By Lee Sibley
2 years ago
Wednesday Want: 918 Spyder
JZM's C16-spec 918 is the most exotic addition to the 9WERKS Classifieds this week, prompting Max Newman to study its status as one of the best…
The internet has been going crazy for the V10 Carrera GT for a couple of years now, with good reason – it’s an incredible car. But I have to admit it doesn’t spring to my mind when I’m allocating spaces in my fantasy garage. The 918 Spyder, however, does.
Admiring the Basalt black example currently for sale at marque specialists JZM, it is clear there are some styling cues from the CGT in the 918, but in its own right it is an incredibly handsome and well proportioned car. The front end styling is quite restrained but the rear is all action. The way the rear light clusters sit in amongst the heat management sections within the rear bodywork, below the active aero, looks so cool, an idea taken to extremis in the new 935.
The way the exhausts exit through the rear decklid is another unique focal point in styling that never gets old. As you can see, the detailing and quality is unimpeachable. It's a car you really can look at for hours.
The way the exhausts exit through the rear decklid is another unique focal point in styling that never gets old. As you can see, the detailing and quality is unimpeachable. It's a car you really can look at for hours.
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But if the styling is timeless you might argue that the technology is already dated. We don't believe so, as our recent road trip in a 2021 Cayenne e-Hybrid justified, but regardless the 918 presented thought leadership at the time and was a technology showcase for what Porsche could do. As such, it remains a very special and significant car.
I find the hybrid element to this hypercar quite appealing: I rather like the idea of cruising silently around for 20 miles on electric power alone. But beneath that is a pure Motorsport V8 powerplant. Perhaps not as evocative as the CGT’s V10 but full of passion, excitement, and revs!
I find the hybrid element to this hypercar quite appealing: I rather like the idea of cruising silently around for 20 miles on electric power alone. But beneath that is a pure Motorsport V8 powerplant. Perhaps not as evocative as the CGT’s V10 but full of passion, excitement, and revs!
Pleasingly, the 918's hybrid technology augments the driving experience rather than dominating proceedings. And the elephant in the room, the weight, doesn’t seem to detract from things at all; as you would expect from Porsche, the 918's driving experience is absolutely first class and the fact this was once the fastest production car around the 'Ring only adds to its status.
For all its other-worldliness, it feels like a usable car too (I know it’s LHD only for UK readers), in a way that a CGT perhaps isn’t, and I like the idea that if I was able to own such a spectacular car within my collection I would feel happy to share it with other enthusiasts, to let them pour over it and hear it. This, after all, is an incredibly important car in the history of Porsche, and remains one of the most sought-after offerings to leave Zuffenhausen.
Article written by Max Newman.
Article written by Max Newman.