 911 GT3 in front of us, a car that is basically a racing machine allowed to be driven on public roads.

  • And despite this, even though there is a professional racer driving it, he couldn't escape us.

  • I'm absolutely impressed, hugely, hugely impressed by this car.

  • And I'll tell you one thing. I'm already jealous about those five guys who bought this car in Poland.

  • I hope that one day they will have a chance to come to a race track like this and try the potential of their cars to the maximum.

  • But to do this you need a guy like this in front of you.

  • Without this the driver or the owner of this 918 will never be able to use the full potential of their car. This is incredible!

  • My heart is racing.

Porsche 918 Spyder - Superhybrid

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