The Porsche 918 Spyder, a supercar designed to offer unparalleled sensations and capture admiring glances, experienced a reality very different from that imagined by its creators. Destined to shine, it was relegated to the obscurity of a garage for nine years, victim of the common practice among certain collectors of seeking to make a profit by reselling the vehicle for much more than when purchasing it.
The challenges of hybrid supercars
But this trend of billionaires is starting to pose more problems than usual, at a time when many super sports cars are hybrids. It is no longer enough to buy a car and, ten years later, just before selling it, take it to the official dealership to have the tires, oil, filters, battery and belts changed. Now you have to add the battery that powers the electric motors, and that’s a little more problematic.
But he revealed his intentions by asking the dealer not to register it for him because he had decided he would never use it. When she arrived, he picked her up by a tow truck, took her home and put her in the darkness of an air-conditioned garage to stay there like a time capsule.
The 918 spyder and its Weissach pack
The 918 Spyder in question is one of four units delivered to Hong Kong in 2015. Ordered in Rhodium Silver Metallic, it was equipped with luxury accessories such as the Burmester audio system and the Porsche Car Connect tracking system. The owner had also opted for the Weissach pack, a popular choice among collectors to lighten the car by 45 kg thanks, among other things, to magnesium rims. This pack alone represented an investment of nearly 80,000 euros.
A car preserved over time
Upon arrival, the car was transported by tow truck to the owner’s home to be stored in an air-conditioned garage, like a time capsule, without ever being registered or used. In July 2022, despite a mileage of only 38 km, the battery was found to be “dead” or almost after nine years without recharging.
An inevitable battery replacement
The 6.8 kWh battery, essential for powering the two electric motors on the front axle, needed to be replaced for the car to deliver the promised 887 hp. Despite the low mileage of 70 km, replacement was inevitable to restore the vehicle to full power.
A lucrative auction
Acquired for just over 850,000 euros, the Porsche 918 Spyder is now being auctioned by RM Sotheby’s with a price estimate between 1.4 and 1.9 million euros. This sale illustrates the growing value of these hybrid supercars, even those that have spent most of their existence hidden from view.