Porsche 918 Spyder

Even though there is nowadays a growth of new hybrid models to the car market, only early adopters and semi-governmental agencies seem to be acquiring them, that is until the arrival of the Porsche 918 Spyder (Hybrid).

This is a car I could see myself in. Sure it gets 78 MPG but more importantly, it makes 800 HP and makes enough noise to make a nun do a double take.

Here are some of the choices I will have to take into consideration:

It's interior looks like that of the Carrera GT, except futuristic.

The exterior will have the usual Porsche range of colors, but they didn't stop there. Here is where it gets interesting. Porsche will offer the exterior colors of the 918 Spyder with the Weissach package along with the choice of two exterior film (wrap around), namely the historic and "uber cool" Martini Racing Design and the Salzburg Racing Design.

The Porsche 918 Spyder starts at about $995,976 and goes up to $1,088,567 if you get he "Weissach package". And the prices of the options are as impressive!

Here is a "Chris Harris on Cars" video on the Porsche 918 Spyder. The video contains a ton of information on the development, characteristics and handling of the car, along with a couple of interesting interviews. 

A while ago I wrote a piece on the greatest car liveries. To revisit this click here.

Now, if only our government officials could "really" get to work and fix our rapidly aging roads. One has to navigate potholes constantly which makes importing such great cars as the 918 Spyder impossible.

Thanks for reading.

Source: Porsche, Jalopnik, Chris Harris On Cars,  and Dedeporsche.

One mean lizard

As if one of the baddest Porsche running teams of North America needed a quicker car. Just take a look at their latest addition. One mean looking Porsche GT.

This car is to bring the heat to the highly competitive LMGT1 class. For more information about Flying Lizard Motorsports, please click here.

Thanks for reading.

Photo credit: Flying Lizard Motorsports

The Boxer engine

Karl Benz

The flat engine, better known as the boxer engine widely used by VW, Porsche and Subaru, is an internal combustion engine with multiple pistons that move horizontally. Generally, the engine has cylinders arranged in two banks on either side of a single crankshaft. The Karl Benz (as in Mercedes-Benz) patented the concept back in 1896.

Boxer engines got their name because each pair of pistons move simultaneously in and out rather than alternately and in doing so, mimic boxers showing they are ready by touching their gloved fists against each other before a fight.

The boxer engine with up to 8 cylinders has proven highly successful in cars, and up to six cylinders in motorcycles (pictured L: 1954 BMW boxer motorcycle engine) and even light airplanes (pictured R: UL260i flat 4 aircraft engine).

The boxer type is one of three cylinder layouts that have a natural dynamic balance; the others being the straight-6 (six pistons moving vertically) and the V-12 (twelve cylinders, six moving on each side of a "V"). The advantage of the boxer's natural dynamic balance is that it runs very smooth and free of unbalanced forces with a four stroke cycle. Also, they need no balance weights on the crankshaft, which is lighter and fast-accelerating. As a consequence, they have a characteristic smoothness throughout the rev range and offer a low center of gravity. On the other hand, they tend to be noisier.

Below there is a short video on the inner workings of a boxer engine. Be sure to watch it to the end because mid way through, it brakes the engine down to the crankshaft and starts adding the pistons, cylinders, spark plugs, intake and exhaust valves.

Below you can see a 30 second animation of the flat 12 cylinder engine that powered the legendary Porsche 917. This is NOT a boxer but a 180 degrees V-engine.

Even though the basic concept dates back to the nineteenth century, the Boxer engine continues to be perfected to this day.
In 2009, Porsche was awarded the prestigious "Best New Engine Award" for its Carrera S 3.8-liter flat-six boxer engine which delivers more power and increased fuel-efficiency. The award is bestowed by the Engine Technology Int'l (journal) for outstanding engine characteristics in applicable technology. It is pictured on the right.

Source: Porsche, Wikipedia.
Animations courtesy of: mekanizmalar.com and mwp917.