2011 Detroit Auto Show|'Spectacular' Porsche concept debut

[Bodhii]

Surprise from Zuffenhausen: Porsche is planning a completely new high-flyer above the 911 - sharper and more uncompromising than all previous...

The new Porsche boss did not hesitate long. Just since the beginning of October in the office, Matthias Müller already talking plain and accelerates like a man who has always erase the asphalt. It encourages this with a clever Audi cooperation related SUV project below the Cayenne ("Cajun"), talks about the future idea of a compact mid-engine roadster ("Even such a topic is one of Porsche") and puts the pressure on the series development of the super hybrid sports car 918 Spyder, which the Board has given the green light.

Like no one else sees Müller, the VW group in the global coordination of all charge of vehicle projects, the new opportunities of the sports car manufacturer. His company car is a 530-hp 911 Turbo S , and this brings us rapidly to the actual topic: Müller plans a super sports car "above the 911", one that priced the future gap to over 700 hp and 600,000-euro 918 Spyder close to and could be clearly distinguished from what has become quite comfortable and luxurious 2+2 seater icon by expressive radicalism and another drive concept. The Swabian alternative to Ferrari Italia 458, McLaren MP4-12C and the Group's own Lamborghini Gallardo.

V8 Twin-Turbo with 600 hp
A sharp dog, which does not only bite briefly, but is also suited to be driven on the motorway. A flat two-seater would be it, one hears. Optical courageous than anything to date, but immediately recognizable as a Porsche. Design chief Michael Mauer has been the first ideas, and the proportions should be thought about compressing the perfect speed - a car that only about 1.22 meters high, 4.50 meters long and about 1.90 meters wide and even a bit of room fine for weekend luggage offers. A later open version with a classic soft top would not be excluded. Logically, there must be extremely lightweight carbon fiber composite chassis, and in the underwear aluminum parts were in the compound, many in the game. For razor sharp handling - keyword dynamic axle load distribution - is only a mid-engine in question.

Fittingly, this Porsche has a power version of its 4.8-liter, direct-injection V8 Twin-Turbo in store for the improved performance is already planned. 600 hp and are being considered with high probability all-wheel drive. Hybrid-electric fitness for sneaking out of the residential area (25 km) is in principle included - Porsche is working on a multi-purpose "e-mobility kit", is scheduled to be operational by early 2013. A year later, we could have the world premiere of the new experience €400,000 supercar. Let's call him just the 929...

Porsche plant neuen Supersportwagen | Auto Neuheiten | Auto Aktuell | autozeitung.de(Translated rather poorly via Google)
Rennteam

[desperado]

And some said Porsche didn't feel threatened by the R8....

[Bodhii]

Auto Express says it's the new 918 Coupe so we'll see soon!
It looks fantastique'!!!

he ultimate Porsche is almost here! Speculation has been rife ever since the German firm let slip that it would be unveiling something ‘spectacular’ at the Detroit Motor Show next week - but only now has information began to trickle about what the newcomer will be.

According to our German sister magazine AutoBild, the Detroit surprise will be the second instalment in the 918 series, more specifically a coupe version of the hybrid 918 Spyder hypercar shown in Geneva last year. And our rendering gives an indication of how the show-stopping new model will shape up.

One thing’s for sure, with a low and wide stance, stubby nose section and muscular haunches the 918 coupe will look every inch the flagship for Porsche’s range. But if our sources are to be believed, this is a story with a twist in its tail.

Rather than simply showing a road-going 918 Coupe, it’s a race-ready 918 that will grace the Detroit stand. Building race-specific models for privateer racing teams, such as the 911 GT3 RSR, is a hugely profitable enterprise for Porsche, so this theory would seem to add-up.

It's not the first time we've seen race-ready versions of high-performance road cars recently, either. McLaren has relesed an official sketch of its MP4-12C GT3 car, while Ferrari's 458 Italia Challenge has also broken cover.

There’s no word on how the power will be provided just yet, but expect a similar hybrid set up to the 918 Spyder, which combined a 493bhp 3.4-litre unit from the companies existing Spyder race car with three electric motors for a total of 718bhp.

If the coupe version does appear in racing trim, expect it to weigh even less than the 918 Spyder’s 1,490kg kerbweight too – suggesting a 0-62mph sprint in around three seconds and a 200mph top speed.

For all the official details and images of Porsche’s Detroit star, visit autoexpress.co.uk next Monday January 10, when we’ll be reporting live from the show floor.

Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/au...#ixzz1AJJd1shZ

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/au...n_detroit.html

[Bodhii]

More artist renditions....
and more rumors

Some automakers are in it for the racing. Others make cars to preserve some sort of legacy. But most are in the business, like any other company, to make money. And Porsche is certainly no exception. But while its road car division rakes in the dough hand over fist, the German automaker has made a science out of making its racing division profitable.

How is that, you ask? Because unlike some of its rivals, Porsche first and foremost provides factory-built racing machines to privateer customers. That's how the 911 dominates GT racing grids around the world with such variants as the recently unveiled GT3 RSR. And if the latest reports from Germany are anything to go on, Porsche could be preparing a new racer at the rapidly approaching Detroit Auto Show.

Now we already knew that Porsche was planning something big for its return to the NAIAS after a four-year absence. And the signs seemed to point towards a new variant of the 918 Spyder concept we saw in Geneva last year. But the latest word from Auto Bild suggests that instead of a roadgoing production coupe version as some had suspected, Stuttgart will instead unveil a racing version of the new mid-engine flagship supercar in Cobo Hall.

The reports further suggest that the race-spec 918 will carry a more conventional V8 powertrain than the hybrid setup of the previous concept, and that the car will – like the rest of Porsche's aforementioned customer racing paddock – be available to privateer teams to purchase and campaign on the world's racing circuits. Sounds tempting – and profitable – and fortunately we won't have long to wait before we find out one way or another.

[Bodhii]

More speculation renderings...
Looks like a real keeper to me!








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[Bodhii]

Porsche 918 RSR Intro at Detroit




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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvj--1g9Qb8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvj--1g9Qb8[/ame]

As predicted, Porsche has used this week’s 2011 Detroit Auto Show to unveil a new iteration of its 918 Spyder concept, the 756 horsepower 918 RSR race car. Sharing much in common with last year’s Spyder plug-in hybrid concept, including its advanced mid-engine
platform, the new Porsche 918 RSR also features a V-8 hybrid drivetrain but there are a few key differences.

Unlike the plug-in hybrid system that featured in the 918 Spyder concept, the Porsche 918 RSR utilizes a setup similar to the one in the 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car where an electro-mechanical flywheel is used to store kinetic energy created under braking.

In the case of the 918 RSR, a 555 horsepower V-8 is paired with twin electric motors contributing an additional 201 horsepower. The V-8 engine is a further development of the direct injection engine from the successful RS Spyder race car and can freely rev to 10,300 rpm. It sends power strictly to the rear wheels via a six-speed paddle-shift transmission, while the twin electric motors power each of the front wheels, respectively.

Porsche 918 RSR

Porsche 918 RSR
Enlarge Photo
These motors rely on power generated during braking and stored in a flywheel that spins up to 36,000 rpm. When the driver needs an additional boost in power, he or she simply presses a button inside the cabin and this in turn kicks in the electric motors. This additional power is available for around eight seconds when the system is fully charged. The two electric motors also offer a torque vectoring function with variable torque distribution to the front axle. This additionally increases agility and improves steering response.

Like the 911 GT3 R Hybrid before it, the new race car is now set to be used as a test-bed for the further development of hybrid systems in motorsport. An appearance at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in the summer is considered extremely likely, according to Porsche. On its debut in the race last year, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid led for more than eight hours.

Porsche could then wheel out the production version of the 918 Spyder in early 2012. It is unlikely to rush it out, preferring to further develop the hybrid systems and avoid overshadowing the arrival of the next-generation 911 at September’s 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show.

In the meantime, check out live shots of this stunning beauty direct from the Detroit show floor by clicking here.

[Porsche]

[Bodhii]

News on the new Porsche 918

The question on everyone's minds, though, is what form the eventual production version of the new Porsche 918 will take.

According to reports, while the racing version of the 918 will retain the fixed roof and upwards-hinged doors of the RSR concept, the roadgoing version will offer the wind-in-your-hair experience of the Spyder. Autocar states that the production model will feature a removable roof panel, much like the Carrera GT. Confirmation reportedly comes from Wolfgang Dürheimer, Porsche's outgoing VP for product development who is switching to head up Bentley and Bugatti, not to mention taking the reigns at Volkswagen Group's motorsports division.

[AnOutsider]

Not bad, but not really a fan. Not much for how the front of Porsches look