Porsche has finally and officially announced that the 918 Hybrid Spyder will be up for booking. This is very different from the 918 RSR, as this will be road legal. What’s so special about this Spyder? Well, it’s a plug-in hybrid vehicle that will boast over 500 ponies running for you with its 4-Litre V8 engine and two electric motors capable of a combined 218 ponies while you hug the world’s tree in green style.

Porsche says the hybrid powertrain will consume a mere 3 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres – or around 78 mpg. The German automaker hasn’t released any fuel economy estimates based on U.S. testing standards, though EPA figures are said to be on the way. Look for the gas-electric Porsche supercar to touch down on U.S. soil by late 2013.

Of course, I’d expect the queue to be full by now. The automaker says that it’s only planning to build 918 examples of the vehicle and that each of them will carry a lofty price tag of $845,000 EXCLUDING destination and handling.

That’s a lot of money there for a Hybrid vehicle, but with an electric motor at each axle, the 918 Spyder is projected to be able to launch to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds. Top speed is said to be 199 mph (320kph), and Porsche believes that under the right conditions, the 918 will be able to drive on pure-electric power at speeds of up to 94 mph (151kph), which should be more than enough for your daily driving.

However, queuing up in a Porsche authorize dealer outlet is not going to be the only thing that you’ll need to do. Once you’ve gotten over that little hurdle, you’ll need to find a Porsche dealer authorized to sell the 918 to you happily, because things aren’t actually that simple here.

According to Porsche, you can buy a 918 Spyder from any Porsche dealer anywhere in the world, provided they’ve signed a participation agreement with Porsche. Details are few and far between on what that agreement entails. What Porsche is saying, though, is how dealers who sign the agreement will order their cars.

Dealers who want to place an order for a 918 will have to submit an “Allocation Request Form.” Porsche will reply with an “Allocation Response Form,” which tells the dealer whether there’s a car available for them. Once that’s done, the dealer submits an order form, along with a $200,000 down payment. Porsche will respond with a confirmation and an estimated month for production.

The next step is another $200,000 deposit 12 months before the production date. The balance – $445,000 plus shipping, if you’re counting – is due when Porsche says the car is done. Porsche says the car will not be shipped until it has been paid for in full. The reason, apparently, is that it won’t be building any of the hyper-expensive 918s on speculation, and that each car needs to have an owner before it is built.

That’s right boys and girls. No test drive, no viewing, and just so complicated. Just dump your money there and sit quietly at the corner until Porsche calls up your name. Though, I don’t think any of the potential owners will have anything to say about that, since you should be very much loaded to be able to pay in cash for a car that cost nearly a million dollar.