Porsche 918 to spawn four-door coupe?

Porsche is considering developing a four-door coupe based on the upcoming gasoline-electric 918 Spyder supercar in order to benefit from economies of scale. Â

The coupe is called 984 internally.  The 9 is Porsche’s denomination for a sports car, the 8 stands for eight cylinders and the 4 stands for four seats.  Riding on a stretched version of the 918′s lightweight carbon fiber chassis, the 984 will take the form of a sleek four-door coupe with a low roofline reminiscent of the 911.  

In spite of its 2+2 seating configuration, the 984 will be powered by a mid-mounted 4.6-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine derived from the mill that powers the 918, but it will do without the topless supercar’s electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack.  Early estimates suggest the engine will send around 700 horsepower to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Â

The mid-engine setup will free up two cargo compartments.

Automobile Magazine reports Porsche chief engineer Michael Mauer has already built a full-size concept of the car but management has not decided whether or not to show it to the public.  If launched, the production variant of the 984 will arrive in 2017 at the earliest with a base price in the vicinity of €350,000 (about $468,000), rough half the price of a 918 Spyder.<![CDATA[
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