We’re in the midst of a special era for the hypercar. You
have established heavy hitters — like the McLaren P1, the Ferrari LaFerrari,
and the Porsche 918 Spyder — stealing the spotlight, as well as smaller
supercar-makers like Koenigsegg and Pagani creating machines with horsepower
figures that straddle the boundaries of insanity.
And yet outside of a racetrack — a place 99 percent of
owners seldom visit — there are few locations in the world capable of
stretching a hypercar’s legs without spending time behind bars.
One exception: Germany’s Autobahn, as documented by this
driver and his Porsche 918 Spyder — hitting 218 mph on the highway while
chasing a 1,140 hp Koenigsegg Agera R.
We’re in the midst of a special era for the hypercar. You have established
heavy hitters — like the McLaren P1, the Ferrari LaFerrari, and the Porsche 918
Spyder — stealing the spotlight, as well as smaller supercar-makers like
Koenigsegg and Pagani creating machines with horsepower figures that straddle
the boundaries of insanity.
And yet outside of a racetrack — a place 99 percent of
owners seldom visit — there are few locations in the world capable of
stretching a hypercar’s legs without spending time behind bars.
One exception: Germany’s Autobahn, as documented by this
driver and his Porsche 918 Spyder — hitting 218 mph on the highway while
chasing a 1,140 hp Koenigsegg Agera R.
Porsche 918 Spyder
What’s most astounding about this video is that the 918′s
top speed is a reported 214 mph. Hitting 218 mph on the Autobahn, especially
considering that the car’s terminal velocity didn’t appear to have been
reached, is pretty stout (as well as totally crazy). We can only assume that
the wind was favorable or that the road was slightly downhill — or that
Porsche was being conservative with its specs.
We don’t know how fast the Agera R was traveling in this
showdown of sorts, but given the 5.0 liter twin turbo V-8 has a theoretical top
speed of 273 mph, odds are that with a longer stretch of empty tarmac, it would
have kept soaring for some time.
Koenigsegg Agera R
Porsche sold all 918 of its $845,000 plug-in hybrid hypercars
just last December. If that sounds expensive, get this: it remains a relative
steal compared to the $1,520,000 Koenigsegg; only 18 Agera Rs, however, will be
built.
Regardless, over the last few years it has been suggested
that the era of the supercar/hypercar as we know it is effectively over.
Clearly, that isn't the case.
source: Yahoo Autos
by Alex Lloyd
http://www.fzrestoration.com
