Nothing to do with the Prius: 18 most interesting hybrid cars

Hybrid cars have been around for over a century - Ferdinand Porsche presented his project back in 1899. But it wasn't until the 1990s that Toyota and its Prius were able to bring them to the global market.

The Prius will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most important vehicles of the last quarter of a century. This is a remarkable engineering feat that has changed the way we think about efficiency, especially in urban driving.

In fact, for an entire generation, this Japanese car gave the impression that the "hybrid" was something discreet, technologically advanced, but rather boring.

But there are also hybrids that successfully fight this stereotype and arouse not only curiosity, but also an adrenaline rush. Here are 18 of them.

BMW i8

It was a hybrid supercar, built not in terms of monstrous power, but in terms of sustainability. The i8 was made from ultra-lightweight materials and was powered by a 1,5-liter petrol engine paired with electric motors.

She could easily cope with city traffic only on electric traction. But this car was by no means slow: the acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h was the same as that of the Lamborghini Gallardo. Throw in an impressive futuristic design and you can see why this is one of the most interesting hybrids ever.

Lamborghini sian

When Lambo starts making a hybrid, you can be sure it won't be like the others. The Sian combines a 34 horsepower electric motor and naturally aspirated V12 from the Aventador SVJ.

In this case, not trivial batteries are used, but supercapacitors (for more information about this technology, see link). The 63 planned copies were sold out before production began.

McLaren Speedtail

The main grandiose specimen in the English range has a centrally located driver's seat, just like the legendary F1.

The powerplant develops 1035 horsepower from a combination of a twin-turbo V8 and an electric motor. All of this power is sent to the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Ferrari SF90 Stradale

The first "mainstream" plug-in hybrid of the Italians develops up to 986 horsepower thanks to its twin-turbo V8 and three auxiliary electric motors.

Unlike the Speedtail, torque goes to all four wheels. This is enough to accelerate the car to 100 km / h in just 2,5 seconds.

Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Touring

This hybrid has 680 horsepower and accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h faster than you can pronounce its long, boring name.

Jaguar S-H75

Unfortunately, the British never mass-produced this model, but made several prototypes equipped with a rather advanced system with a four-cylinder engine, electric motors and batteries.

Porsche 919 evo

If you still have doubts about the possibilities of hybrid technology, this machine should dispel them.

The 919 Evo Hybrid holds the absolute record for the Nürburgring North Arch, completing it in 5:19:54: almost a minute (!) Faster than the previous fastest car.

cadillac elr

The 2014 ELR was Cadillac's first full hybrid, and was essentially an improved version of the Chevrolet Volt. But since it cost $ 35 more, it was another market failure for the brand in this segment.

This is what makes it attractive today: interesting looks, luxurious performance, extremely rare on the streets and well priced in the aftermarket.

Porsche Spyder 918

The Porsche hypercar uses a specially developed 4,6-liter V8 engine with 600 horsepower, while a pair of electric motors located in the front add another 282 horsepower.

The result was a fantastically fast car that broke the Nürburgring record in 2013.

Aston Martin Valkyrie

The Aston hypercar is powered by a Cosworth Formula 1 V12 engine, which gives it 1014 horsepower. Added to this is the hybrid system developed by Mate Rimac in Croatia, which adds another 162 horses.

As a result, the car has a power of 1,12 horsepower ... per kilogram of weight.

Ferrari LaFerrari

The first “civilian” model of the Italians to cross the 900 horsepower mark. This is made possible by a remarkable V12 engine and a battery pack behind the driver.

Their combined forces make it possible to cover the 0-100 km / h segment in just two and a half seconds. Today on the secondary market, the price fluctuates between $ 2,5 and $ 3,5 million.

Polestar 1

Volvo's new subsidiary was initially introduced as a division dedicated exclusively to the development and production of electric vehicles. This is why many were surprised that her first model was actually a hybrid.

But the road behavior and impressive design quickly dispelled doubts. According to R&T, this is one of the best grand tours in history.

Porsche 911 GT3-R Hybrid

In 2011, when this car worked wonders on the tracks, the Tesla Model S didn't even exist. The know-how she gained has allowed her to create the wonderful Porsche Taycan.

Koenigsegg Regera

The Regera is an amazing car, even if it doesn't have a full hybrid setup in the classic sense. It uses electricity to start the movement, and then connects the gasoline engine to drive the wheels.

Honda Insight I generation

Between hypercars and Nürburgring record holders, this car is a little odd - it had a miniature three-cylinder engine and covered rear wheels for better aerodynamics. But compared to the Prius of the same era, the Insight was incomparably more interesting.

Mercedes AMG One

AMG One uses a pair of electric motors to drive the front wheels and a V6 hybrid turbo engine for the rear wheels. The 275 planned units were sold in advance despite the $ 2,72 million price tag.

Mercedes announced that they have three times as many orders, but they decided to abandon them in order to maintain exclusivity.

McLaren P1

This hypercar stopped production five years ago, but it still remains the benchmark for hybrid cars. Faster hybrids have already been created than this one, but the combination of quality, reliability and performance of the P1 is almost incomparable.

Honda NSX II generation

Some people object to this car because it handles completely differently than the first NSX designed with Ayrton Senna's help. But once you get used to the difference, you will find that the new hybrid is surprisingly capable as well. It is no coincidence that in 2017 he received the R&T Sports Car of the Year award.