As you may know already, Porsche unveiled the 918 RSR hybrid race car at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, in order to mark its return to the show after a four-year pause. Many of you believed that the new car previews the production version of Porsche’s upcoming supercar, but it appears that this is not firm’s plan. According to company’s board member for development, Wolfgang Dürheimer, the 918 RSR development will be focused on motorsport. The road version of this car will be the 918 Spyder, unveiled almost one year ago at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

According to Dürheimer, it appears that Porsche learned its lesson from the Carrera GT supercar, which used a similar roof concept as the 918 Spyder. Same Dürheimer told Autocar that a closed car is better for motorsport. For those who don’t know, the 918 RSR is powered by the same engine as the 918 Spyder Concept, which means we will find a B8 engine capable to deliver 563 hp, but also two electric motors delivering an extra 150 kW. The total output delivered by the car is 767 hp. According to Porsche, the 918 Spyder Concept is able to hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.2 seconds and has a top speed electronically limited to 320 km/h (198 mph).