The 918 Spyder

The Porsche 918 Spyder carried the crown for the quickest lap around the Nurburgring for many years despite its "spyder" (removable roof) configuration, which makes it much more difficult for engineers to maintain the torsional rigidity of the chassis. What is torsional rigidity and why is it important? The torsional rigidity measures how much force one must apply to “twist” the car body frame by one degree. High torsional rigidity gives the car a more planted feel when driving through canyon roads, allowing the suspension to soak up all the bumps and forces imposed upon the car instead of those knocking through your chassis and into the cabin. Traditionally sports cars always lost a bit of performance when a manufacturer introduced a Spyder version of a specific model, not only due to weight increases from the convertible system but also its loss of torsional rigidity; making engineers add extra reinforcement to the frame to maintain its performance. Mclaren's new 570S Spyder only see's a weight gain of 40kg while maintaining the same torsional rigidity as the coupe when Audi's R8 Spyder comes in at around 200kg heavier than the coupe.

So how does the 918 defying all laws of physics? It has the most torsionalrigidity, horsepower per ton and downforce as well as the lowest center of gravity of any other road-going Porsche. The monocoque was produced at Carbo Tech Composites in Austria and weighs 485 pounds is what puts all those pieces together to make one functional, hyper-speed-capable machine. Unlike the structure used by the Carrera GT, the 918 chassis boasts an asymmetrical design, with the length of the passenger seat shortened slightly compared with that of the driver-seat well to house the fuel tank. Productivity improvements mean up to five monocoques can now be cured per week. Back in the days of the Carrera GT, it took five days for one monocoque. 

Which car is your favorite? The P1, 918 or La Ferrari? Chris Harris asked the same question for himself but luckily for him, he actually got the chance to drive all three cars, back-to-back on track at Portimao's epic circuit. Sit back and enjoy almost 1hr of Hypercar heaven.