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Porsche unveils first ever hybrid

The 1900 Semper Vivus will be one of Porsche's stars at the Geneva Motor Show.

Porsche has faithfully recreated the world's first working full hybrid car, designed and built by eponymous Porsche founder Ferdinand.

Called the Semper Vivus, which means 'always alive' in somewhere that doesn't speak English, it was designed in 1900.

That means it arrived a full 97 years before the Toyota Prius. The thing is, back in the early 20th century, petrol was a lot cheaper, so it was easier to sell regular internal combustion cars. Hybrid fell by the wayside.

Little is known about the Semper, which will star alongside Porsche's latest hybrid, the recently unveiled Panamera S, but we'll presumably find out more in Geneva. It gets its first outing there, before going on to its resting place at the Porsche Museum.

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Published on February 28, 2011