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Porsche’s 918 Spyder has been wowing audiences on the auto show circuit for a little over a year now. By all accounts, it’s a technological showcase, and represents Porsche’s vision of their future, much the same way the 959 did in the mid-’80s.

And as befits such a forward-looking car, crammed chock full of innovations, its vital statistics peg several different scales. It’s equipped with a 3.4l V8 engine supplemented by three electric motors which, when working together, deliver a whopping 718 hp to all four wheels. Sixty mph is dispatched in 3.2 seconds, and fuel economy is an incredibly miserly 78 mpg. Amazingly, Porsche managed to stuff all this kit, including batteries and supporting hardware, into a car weighing only around 3,300 lb. But even more amazing is the price: The automaker has committed to build a limited run for $845,000 a pop. That’s an order of magnitude more expensive than anything else in the manufacturer’s lineup, doubling even the price of the vaunted, range-topping Carrera GT from a few years ago.

I’ll let that stand. The car is primarily a declaration of Porsche’s capabilities, and as such, it’s irrelevant what the price is, as long as they produce more than a single example to be trundled from show to show. They only need to prove that it works, and that they can make more than just one.

From an aesthetic standpoint, it’s a knockout. I’d venture to say its lines surpass even the aforementioned Carrera GT’s, widely considered to be among the best-looking cars ever to exit the factory at Stuttgart. The fender flares and overall proportions update the classic James Dean 550 Spyder look, and the tension and visual interest provided by the interaction of the surfaces on the car’s flanks perfectly relieve what would otherwise be a boring swath of sheetmetal. It’s a beautiful car.

Even though, as mentioned above, the 918 Spyder is a statement, it doesn’t just speak to Porsche’s ability to crank out a world-beater at a singular point in time. It’s also their take on the future of performance cars in general, and as the automaker is something of an authority on the subject, their statements really deserve the consideration of every performance buff.

That said, my feelings about the mechanicals of the car are somewhat ambivalent. The larger part of me knows that alternative propulsion technologies have a long way to go before they can match the character and tactile feedback of a traditional internal combustion engine. That part of me also craves the simplicity of one engine, one transmission and one set of throttle bodies controlled by my right foot. I can get my mind around that arrangement; it’s a known quantity. On the other hand, I’m well aware that there were times people craved the simplicity of an L-head, or pushrods (and still do), or carburetors, or non-variable valve timing, and yet all their replacements have been integrated, over time, into the performance scene. And also, it does seem inevitable that our cars’ means of locomotion will diversify, and it takes time for the sound and feel of whatever’s new to work itself into the preferences of those of us who relish the subjectives of a car. Looking at the situation from that angle, the present really is a compelling period of automotive evolution to be living through, analogous to the early part of last century, when it seemed like every company had its own ideas about the best way to propel a vehicle. It’ll be interesting to see if Porsche’s vision sticks.

Autoblog reported rumors yesterday that a next-generation Porsche 928 might be in the works in Stuttgart:

[I]t’s not surprising that rumors of a Porsche 928 revival have been spreading like wildfire across the dry plains of the internet over the last several years. The logical reasoning sees Porsche shortening its Panamera platform and ejecting the rear seat to make such a grand touring coupe, which would leave the manufacturer with a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive machine in the tradition of its old 928.

According to the Brits at Autocar, such a beast could be christened, rather imaginatively, 929 and be ready for the market as early as 2014, coinciding with the launch of the second-generation Panamera.

I would be very pleased if such a car saw the light of day. It would, as reported, fill a hole in Porsche’s model range, and would add interest to the big, RWD GT coupe segment. Granted, some would say that segment is oversaturated as-is, but it is a personal favorite, so I say the more the merrier. Such cars are often the best-looking offerings in a manufacturer’s lineup, and who out there wouldn’t like a little more beauty surrounded by Camrys and Accords on the commute home? Bring it on, Porsche.

On a related note, the report made me wax nostalgic for the old 928. It’s fascinated me for years, ever since I saw my first one in Europe in the late ’80s. Even as a kid, the styling made an impression on me, with its exotic, bumper-less contours and combination wedge/bean shape. It looked like a spaceship, like the alien craft on the ’80s Disney classic The Flight of the Navigator, and I’m happy to observe that its looks have hardly aged, if at all. To my eye, it still looks fresh, clean and striking even 30 years after its introduction. The pre-facelift 928, especially the rear, is my vantage point of choice. The taillights looked, and still look, like nothing else:

They inspire an expression which really could be said about most Porsche styling: So weird, but yet so right. I remember thinking the same thing about the 911 the first few times I saw it—it was undeniably odd-looking, but there was something weirdly pleasing about its bugeyes, upright windshield and tapering back. Like the 928, it’s offbeat, but it works.

The 928 wasn’t all show, either. Porsche equipped it with a specially-designed 4.5l (eventually increased to 5.4l) V8, SOHC at first, but quickly progressing to DOHC. The final output was of the 5.4l version was a substantial 345 hp, enough to move the big coupe with some alacrity.

I’ve heard the car can be a maintenance hog—the valvetrain of the big V8 as well as the rear-mounted transaxle being particularly troublesome—but I would still like to own an early 5-speed. As much as I like grease under my fingernails, the labor aspect of maintenance wouldn’t bother me, but the legendarily steep Porsche parts price would. I’ll probably have to relegate this one to the category of pipe dream, but I remain a fan.