Porsche 918 Spyder: Hollywood Superstars, Form An Orderly Queue

Now, we all know hybrids are boring status symbols for pretentious Hollywood types to boast about saving the world. And don't get us started on eco-green-cars. Well it turns out that combining a high performance petrol engine with an electric motor on the front and rear axles helps produce mental performance figures from your sports car. Echoing the way the turbo has gone from performance icon to eco hero, the hybrid appears to be taking over the super sports world. Even Ferrari’s new Enzo is going down the hybrid route.

Combining the 4.6-litre mid-mounted V8 with its electric cousins helps to produce a whopping 770hp in a car that should produce CO₂ emissions somewhere in the region of just 70g/km. The 918 is constructed from carbon fibre reinforced polymer to reduce weight and features fully variable aerodynamics. Back at the Nordschleife, and Porsche is targeting a lap time below 7 minutes 22 seconds. That’s pretty rapid for any car, let alone one that can trundle around town using no petrol at all.

Any motor sport fan worth their salt will know the iconic Martini liveried racing Porsches. Official partners between 1973 and 1978, the pair produced some pretty awesome race cars (like the 917 below) that dominated sports car championships, bagging a couple of Le Mans 24 hours victories along the way. Porsche is obviously confident heralding a new era in sports car development, as the 918 wears that iconic livery.

With the likes of Audi and their R-18 e-tron Le Mans winners, it seems hybrid tech is taking over the top tiers of motor sport. Take that, eco warriors!