Spy Photos: Porsche 911 GT3 Hybrid Prototype Spotted in Germany

NO. As a race car yes, but as a regular production 911, this is just wrong in my opinion. I'd rather see a diesel model. Now that would be cool. Not that I have a problem with hybrid cars, its just I don't see any benefit to the 911 as a hybrid in regular production.

What are they trying to accomplish with this? Better fuel economy? Nobody who spends $130k on a Porsche gives a rats behind about fuel economy. Better performance? With the additional weight of a hybrid system, I can't see how it will really offer significantly better performance. Plus, I just can't see the battery pack holding enough juice to run 45 minutes straight of hot laps around a track, even with regenerative brakes.

The issue is that this technology is promising and can offer increased performance, if properly executed. Weight may well be an issue now, but this will not always be the case as battery techonology and integration improves. The 4wd option on a current 911 add about 130 lbs per Porsche. A similarly weighted hybrid system driving the front wheels has many benefits over a typical 4wd. To say that this isn't useful on a road car is foolish and nearsighted.

Buyers of $130,000 cars may not put fuel economy as their #1, but an increase in performance combined with increases (or maintaining) economy is not overlooked. You would be surprised that many Porsche buyers do care about economy and may not purchase a car with low teen mpg ratings. Unlike most comparable sportscars, Porsches are liveable day to day and often driven as daily drivers.

Porsche is smart for recognizing the potential and performing due diligence to test/develop this tech for its purposes. Like it or not, hybrid drives will improve and be common & needed (performance aspects alone) in 10 years. Porsche does not want to be caught in left field having to purchase hybrid tech from someone like Toyota. The hybrids needs of a Porsche, especially in 911/sportscar guise, differ vastly from that of a run of the mill hybrid drive. Purschasing hybrid tech not only looks bad, but will likely result in poor performance, poor packaging, and higher than required weight in a sports car application where performance takes precedent.

I don't think that Hybrid technology in 911 is for saving the planet but most likely for extra power from the electric motor. I think the purpose of electric motor in this car will be similar to KERS in F1.

Porsche is already USING a 911 with hybrid tech in racing:

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/03/porsche-911-gt3-r-hybrid-does-good-in-1st-race/

It recently finished 3rd at Nurburgring:

http://www.favstocks.com/porsche-911-gt3-r-hybrid-finishes-third-in-nurburgring/128027/

"Works drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Wolf Henzler (both Germany) drove an entirely trouble free race in the new Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid. The hybrid vehicle impressed with outstanding efficiency and needed one less pit stop than most competitors."

But you naysayers, please go ahead and attack the concept...

Whar? Some cars don't need to be hybrids, someone should keep an eye on Porsche. :

stingray454: "Nobody who spends $130k on a Porsche gives a rats behind about fuel economy."

I'm not so sure this is true at all. I suspect that most "green car" buyers skew higher income. With a different place in the "hierarchy of needs", poor people might only care about fuel economy because of the savings at the pump, but those people probably can't afford most hybrids anyway. I don't think the typical Lexus hybrid buyer is primarily trying to save money at the pump - it's about reflecting a personal agenda to be more green. If it was purely about cash, they would buy a cheaper car with slightly worse gas mileage.

Now, I admit that most Porsche buyers probably aren't the target market for hybrids, but there is probably some crossover. If this car can be somewhat green *and* fast then it might be a more "impressive" status symbol than a normal GT3 (that's just fast) to some of the target market that Porsche seeks. Additionally, the use of hybrid technology reflects a commitment to new technology that may provide Porsche with some halo effect.

It better have the Porsche reliability and that awesome driving feel and I'm game.

It's not just about what armchair Porsche enthusiasts want. Porsche is subject to the same corporate fuel economy and emissions standards as every other manufacturer in Europe and the world. Even if nobody wants it, Porsche cars will be getting more fuel efficient. Thanks to those engineers, they'll be getting quicker at the same time. :)

crashcanadian - Porsche is part of VW and will be able to lump into their fleet mileage average. They, just like Lamborghini, may not really need to increase their economy just to meet new CAFE standards - although the increases are surely welcome by Porsche, VW and the customer.

Apparently, you guys all live in a world where KERS can't help performance.

Regardless, Hybrid buyers are wealthier, better educated and older than the average car buyer (http://www.marketingvox.com/hybrid-car-owners-educated-wealthier-older-more-creative-less-dogmatic-037285/). This is the same group Porsche gets.

Porsche HAS a hybrid racing right now and it's doing very well. This car would incorporate similar ideas - extra power, better economy, while positively impacting performance.

It still seems hypocritical to me. Buying a hybrid performance car and calling yourself green at the same time. Only a Tesla can legitimately make that claim without being hypocritical.

My '02 Z06 with basic bolt-ons and a tune gets 32 MPG highway, with 450hp. Mileage that rivals some "green" economy cars. The car was also classified by the EPA as a LEV in 2002. My car probably gets better mileage than this hybrid GT3 gets on the highway. But I do NOT consider my car to be "green," even though I could make that claim based on the fuel efficiency alone, and all the B.S. that is going on with "green" these days.

Is a Lexus LS600h "green"? Just because it's a hybrid, doesn't make it green - the car can't even crack 20 MPG. I see a Lexus LS600h, and I think the buyer is a hypocrite, and a fool.

That's just me. I do hate hypocrites though. And a GT3 hybrid has hypocrite written all over it.

sting,

And yet it's involved in racing right now. The future is something that will involve hybrid tech and traditional engines for the time being.

All hybrids do is recapture kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost as heat in the brakes and store it in batteries for later reuse. Since a 911 driven at full chat makes an assload of kinetic energy, and at-the-limit track work involves a lot of heavy braking, it can only make the car faster if that energy were recaptured and reused for the next accelerative burst.

...so long as the system doesn't add a couple of hundred pounds and they don't insist on painting the damn thing green. Money probably isn't the point, because we're already in if-you-have-to-ask pricing territory.

I REALLY HATE VW more andd more NOW. Since VW used to be people's car maker they are ruining every sportiness of Porsche. Topgear criticized on a new Cayenne that it has no nimble handling, rigid sports suspension it used to have. They disliked the new Cayenne being too customer friendly car. And here hybrid??? Is it a joking?? 911 used to be good in efficiency compared to other sports cars, and they got direct injection and turbo, why would they need electric motors?? They ruined rear wheel drive Lambo and now ruining Porsche..Now, no more Porsche. ONLY thing VW does is adding too many electrical stuff, sensors and causing more errors. Porsche never went with electric stuff, used to be mechanical sports car.