Porsche 918 Spyder: available to order

At this exact moment, deep in the loins of a Stuttgart factory, some Porsche engineers are sharpening their scalpels: the 918 Spyder is now available to order.

The show-stopping concept car which delivered a haymaker to the world's preconceived hybrid ideas will commence production on September 18, 2013. To ensure its exclusivity, just 918 models will be produced, with first customer deliveries expected in November that year.

See the first sketches of the 918 Spyder and limited edition 911 Turbo S

Porsche tells us the production version will be based on a carbon-fibre reinforced plastic monocoque with removable roof panels, while underneath that beautiful body lies the dolphin-friendly tech of Porsche's future.

A high-revving 4.0-litre 500bhp V8 will partner two electric motors - one each on the front and rear axles - offering a total of 218bhp, with a seven-speed PDK box administering the green horsepower effectively.

And it will be mighty effective. Porsche reckons the plug-in hybrid 918 will hit 62mph from rest in 3.2 seconds, top out at over 199mph and will lap the 'Ring in seven minutes and 30 seconds - 2 seconds faster than the Carrera GT. Using just electricity, it'll top out at 94mph, in silence, probably.

Here's the astonishing part: 94mpg and 70g/km of CO2. The future tastes fruity...

A lithium-ion liquid-cooled battery will power the electric motors, and charged from a regular plug will offer an all-electric range of 16 miles. Charge time is around three hours, or the first act of a Bollywood film.

Should your burning desire for everything 918 Spyder exceed the brain cells responsible for ‘reason', Porsche is offering Spyder customers the exclusive opportunity to purchase a limited edition 911 Turbo S ‘918 Spyder edition'. Basically a Turbo with acid green trimmings and some badges, limited to 918 models.

And now, friends, the difficult part. Prices for the 918 Spyder start from £565,000, plus VAT - pushing total price to an eye-watering £678,000. Makes the £125,865 918-badged 911 Turbo S look a bargain.

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