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918 Spyder tops global debut with a Nürburgring recordHybrid-drive super sports car laps the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6m 57s

The Porsche 918 Spyder* has become the first homologated road car to conquer the 20.6-kilometre lap around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in less than seven minutes.

With a time of six minutes and 57 seconds, the super sports car 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 sports cars. It is currently making its global debut at the International Motor Show (IAA). With its unique technology, the 918 Spyder blends maximum driving dynamics with minimal fuel consumption.

By taking the Nürburgring record, Porsche’s latest sports car demonstrates the enormous potential that lies in Porsche's pioneering plug-in hybrid concept, and is underpinning the leading role the company enjoys when it comes to developing sporty hybrid cars.

"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 sports car. Posting a time of 6m 57s, we achieved a result of which everyone in the development team and at Porsche as a whole is rightly proud."

The record, which previously stood for four years, was even broken during the first attempt in the test drive on the morning of September 4. All three drivers – former European Rally Champion Walter Röhrl, Porsche test driver Timo Kluck and Porsche factory driver Marc Lieb – were quicker than the existing record with each lap driving the two 918 Spyder models used, and posted lap times of less than seven minutes on numerous occasions.

Ultimately, it was Marc Lieb who posted the absolute best time of 6m 57s, driving at an average speed of 179.5 km/h, as measured by independent organisation Wige Solutions. Marcus Schurig, editor-in-chief of sportscar magazine "sport auto", was on hand as an objective observer of the record-breaking runs. The two sports cars, which each deliver an output of 887 bhp (652 kW), were equipped with the optional "Weissach package" to increase the driving dynamics, and fitted with the standard Michelin tyres developed specifically for the 918 Spyder.

* 918 Spyder: combined fuel consumption: 3.3–3.0 l/100 km; combined energy consumption: 12.5–13.0 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions: 79–70 g/km

10/9/2013