Watch This Beautiful Video Explainer of the World-Beating Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo
The stellar breakdown shows all the key components Porsche’s prototype used to obliterate the Nurburgring lap record, among many others.
Once Porsche removed itself from the World Endurance Championship's LMP1 category, it went on a well-documented tear with its 919 Hybrid Evo, breaking lap records in every corner of the world. This first included Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, the prototype setting an even faster time than Lewis Hamilton's 2017 F1 car, before moving onto the Nurburgring Nordschleife. There, the new-age racer was faced with the task of besting a 35-year-old benchmark, and conclusively doing so by nearly a full minute (5:19.55). Extreme tech and mechanical know-how went into developing this regulation-free speed machine, but thanks to this nifty video explainer released in tandem with Eurosport, we've got a detailed breakdown of the 919 Hybrid Evo—all put in simple terms for us to understand.
Without rules and restrictions to abide by, Porsche was able to dial in the utmost performance from every aspect of the Evo's hybrid powertrain, suspension, and aerodynamics. Power limits were dropped in favor of a 1,160 horsepower total output; the car's ride height was lowered to improve the center of gravity and complement its new aero; and finally, active components like F1-style DRS allowed for maximum speed on the straights with drastically higher levels of downforce in the corners. Bits like the car's trick undertray, rear spoiler, and diffuser allow for air to pass through while sucking the car to the ground, further enabling the powerhouse to slice through the air with frantic force.
Weight was shed in spades to assist in the Stuttgart manufacturer's sprint efforts, dropping it significantly below a ton. This made the car even more nimble than the standard, Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid, providing the perfect vessel for driver Timo Bernhard to set The Green Hell ablaze. Special driver assists were implemented for the record runs, allowing 50 percent increased power steering aid as well as four-way brake-by-wire for better cornering trajectories.
Collectively, this massive effort came as the result of million dollars and thousands of hours spent on creating the fastest track car on Earth. We might not see anything else like it for years to come, so enjoy in the marvel that is the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo.
While the creator's Vimeo channel doesn't allow embed access, you can catch the full clip here for the entire rundown.
