#1: 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder
We’ve finally reached #1. The final entrant on our list satisfies every parameter, collects every good thing from every car on this list, and leaves them all in the dust. This is a car that doesn’t just shoot flames from its exhaust. Instead, it produces bright blue, solid cones of afterburner that look stolen from an F-22 Raptor. It psychotically produces 500 torques sitting still at idle and makes zero to 60 in 2.2 seconds, the current world record. It’s the 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder.
Hiding underneath its mid-engine, sci-fi bonnet is a naturally-aspirated 4.6L V8 making 612 horses. While these numbers are damn impressive coming from a motor with as much displacement as an older Mustang GT, it wasn’t enough for Porsche. So, they strapped a 6.8 kWh battery pack to it with two electric motors buzzing all four wheels to make 875 horses and 944 torques. Oh, and of course, the 918 Spyder doesn’t just go fast in a straight line. It uses all-wheel steering with a 7-speed gearbox and double clutch that allowed it to master the Nürburgring in 6:57.
2014 Porsche 918 Spyder
These are remarkable feats considering the 918 Spyder is a proper roadster. Its relatively roomy, with enough room for two adult passengers and all the creature comforts any daily should have. It manages to keep things light, curbing its weight at 3,760 pounds. That’s thanks to a monocoque cab that isn’t even made from regular, old carbon fiber. Instead, Porsche developed a proprietary plastic – yes, plastic – which is reinforced by carbon fiber.
And when you consider the 918 Spyder is a proper droptop, you begin to appreciate its power-to-weight ratio even more. The design of the 918 Spyder is at once aesthetic beyond modern car design and functional in every way. The top-mounted exhaust tips aren’t just there for looks. The Spyder moves so much air and exhaust that Porsche had to make the flow tubes as short as possible, reducing back-pressure restriction.
New Prototype 918 Spyder
Inside, drivers lucky enough to afford the hot seat will find a beautifully constructed, mile-long touchscreen center command that slopes from the top of the dash to the center of the middle console. And what’s more, occupants can enjoy a nice string symphony elegantly flowing from the Spyder’s 11 Burmester speakers to reduce their reasonably spiked blood pressures. We could write much more about the 918 Spyder because it is so magnificent. In short, it is not only the fastest-accelerating production car ever made, it may be the most beautiful and technologically advanced, too.
