In the wake of the Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid's surprise launch at the 2010 Geneva auto show, Porsche made little secret of its plans to put the car into production. In fact, Porsche’s erstwhile R and D chief, Wolfgang Dürheimer—who now heads Bentley and Bugatti—personally handed this writer a form to sign up and register his interest in the car. I declined the offer, but others didn't, and official production plans were confirmed last summer thanks to “outstanding customer response.” Now, we have a price: a cool $845,000, not including destination and handling. (We suspect the destination charge will affect few people’s purchasing plans.)

Additionally, Porsche has confirmed many of our suspicions. The 918 Spyder will be powered by a mid-mounted V-8 displacing “more than four liters”—as opposed to the concept’s racing-derived 3.4-liter engine—making “at least 500 hp.” Output from the car’s two electric motors also will stay close to the first concept’s, at “approximately 218 hp.” The performance targets are lofty: 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, a top speed of 199 mph, and a Nürburgring lap time of 7 minutes and 30 seconds, beating the legendary Carrera GT by two seconds.

Little Changed From the (First) Concept

Like the first 918 concept (and unlike the second, which appeared at this year’s Detroit auto show press days but departed before the show opened to the public), the production car will have one electric motor at the front axle and one at the rear. The gas engine will drive only the rear wheels, but the electric motors will turn the 918 into an all-wheel-drive car. Feeding electrons to those motors will be a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack. While Porsche isn’t sharing much in the way of specifications on the pack, it has said that the production car will have an electric-only range of “more than 16 miles,” during which its top speed will be 94 mph. Fully charging the pack will take about seven hours on a 110-volt circuit, although a quick-charge option is likely. The gas engine will of course ensure that the car can be driven—quickly—regardless of state of charge. Fuel consumption will be rated around 78 mpg in the European combined cycle, which includes some driving on batteries only.

The compact V-8 will be derived from the RS Spyder race car’s engine. It will sit directly behind the passenger compartment and be paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The car will use a carbon-fiber monocoque, and will have a manually removable top that can be stored in the front trunk. Stylistically, it will be very close to the Geneva concept.

Production of the 918 Spyder starts on September 18, 2013. (9-18, get it? Given Porsche’s obsession with numerology, we expect the first chassis will begin down the line at 9:18 a.m.) And the total production run will be limited to—you guessed it—918 units. You can place your order now.