The Porsche Spyder hybrid – 887 total horsepower – set a lap record for street-legal vehicles on the North Loop of the Nürburgring at 6 minutes 57 seconds – a record still unequaled.
In a NHTSA report just released, Porsche said it is recalling its $845,000 Spyder hybrid for engine fires. As many as 225 of the mid-engine sports cars can be affected by a wiring harness for the left-rear radiator fan that rubs against a carbon fiber engine heat shield. This leads to chaffing and a short circuit, thereby increasing the risk of a fire.
Porsche said the root cause was in the production process, which means this will likely be a global recall for possibly all of the 918 of the 918 Spyder models produced starting for the 2014 model year. Dealers will inspect the harness and provide additional tie-downs for it, if necessary.
Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche’s number for this recall is AF05. Note: The wiring harness could short and result in a fire even when the vehicle is unattended. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the car is fixed.
Last week, the 918 Spyder after 21 months of production, saw the final Porsche 918 Spyder came off the assembly line in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen right on schedule.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
