Porsche 918 RSR: An Ass we can get behind

A lot of supercars lately, from the Bertone Mantide to the Lexus LFA, not to mention the Audi R8, have had rear ends I find rather vulgar and overdone.  Attempts at making them literally "badass" have resulted in a tall, ungainly appearance that I find offputting to say the least.  Not so in the case of Porsche's new 918 RSR coupe.  The rear air vents and aerodynamic undertray are neatly integrated into a voluptious rear treatment, and the Walter De Silva-style tail lights (so similar to those on the new Audi sedans) serve to emphasize the width of the car, giving it a low, mean stance I find lacking in a lot of new cars.  The result is truly sexy, and an effort worthy to replace the Carrera GT --itself already a modern classic.  The front end of the car, while very pleasing, is more akin to the new McLaren MP4-12C or even a Ferrari 430 than a Porsche 917 or any other classic sports prototype from Stuttgart.  But really, who cares?? This car's got LA face and Oakland booty. Sign me up.

-Photo via Autoblog, and retouched by Automobiliac to emphasize the lines.

Comments

[motoringconbrio]

This car's got LA face and Oakland booty.

classic.

[syed]

i dig the style, i dig the audi taillights, and i dig the nostalgic view back at stuff like the 904. i don't think the rear end is perfect, in fact it reminds me more of the latest Audi sedans....like the A7. I don't think it's as aggressive as it should be for a car of this stature---i feel the R8's rear end has more presence than this-----BUT i love the shape, i love the curves, and the kickback effect. It's a winner.......for the likely $300k+ price tag it's gonna carry. It is definitely a vaaaaast improvement over the designing horrorshow which was the Carrera GT---which i absolutely hated.

[Bradley Price]

I dont know... "horroshow" is a tad strong to describe the Carrera GT, but i agree there is just something about it that never made me quite happy. I feel like it was sort of bland more than ugly. The R8's rear end may have more presence, but what it has in presence it lacks in taste and refinement.

[motoringconbrio]

i'm a fan of the CGT with the exception of the front end. seen head-on, i'd be hard-pressed to distinguish it from a panamera.

[Murph]

I spent about 30 minutes over the course of a two-day trip to Detroit for the press launch of the 918. Honestly, it looks incredible. They're comparing it to the 917 - which is a stretch considering the car has an unproven record thus far. However, from a design standpoint, it is a modern 917 - I absolutely love it and can't wait to see it on-track.

The only downside was that Porsche launched the car at 6:30AM on Monday!

[Murph]

* spent about 30 minutes studying the 918 RSR in person, I mean.

[Bradley Price]

Murph, did you get any sexy pics you want to share??

[Murph]

Haha, I sure did, covered most of the autoshow (have pics of about everything) I can send over to you after work - tried last night but Flickr was running slow. The 918 was really the highlight of the show as evidenced by the impenetrable wall of journalists at its launch!

[Adam Root]

Actually cars are the stylish and luxurious invention that ever had. So to maintain these cars we have to take care of these cars. we have to maintain our cars like we have to wash it in proper interval to maintain its look, we have to service it after particular kilometers of run and also we have to repair our cars from good repair centers whenever required to get better performance from it and for our cars smoother running. .
<a href="http://www.vfc-engineering.com/">BMW Service Chicago</a>