While we had heard rumblings that Porsche was going to show its hot new 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept in  Pebble Beach this year, it had started to seem like the car was only going to be shown to a select few at private events scattered around the Monterey Peninsula during the week.

Well, on Sunday, right in front of the Pebble Beach Lodge, during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company surprised us by driving the hybrid supercar up to the concept lawn for all to see – and hear. They did a quick turn around after sitting still for a second and as the V8 rumble died away, the car started moving forward again. A couple of people were taken by surprise as they thought the driver may have forgotten to engage the parking brake, but no, the car had switched over to battery power.

This hybrid has been greenlighted for production and it is rumored that the racing RS Spyder’s 3.4-liter V8 will be the engine that adds grunt to the two electric motors driving the front wheels. Expect around 700 horsepower and a price tag over $600,000.

As anticipated, Porsche’s supervisory board has greenlighted a production version of the 918 Spyder concept. The 918 debuted as a concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show with a plug-in hybrid powertrain claimed to be good for an unbelievable 78 miles per gallon while doing 0-60 in 3.2 seconds on its way to a 198 mile-per-hour top speed.

Powering the concept was the combination of a 500-horsepower V8 along with a pair of electric motors with 109 hp apiece. The concept’s lithium ion battery could also provide 16 miles of electric-only driving. The good news is that the production powertrain is expected to be virtually unchanged. There has been speculation that the production model could cost up to €500,000 (about $650,000 USD), minus the  federal tax credit of course

While Porsche isn’t exactly new to the vehicle electrification game, it looks like they might be stepping things up a bit. Porsche, in fact, claims that they developed and sold the very first hybrid almost 100 years ago, but more recent history includes the Cayenne Hybrid, the fabulous 911 GT3R hybrid racer and most recently, the awe-inspiring plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder concept. Now they’ve added a trio of experimental pure-electric Boxsters to the mix.

Porsche has yet to reveal any technical details about the three drop-top EVs, but they will be used to test the drivetrain systems as well as infrastructure needs. Porsche has indicated that it’s interested in a production version of the 918 Spyder and is likely using these Boxsters to evaluate the battery systems, along with the motors and power electronics. Look out Tesla!

While some thought the gorgeous Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid was merely a concept when it debuted in Geneva, Porsche isn’t one to churn out a show car just as a design exercise. Apparently, some 900 customers quickly lined up to plunk down deposits, and that pretty much sealed the deal. When Porsche eventually hinted that the car would go into production, insiders weren’t surprised, but they wanted more details. Today we got the most important detail of all – the price.

Bloomberg is reporting that the price has been set at 500,000 euros (approximately $630,000), making the production 918 Spyder the most expensive vehicle ever offered by the German sportscar (and sedan and SUV and tractor and…) maker. Porsche allegedly has 1,000 firm orders already and the number of seriously interested people has risen to 2,000. If even half of them follows through, the 918 would likely surpass the legendary Carrera GT in sales (only 1,500 CGTs were made), as well as performance – to say nothing of its environmental sensitivity. We just hope they can make the 918 sound even half as good as that Carrera GT.

The Porsche 911 has always been the purist’s choice in sports cars, with a meaty flat-six engine in entirely the wrong end of the car, and driven by the rear through an intuitive steering rack and quick manual shifter.

So imagine the travesty and shock when Porsche first launched its all-wheel-drive automatic 911….

While the traditionalist would never deign to enter the plush cockpit of such a car, the Carrera 4S is as much a Porsche as its siblings. Particularly now, with enough power to spin all four wheels and a lovely sequential automatic transmission dubbed PDK.

Basically, the Carrera 4 and the sports up-spec S variant are housed in a 911 turbo body, with fat rear guards that are 44mm wider to accommodate both drivetrain and drive through its wide rear rubber.

The drivetrain incorporates the top-spec 911 Turbo’s differentials and electronic controls, pumping out power from the newly charged S engine’s growling 3.8-litre six. It now offers an extra 22kW and 20Nm for final figures of 283kW and 420Nm through all four wheels.

A new suspension management system lets the car squat and launch like a large wild cat. Without getting bogged down in the technical jargon, the two-stage electronically controlled system dubbed PASM is an option worth the expenditure, allowing the already grippy all-paw Porsche to sink its claws right into the road. The 911 has always been tail-happy on the corners due to its engine placement, but the 4S sleeper hardly stirs. In fact, it’s difficult to slide the car unless you intentionally unbalance it at speed.

The car also a green machine, clocking 10.3L/100km average fuel consumption - though the average punter may find this a little higher given the rush attached to the right foot. Still, it’s not bad for a car that sprints to 100km/h in 4.7secs.

Some of the speed and lighter fuel sipping has to do with the 2009 911 engine upgrades, which removed 6kg from engine alone through less internal moving parts. The rest can be credited to the trick new ‘PDK’ twin-clutch gearbox.

