Patent Filing Reveals The Next Porsche Plug-In Hybrid Hypercar — Maybe

April 22, 20204 years ago Jo Borras 0 Comments

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Recent patent drawings unearthed by Dutch website Auto Visie reveal what is believed to be the next hybrid supercar from Porsche. The new car bears a striking resemblance to the “917 Living Legend” concept car (shown below) that debuted last year — and it looks like it could arrive just in time to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 917’s historic win at the 24 hours of LeMans.

2019 Porsche 917 Concept Car, courtesy Porsche

It’s been about five years since the last Porsche 918 Spyder rolled off the company’s Stuttgart assembly line, and it seems like the enthusiast world has been waiting with heavy anticipation to see what the stories German brand had in store for us next. It seems now that last year’s 917 concept was much more than just a styling exercise — it may have been testing the waters to see what demand might be for a million-dollar Porsche hybrid.

The concept sported wheels and a high exhaust position first seen on the Porsche 918 Spyder. At the time, that led some people to believe the concept was “merely” a re-bodied 918. With the advancements Porsche and its parent company, Volkswagen Group, have made in terms of battery and electric component technology since that car was launched in 2013, however, it’s probably safe to assume that there’s more going on here.

I’d expect to see a tightly wound version of the company’s latest twin-turbocharged flat-6 engine mounted in the middle of the car and driving the rear wheels, with a high-efficiency capacitor and small, lightweight battery powering the front wheels electrically. The whole thing will very likely have an “EV only” mode to meet the demands of a growing number of cities that have “zero emissions zones” as well. If so, it would be safe to expect about 30 or so miles (50 km) of range on a full battery.

Performance is similarly likely to match other hypercars from companies Ferrari and Koenigsegg, so expect a top speed in the 230–250 MPH range and consistently going 0-60 MPH in under 3 seconds.

Those are all my guesses anyway — what do you guys think? Is this Porsche hybrid going to be a one-off? A limited production special? Or are these drawings — which really highlight the car’s moveable aero rear wing and “pop up” air scoop for the engine — just red herrings to keep people from looking too closely at the tech involved? Take a look at the pictures below and let us know your take in the comments.