Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova recently signed on as a Porsche brand ambassador, and it turns out that job comes with a few perks. The tennis star got a ride in a Porsche 918 Spyder, driven by Formula One star Mark Webber. Talk about star power.

Unsurprisingly, Sharapova enjoyed her ride, although she said the 918 is probably out of her price range. With a price tag of around $845,000 and a production run of just 918 units, Porsche's plug-in hybrid flagship isn't exactly an impulse buy.

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Sharapova is no stranger to Porsches, though. Before becoming a brand ambassador, she won a white 911 S Cabriolet as part of the prize of a Porsche-sponsored match in Stuttgart, Germany. She also has a custom Panamera which she helped design.

The 918, meanwhile, is a little more intense than a 911 Cabriolet or Panamera. A plug-in hybrid powertrain built around a 4.6-liter V-8 engine produces 887 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque, yielding a car that will do 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, but also return 67 MPGe combined in hybrid mode.

Even without any electric assistance, the V-8 will achieve a still-respectable 22 mpg. The 918 can also drive on electric power for up to 12 miles at speeds of up to 93 mph.

For more on the Porsche 918 Spyder, check out our first drive review.

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