Porsche's 918 RSR World Premiere

In just a few hours we’ll know exactly what Porsche has been concocting back at Weissach to become its first new model of 2011. In a sense we already know that it will be a fully-manufactured product based on the gorgeous 918 Spyder Concept – the mid-engine hybrid concept sports car first revealed by Porsche at Geneva last March.

The Porsche Supervisory Board approved it for series production in July 2010 and since then the rumours have abounded about when (and what) we’ll finally see on sale.

Last month we heard that Porsche would be revealing a new sports car at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), and ‘sources’ within Porsche began leaking info that it would be ‘based’ on the 918 Spyder Concept, probably a GT racer fitted with a more mainstream (i.e. non-hybrid) powerplant.

We’ve expressed our doubts about the 918 GT being devoid of its hybrid powerplant and as you’ll notice from the video (below) the show car is plastered with the ‘Porsche Intelligent Performance’ stickers that have featured heavily on its 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car, so expect a more powerful incarnation of Porsche’s hybrid technology applied to a V8 petrol engine.

During the night Porsche released the following video clearly showing a fixed-roof version of the 918 Spyder Concept design, and with images of the iconic Porsche 917 race car showing in the background Porsche are clearly inviting us to make a direct connection between the two.

If like us you’re gagging to find out, then tune in at 11:30 AM GMT (6:30 AM EST) and we’ll tell you more. You can also watch the LIVE webcast here.

Video

At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Porsche will debut a new model. This video provides a glimpse at what we can expect to see.