Since the 918 Spyder went out of production in 2015, Porsche has been without a flagship supercar. But a new report claims Porsche is working on something even more extreme than the 845-horsepower plug-in hybrid.Autocarreports that Porsche wants to use a discarded Formula One hybrid powertrain in a 918 successor.
Porsche hasn’t been involved in Formula Onefor decades, so where did it get an F1 powertrain from? The automaker recently considered an F1 comeback, and engine development got far enough along that the leftovers from the program could be used for a road-going supercar, Autocar claims.Autosportpreviously reported that Porsche had 40 people working on an F1 powertrain program, with the goal of entering the series in 2021.
Porsche opted for the all-electricFormula Eseries instead of F1, and initially planned an electric supercar using technology from its99X ElectricFormula E race car, according to Autocar. But that project was predicated on the development of solid-state batteries, and Porsche felt the technology wasn’t developing fast enough, Autocar reports.Solid-state batteriesare currently being investigated by multiple automakers as a higher-performance alternative to current lithium-ion batteries.
Instead, the Porsche 918 Spyder replacement could use a 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine with electric assist — just like all current F1 cars. That would make it a direct rival for theMercedes-AMG One, which uses a powertrain lifted directly from one of the automaker’s championship-winning cars. Aston Martin is working with F1 team Red Bull Racing on the Valkyrie, but that car uses a bespoke hybrid powertrain based arounda V12 engine. Croatian firm Rimac is supplying components for the Valkyrie’s hybrid system, and Porsche has a 15.5-percent stake in that company.
The hybrid supercar project could also bring Porsche back to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, according to Autocar. Porsche has won the legendary race 19 times — more than any other manufacturer — but withdrew in 2017. The new supercar would fit nicely into new Le Mans rules calling for “hypercars” vaguely based on production models. Aston Martin has already confirmed plans torace the Valkyrieat Le Mans.Reigning championToyota plans to developa new carfor the race.
The Porsche hybrid supercar is still in the very early stages of development, and won’t see the light of day until 2023 at the earliest, according to Autocar. If the report proves true, Porsche will have plenty of competition. In addition to the aforementioned Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG One, McLaren is developing a1,035-hp hybridcalled the Speedtail. Several automakers are developingelectric supercarswith four-digit power outputs as well.
