The 918, with its combination of street appeal and otherworldly performance, has predictably ratcheted up its selling price in the last few years. It’s not too difficult to accept the 918 is going for around $1.7 million these days—which is nearly twice the Porsche’s base price when first released a few years ago.
With 887 horsepower, purely electric drive, four wheel-drive, detailed infographics, and more usability than its hypercar contemporaries, there are plenty of reasons the 918 commands such an astronomical price. What’s more—all of these assets are brought together into one focused, sophisticated package with a world-class interior that offers all the sense of occasion an enthusiast could want.
Despite the abundance of features present, the interior of the 918 Spyder is pleasantly spartan and minimalist. Most of the pertinent controls are accessible on the steering wheel and made to be as unobtrusive as possible; typical Porsche, you might say, but it does all this with a sense of flair a run-of-the-mill 911 does not have. Perhaps the drivetrain selector, which comes in the form of a rotary knob, explains this approach best. With four different settings, all a quarter-turn away from another, the 918 transforms from an eerily silent towncar into snarling track toy with a few clicks. To appeal to the imagination of their inner teenager, that seductive red button in the center provides the driver with a momentary burst of power from the electric motors. If that fails, the exhaust pipes exiting just behind the cabin should do the trick.
The center console is incredibly clean and refined. Instead of buttons and switches, the information center features touchscreen points to keep the aesthetic appropriately space-age. Just the ambiance offered by this Buck Rogers interior might be worth the outrageous price.
While some might unfairly accuse the 918 of not offering the drama and theater as its other hypercar rivals, it has an abundance of odd quirks which keep the enthusiast smiling. Included in this list: a small air diverter to be installed when the roof is removed, a paint option totaling $65,000, and the most incredible tax rebate available for anything capable of running the quarter mile in nine seconds.
