Zero to 60 mph times (or 62 KPH in kilo-world) are pretty much the accepted benchmark when it comes to measuring a car’s performance and probably the easiest measure of speed to relate to for most car drivers.
At some time in their period of car ownership most car-nuts have mashed the gas pedal to the floor from a standing start to see how quickly their pride and joy gathers momentum anticipating the crushing force of acceleration that will push them back into their seat. For the majority of us it is just a dream and a bit of an anti-climax.
Unless you are driving something very special, of course, such as the Porsche 918 Spyder.
In around 2.6 seconds this car will have punched you so hard in the chest your ribcage would have left an impression on the inside of your back. Add another 2 seconds and you have reached 100 mph- as long as you managed to keep a hold of the steering wheel with your newly elongated arms.
In less than 10 seconds you have covered a quarter of a mile.
Which incidentally raises another question – how far has the 918 actually travelled by the time it has reached 60 mph? You might think that would an easy question to answer but you need to be very good at arithmetic to work it out and there are several ways of calculating it out depending on how precise you want to be.
The ‘simplest’ formula I managed to find (courtesy of Wolfram Alpha) is as follows:
0 mph × 2.6 seconds + 1/2 ((60 mph)/(2.6 seconds) (2.6 seconds)^2) or
Life is too short so put away the calculator – the answer is 0.0217 miles or 35 metres. The average family car would need to cover around 160 metres to reach the same speed.
Interesting? Maybe not, but just an alternative way of expressing how fast a car is off the line.
Back to the 918 which is therefore very fast indeed. Whether it is quicker than a Mac P1 or LaFerrari is quite frankly academic and you will need a spectrometer to measure the differences between them. No doubt there will soon be the inevitable shoot-out on Top Gear and other car magazines that will draw some conclusion or other.
If you are lucky enough to be in a position to buy one of these cars then your choice will be very limited. The LaFerrari, 499 manufactured and now all sold out. Pre-owned cars are being bought for up to double the original list price we are told!
The P1 is also sold out (a tiny 375 produced) and presently there are very few pre-owned examples on offer but nonetheless there will be a premium to pay to acquire one today.
Porsche, however, are building 918 examples of their supercar (hence the ‘918’ moniker) so there is still a chance to grab this particular new example we have on sale before production comes to an end:
Finished in White with Onyx Black/Acid Green Leather Interior the extras include:
Front axle lift system, Anti-glare interior package, Bodywork film protection, Electric height adjustment on front passenger seat, Cup holder, Porsche vehicle tracking system including Porsche Car Connect, Lightweight bucket seats with lateral support.
This brand new, unregistered 918 is physical and available to buy today.
To find out more please contact The Car Spy on 01892 506970 or email sales@thecarspy.net
The Car Spy 