*Update: Porsche has just released pictures of the development mule at the Nardo test track. The mechanical device in the last picture is the hybrid coupler. 

US technology magazine Wired has received the inside scoop on the development on the Porsche 918, and it is utterly jaw dropping.

The piece confirms that Porsche has been testing the car at the Nardo test track in Italy. It uses the 4.6l V8 that was originally found in the Porsche RS Spyder that raced in the American Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class and occasionally beat the Audis in the class ahead of it. It has been tuned to 570hp with a 9000rpm redline, up from the 503hp it was limited to when racing. There is an extra 80kW electric motor mounted on the front axle, and a 90kW electric motor mounted on the rear axle. Total power for the entire setup is 770hp and 553lb-ft of torque that can be overboosted to 700lb-ft if you flip the right switches. 

Acceleration is understandably quick with 60mph coming in less than three seconds and 124mph in less than nine for a 202mph top speed. 

Keep in mind, the 918 is a plug-in hybrid that will charge to full in six hours on a 110-volt outlet. 

The chassis is made from carbon fiber and aluminum, and nearly all of the body panels are made from carbon fiber, which bring total weight down to 3,700lbs. 

The car is full of fun technical details. One of the car's coolest tricks is that exhausts do not leave behind the car, but instead exit up and out like a Formula 1 car.  The electric motors give the car a 16 mile pure electric range. On a full charge, it will go to 90mph without using any fuel. 

The article goes into even more detail about how the car feels to drive and has pictures of the test mule that we did not have permission to use. 

Source: Wired