You are not alone if you have never heard of Semper Vivus. It was a car that was created long before anyone alive today was born.
Porsche will have you know that Semper Vivus (Latin for “always alive”) was the world’s first hybrid car it created through Austrian coach and motor carriage maker Lohner. Introduced in 1900, it was a race car with two electric motors attached to the front wheels.
But production of Lohner-Porsche hybrids was shortlived, ending in 1906 because they were not competitive against conventional petrol-engined cars of the time.
However, a working replica of this vintage hybrid exists today to remember it by.
Buoyed by the current industry trend that demands higher fuel economy and lower emissions, the German sports car company is re-discovering hybrids, with the Cayenne S Hybrid, Panamera S Hybrid and 911 GT3 R Hybrid track car as current examples.
The Panamera hybrid, the focus of a recent Sunday outing, is a four-door Gran Turismo (grand tourer) which its maker declares is the most fuel efficient Porsche at 6.8 litres per 100km.
It appears ungainly at first blush, with a long nose and a short muscular tail. But it really is better looking in the metal than the photos here can show.
Place it side by side with the 911 and it resembles somewhat an oversized version of the iconic sports car that has cemented Porsche’s reputation as a builder of performance cars with extreme German engineering.
Porsche has decreed that such size is necessary to offer an enlarged limousine-like cabin for four, fitted with all the luxurious fitments and amenities that RM910,000 can buy.
On top of the usual meter readings, the five-meter cluster displays GPS information as well as the electric motor’s power status.
The centre console is obviously Vertu-inspired. It is aesthetically pleasing and is bookmarked by a sizeable 17-cm touch screen that serves as a multi-information display. Seats are comfortable and cosseting amidst acres of leather that makes the cabin a truly sumptuous place to be in. It not only looks rich, it feels rich.
The RM910,000 price tag is just for starters. A car in this league is, naturally, highly customisable. Inch up to 20-inch Spyder wheels, a Bose stereo, a reversing camera plus a long list of other options and you could end up spending over RM100,000 on extras.
Porsche purists would prefer the Panamera not be mentioned in the same breath as the revered 911 but the Panamera has proven that it sells just fine around the world, tailing the growth curve of the Cayenne SUV, that other oversized vehicle in the automaker’s fleet.
At nearly 2 tonnes, the Panamera is a heavy car. Drive it, and you are always reminded of its weight and girth – and the restricted rear view as well.
But it still manages to muster an agile pace, courtesy of a 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol engine in front that doles out 329bhp. It is coupled to a 46bhp electric motor for a total output of 375bhp.
In addition, there’s plenty of twist going to the rear wheels with a combined 580Nm of peak torque on tap from 1,000rpm through to mid-range speeds.
The electric motor works as both a generator and starter and is fed current from a traditional nickel-metal hydride battery (note that lithium ion is the current rage in the hybrid/EV sphere, as it has a higher power density in a compact, lighter form).
The 288-volt battery pack is fitted behind the rear axle, under the rear cargo area, resulting in a shallow storage boot that is still quite usable.
Power is relayed to the wheels via an eight-speed Tiptronic S gearbox, borrowed from the Cayenne S Hybrid, as is the engine.
As a car with a parallel full hybrid system, the petrol engine and electric motor are capable of powering the Panamera S Hybrid either alone or together.
A decoupler, located between the engine and the electric motor, handles the seamless switch between the two.
The engine is switched off at “sailing” speeds of up to 165kph during highway stretches to save fuel. It isn’t much admittedly but the hybrid can save a little bit more petrol by cruising in pure electric mode for 2km and at speeds up to 85kph.
An E-power button on the centre console allows the car to maximise electric efficiency. Press it and this keeps the engine from firing up just a little bit longer.
All these technicalities translate into a car that can do the 0-100kph run in a quick six seconds, and achieve a top speed of 270kph.
The ride is refined on the standard air suspension with adjustable damping, while chassis balance is impressive to say the least. The typical Porsche sharpness and experience comes into play on activation of the Sport mode: things tighten up and body roll is minimised.
Push the car towards silly speeds and the engine starts to get noisome, intruding into the otherwise quiet and isolated interior.
The steering response is precise, exhibiting a high degree of straight-through feedback. Braking is competent, showing a progressive linearity in action.
This Panamera is not your regular hybrid wannabe. On top of achieving the highest fuel economy possible, it has to live up to the Porsche reputation for driver involvement and a highly evolved sporting dynamics.
Call it a softer Panamera if you will but this hybrid remains a Porsche of certain standing.