Porsche 918 Spyder: dynamic debut

[Scott Watkins]

Porsche 918 Spyder: dynamic debut | Autocar

[Jim Richards]

Thanks for posting this, Scott.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

For $600k+ you think they could have finished it...

Looks like a 370Z with a half-done bad body kit install. The numbers are good but the design is an epic fail. Porsche is supposed to be about graceful and elegant lines, which that most certainly isn't.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

The guy who has been designing Porsche front turn signal lights for years should be fired.

[98cobra]

Thats starting at $889805.40 USD in todays exchange!!! I can think of a few other cars (or homes) to buy with that kinda cash....

[livi]

Parts of it rather Carrera GT-ish.

[Les Paul]

Like many modern new cars they sometimes look better in person.

Still far cheaper than the new F supercar, Lamborghini, MC.

[kach22i]

Click "Related Comparisons" lower right hand column to compare to other cars.

Porsche Carrera GT vs 918 Spyder

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by livi

Parts of it rather Carrera GT-ish.

I'll take the CGT, just for the exhaust note.

[sammyg2]

Let me be the first to say that I hope these things don't start bursting into flames (even though I expect it will happen).

[TheMentat]

Ferrari called... they want their body panel gaps back!

[Baz]

Waiter.....I think I'll have the 550 tonight please......

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

The guy who has been designing Porsche front turn signal lights for years should be fired.

Seriously. On that Spyder, it looks like they just stopped by the auto parts store and picked up some generic trailer lights and stuffed them in the headlight buckets.

The front signals/driving lights on the 991 and the rear tail lights on the latest Pepper wagon also come to mind as being hideous...

[Schumi]

It looks like they stopped at an auto store and picked up some trailer lights to go in it because that is what they did.

This is still a prototype, people. That is what automakers do for engineering prototypes- the shell of the lights is there, but not the insides, so you pickup some trailer lights that fit to make it street legal. Same reasons why there aren't any corner marker lenses.

Believe it or not, the internals to the headlamps are some of the last parts to be tooled up for a production car, mainly because the design of new, sealed and integrated LED lamps are incredibly complex, requiring lots of small parabolic mirrors, reflectors, aluminum cast heatsinks, and lenses... very intricate design that is driven usually purely by stylists that change the design over and over until the last minute. So those parts, along with properly fitting fascias, are usually some of the last parts to get production tooled. All of the 918's shown so far have had non-production lights and front fascias- yes, even the ones at car shows.

With the exception of the first showcar (which was nothing like these prototypes underneath) they have all been running engineering prototypes and it seems like they don't give a f*#% what they look like to some extent.

[aigel]

+1 on the Carrera GT looks. Not impressed by this - I'd buy something else for a mil.

G

[tevake]

Nice explanation Schumi, just think if Porsche is trying to introduce a new $1mil, Super car. I'd think they would want it to be a completed, well sorted, and finished machine. Something reflecting the company's reputation of excellence in engineering and attention to detail.
Why at that price do you have to pay extra for the primium package. I'm certainly not in the target market so what do I know?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Mike, I get that, thanks. but it remains that Porsche headlight design since 1997 has been abysmal! What I mean is, I wouldn't doubt that we'll see JC Whitney trailer lights on the finished production model.

[Tervuren]

It still looks good. This version would look great in Ferrari TDF Blue.