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Porsche 918 Spyder Damaged in Shanghai Crash

What did they say about people with more money than common sense? Or was that the one about a fool and his money being parted. Whatever the case, it seems the automotive world has one less hypercar to enjoy, after an example of the Porsche 918 Spyder crashed hard in Shanghai, China the other day.
Porsche 918 Spyder Damaged in Shanghai Crash 4 photos
Photo: Webb_Cheung
Porsche 918 Spyder Damaged in Shanghai CrashPorsche 918 Spyder Damaged in Shanghai CrashPorsche 918 Spyder Damaged in Shanghai Crash
Old Porsche had the reputation of being widow makers because they had the engine right over the back wheels, like a giant pendulum waiting to swing into the nearest tree. That's been changed with recent Stuttgart horses, but the 918 Spyder remains the type of car with too much power for the real world. We can only presume that the owner of this car wanted to get the tail to slide or was caught by surprise because of his excessive speed.

Pictures posted on Instagram by user Webb_Cheung show that a large portion of the 918's front end is torn apart. The front left wheel smashed into a tree, causing the whole suspension system and most of the bodywork to be torn apart. Damage is less sever on the right side, but a crash into a wall is what it is.

Given the condition of the car, we don't expect the driver or passenger sustained any serious injuries. However, the Porsche 918 Spyder is very rare, a treasure of the industry. Production is strictly limited to 918 units. The official retail price is $845,000, but good luck getting one that cheaply because they're so rare.

The Spyder is powered by a 4.6-liter V8 engine, developing 608 horsepower, with two electric motors delivering an additional 279 horsepower for a combined output of 887 hp. The 918 Spyder's 6.8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack delivers an all-electric range of 12 miles (19 km).

Wonder if anybody has ever crashed one of these in all-electric mode?
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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