Current Press releases
918 Spyder prototype in attractive Martini Racing designNew edition of a successful partnership
The next stage in the development of the Porsche 918 Spyder will be an assault on the 20.8 km long Nordschleife of the Nürburgring – and in historic Martini® Racing colours, no less.
Porsche is aiming for a lap time of less than 7 minutes and 22 seconds for its innovative super sports car with plug-in hybrid drive. The Nordschleife plays a critical role in the tuning of all Porsche sports cars.
Although the 918 Spyder is equipped for everyday tasks it is hardly an everyday car: it combines a high-performance internal combustion engine with electric drives at the rear and front axles to achieve extraordinary driving performance and excellent efficiency.
The combined power output of all three drives is 770 horsepower. The car’s NEDC fuel consumption is forecast to be only around three litres per 100 km, which is equivalent to CO2 emissions of about 70 g/km. The monocoque, consisting of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), reduces the car’s weight and delivers remarkable rigidity and precision.
Other highlights are the car’s fully variable aerodynamics, adaptive rear axle steering and “top pipes” exhaust system which routes the pipes upwards. All of this makes the Porsche 918 Spyder a super sports car for the future, even though the styling of the prototypes is reminiscent of historical models.
The latest test vehicle is now turning laps in the legendary Martini® Racing look of many historic Porsche race cars, particularly from the 1970s. More than nearly any other race car design, the Martini® Racing look quickly attained cult status in those times and is still in vogue today.
Martini® was the official partner of the Porsche factory team between 1973 and 1978. Back then, the attractively designed “Martini® Porsche” race cars with their numerous victories were a centre of conversation. These victories included finishing first overall at Targa-Florio in 1973, winning the Sports Car World Championship in 1976 and overall victories at the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1976 and 1977. As early as 1971, a Porsche 917 finished first in the legendary endurance race in Le Mans with the support of Martini®. Whether a Porsche 908, 917, 935 or 936 or one of various 911 RS or RSR models, common to all of these race cars was the memorable Martini® Racing design implemented in a wide variety of forms.
Now, a new edition of this successful partnership is making the Martini® Racing design exclusively available to the innovative 918 Spyder. Porsche AG and the Martini® brand, represented by Bacardi & Company Limited of Switzerland, have once again signed a partnership agreement to make this possible.
1/8/2012
