Leave it to Porsche to steal the show. On the opening day of the North American Auto Show in Detroit, Porsche unveiled it’s most recent version of the 918 RSR. Let’s be clear. It’s a concept car. And it’s a hybrid. Let’s recall the 2010 Petit Le Mans where Porsche debuted it’s GT3 R hybrid race car which did rather well.
This 918 RSR concept produces 756 horsepower. The first 555 come from the same V8 used in Porsche’s RS Spyder LMP2 race car. The remaining 200 ponies are generated by two electric motors located at the front wheels.
See that futuristic looking device in the passenger seat location? That device is Porsche’s energy recovery system, also taken from the GT3 R hybrid, which stores energy collected from braking. When fully charged the energy stored in a flywheel spins up to 36,000 RPM and provides an extra eight-second burst of acceleration. This stored energy provides boosts in power output as needed.
So what do you think about hybrids in the racing mix? History as shown time and time again that racing technology trickles down and eventually finds its way on to the showroom floor. Tell ya what, I wouldn’t mind that flux capacitor looking energy recovery system taking up real estate in my daily driver.
