For a long time, Porsche resisted the idea of producing its now legendary 911 model as fully electric or partially electric. However, under market pressure, the Stuttgart-based company gave up and began development of the first hybrid 911, which after testing in various conditions is officially ready for production.
“For the first time in our icon’s 61-year history, we’re putting a hybrid powertrain into a road-legal 911. This innovative high-performance hybrid makes the 911 even more dynamic. During development, we left nothing to chance and tested the new 911 in all kinds of conditions around the world. From extreme cold to extreme heat, as was the case during the final stages of testing in Dubai. Whether it’s putting a heavy load on the powertrain in the demanding conditions of mountain passes or in stop-and-go traffic in city conditions, the new 911 has mastered even the toughest challenges with ease. All in all, our engineers and test drivers have covered more than five million kilometers of development driving,” said Frank Moser, vice president of the 911 and 718 model line.
The car has so far been tested on snowy roads, but also on one of the most famous racing tracks, the Nürburgring. Spy photos showed that the test prototype has a similar design to previous models. The front end with large air intakes and vertical slats, additional lights on the sides that should not be part of the final design, narrower arches, a smaller spoiler and centrally placed exhaust pipes are just some of the features of this prototype.
On the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Porsche 911 Hybrid achieved a lap time of 7:16.934, which is 8.7 seconds faster than the model with an internal combustion engine. “The new 911 has become significantly faster on the track. We have stronger grip, significantly more power, and the spontaneous response of the high-performance hybrid is a big advantage,” said Porsche brand ambassador Jörg Bergmeister.
Porsche is still hiding information about performance and powertrain. However, it has long been speculated that the 911 Hybrid could be powered by a naturally aspirated 4.0L engine, like the one in the Cayman GT4, with more than 650 hp (478 kW). Anyway, we will have to wait for the official presentation which should take place soon.
Source: Porsche
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