Slipstream - October 2013

Record Broken at the Nürburgring: 918 Spyder
By Thomas Becki, Communication Porsche AG
As the first vehicle to boast global road homologation,
the Porsche 918 Spyder* has conquered
the 20.6-kilometer (12.8-mile) lap around the
Nürburgring Nordschleife in less than seven minutes.
Achieving a time of exactly six minutes and 57
seconds, the super sportscar equipped with a hybrid
drive shaved 14 seconds off the previous record.
Wolfgang Hatz, member of the Porsche AG
Board of Management in charge of Research
and Development, had the following to say:
“We promised a great deal with the 918 Spyder,
namely to redefine driving pleasure, efficiency
and performance. We have kept our word.”
As is always the case with Porsche, the 918 Spyder is
also leading the way for future generations as the latest
in the line of super sportscars. It recently made its
global debut at the International Motor Show (IAA).
With its unique spread, the model blends maximum
driving dynamics with minimal fuel consumption.
By taking the Nürburgring record, the sportscar is
demonstrating the enormous potential that lies in
Porsche’s pioneering plug-in hybrid concept, and is
Photos courtesy Porsche
underpinning the leading role the company enjoys
when it comes to developing sporty hybrid vehicles.
“The radical hybridisation of the 918 Spyder from
the very outset is what made this lap record possible”
says Dr. Frank Walliser, head of the 918 Spyder
project. “The lap time on the Nordschleife is and
remains the toughest measure of a super sportscar.
Posting a time of 6 minutes 57 seconds, we achieved
a result of which everyone in the development
team and at Porsche as a whole is rightly proud.”
28 October