The clutchless semi-automatic transmission replaces the awkward and rather droll traditional auto, and it rivals the F1-style boxes from Ferrari and the Volkswagen Group in its execution.

Either in traffic or on the track, the car zips through the ‘box seamlessly, and shifts up and down gears five-times faster than a human hand. Shifting mid-corner can be done without losing balance or the rear end, speeding everything up along the way.

While the PDK is worth its $8,000 price tag, it does have one downside – the wheel-mounted toggle shifters aren’t ergonomic and shift in a way that feels unnatural, particularly for those used to F1 style ‘boxes. However, current owners have demanded – and recently received – the Porsche Turbo steering wheel as a retrofitted option, complete with paddle shifters that sit behind the wheel, always on hand.

No doubt it will be an expensive option, but those who can afford the 4S in the first place probably won’t even wince. The only people doing that are the purists, both at the sight of the 4S badge, and the fact that it’s in front of them as they try to catch up through the twists and turns.

Porsche Panamera GT a new 928?

Not long after Porsche announced that it would be building the car that ultimately became the Panamera, rumors of a revival of the 928 began. Porsche’s last front-engine GT went out of production in 1995, and it certainly would make sense to reuse the new front-engine car platform for other purposes, like a coupe and maybe even a convertible. If the car, which could be called the Panamera GT, does come to fruition, it will likely get a shorter wheelbase and possibly a lower curb weight than the four door.

Hopefully, former Porsche CEO Wendelin Weideking’s mandate that his 6′-3″ frame fit in the back seat will be dropped so that a more graceful roof-line can be adopted. Not that we don’t love the humpbacked Panamera, mind you, but as you can see in the pic above (from Automobile Magazine France), a more sloping roof might do the 2+2 more justice. A new 928 could launch a whole new generation of u-boat commanders getting involved in all kinds of risky business.

Call it a victory for “Miss Personality.” Porsche just announced that the model earning the sales title for April is the new gal on the block, the Panamera sedan. Despite the fact that most Porsche enthusiasts feel that a Porsche’s not a real Porsche unless it has a boxer engine, preferably mounted behind the rear axle, but each and every month the sales totals tell us that the greater buying public is far more interested in vehicles they can live with on a daily basis.

Take the Cayenne… please. That five-foot tall, 4,400-lb. beast continually sells in higher volume than its sportier stablemates here in the States. With the all-new 2011 Cayenne still ramping up, that gave the 911 a shot at taking the sales crown for the first time in a long time, perhaps surpassing the perennially better-selling Cayman/Boxster. April’s sales figures, however, show that the buying public was charmed enough by the new Panamera, that they were able to overlook her, um, striking, full-figured looks. With 678 units moved, the big sedan nearly doubled sales of the 911, its next closest competitor in the Porsche line-up.

We’re guessing the 2011 Cayenne will reclaim its title when sales start back up in the next month or two, but for now, the Panamera gets to wear the crown.

The figures say it all - usually. But while the 911 Turbo models scream seuction with thier flared guards and pumped bodies, it’s what’s inside that counts.

And what’s inside the new GT2 RS?

The twin-turbocharging of this lovely lady puts out 620hp from the smaller of the two flat-six engines in the Carrera range. But while the 3.6-litre is up 90hp, it’s down 70kg (to 1370) due to the new range’s engine internals and carbon trimmings. And of course it has better fuel economy than its predecessor, for those with a green thumb as well as the greenback.

It’s a purists manual only, with standard carbon-ceramic stoppers, and electronics such as the Porsche Adaptive Suspension Management (PASM) and Porsche Stability Management (PSM) give ultimate grip while allowing the freedom to slide or relinquish complete control.

Porsche is boasting a 7:18sec on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

To those who can afford one, we salute you. You can guess with which finger.

OFFICIAL VIDEO: Awe (The Stig)

2011 Porsche GT2 RS

That’s not a typo – Porsche is said to be readying an RS version of the GT2 to join the GT3 RS we know and love. Outlets are reporting that Porsche has just shown the 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, depicted above in this borrowed spy shot, to German dealers yesterday.

Official press info is going to be released on 14th May. The only bit of news we have so far is the price of this new Porsche 997 GT2 RS. When it debuts this September, the price is expected to be 240.000 euro. Oh, and it’s said to be faster than a Carrera GT. Yikes.

Porsche has taken some heat off Toyota in the total recall department, after hauling back all 11,300 Panamera four-seaters sold worldwide in an embarrassing faux pas.

Apparently, when the the front seats are set all the way forward - like when you try to utilize the second row of pews - the seat belt mounting can come loose and possibly let go altogether.

No one has been involved in an accident where this boo-boo has effected the outcome.

The fix is a 20min pitstop at the local dealership to affix a second anchor to the belt buckle, but expect disgruntled Porsche families to belt their local dealer about the inconvenience.