918 Hybrid Race Car unveiled by Porsche

Sports car maker Porsche rolled out a new race car called the 918 RSR at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this morning. The new car is a version of the 918 Spyder concept the company showed in Geneva last year, but now it has a hard top, a hybrid drive train from another Porsche racer and a mission to further develop hybrid power for use in racing and high-performance street cars.
The car has a V8 engine mounted behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle that generates 563 horsepower and drives the rear wheels. Two electric motors power the front wheels with electricity stored in what the company calls a flywheel accumulator.
The device, which sits next to the driver where a passenger seat would go, stores energy generated when the car is braking. That power can then be used for several seconds of enhanced acceleration and overtaking other cars on the track. The company’s 911 GT3 R hybrid began using a similar system in races last year. The company says both cars are rolling laboratories for the development of more advanced, performance-oriented hybrid power systems.
In keeping with the company’s racing heritage, the 918 RSR in Detroit carried the racing number 22 — the same as the Porsche 917 endurance racer that won the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1971. That win, with another in 1970, marked the beginning of a dominant period for Porsche’s racing program. The company often recalls the period when introducing new models.