Photo: Yahoo Autos
In the deep corners of our mind, we wonder: Where is the 918 Spyder constructed? How is it conceived? Can you eat a candy apple while you watch it being built?
Until recently, the only way you could see the special room where Porsche builds these gifts to humanity was to buy one. Plunk down the nearly $1 million needed for purchase and you were golden. Other than that, to see the 918 room meant that you had to leave more signals than an investment banker on a sales call, or own a very successful chain of dentist offices.
Thankfully, this has changed. Not for us gentle-folk, of course, but for the press. Now that all the 918 models have been sold—and Porsche literally made 918 of them—Porsche is allowing the rest of the world to see these last few babes in their natural habitat.
Car and Driver has an excellent collection of photos and interesting facts about the 918 from their experience there. Porsche is determined to let us see what happens after you give them a million dollars and ask for a racecar in return. That sounds like a lot of money, but really, it’s the result of nearly four years of planning.
After showing a little ankle in 2010, Porsche approved the development of the 918 and three years later the first production model was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. As Porsche’s flagship supercar for at least the next decade, small islands could probably have been bought and sold for what the company spent developing it.
At the end of last year it was reported that the steering wheel alone cost about $25 million to develop. Given that we’ve had steering wheels for about, oh, 100 years, we can’t imagine the total developmental costs for the entire car.
In any case, we heartily recommend taking this guided tour into the heart of Porsche, if only to see what is more than just a car: it’s an apex.
Leith Porsche remains your premiere Porsche dealer for Raleigh, Cary and surrounding areas.
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