I think this is a sort of marketing exercise by Porsche. They are desperate for sales and therefore are parading mules around with classic racing liveries to gain attention, and possibly more sales. The car does look phenomenal however, definetly some of Mauer's best work so far. I like the details on the 991 and 981, but they are just all pieced together really wrong, and look really weird and awkward compared to their predecessors, but everything about the 918 just looks "right".
As for price, yes, $850k is a massive amount, but I think for what you get (all the hybrid tech) it isn't too bad. Personally I all of the Hybrid stuff does nothing for me, but I can understand the price based on how much tech is in the car, and how much time they're spending developing it.
My best guess is Porsche will not sell 918, and I'm not sure if they will break even on their time and money investment in this car. But still best of luck to them for creating such a machine, and regardless of the price, I think the 918 is the beginning of a new era of supercars. Not a very good era I might add (TOO MUCH TECH), but that just makes the Carrera GT that much more special. I hope Porsche is smart enough to build that rumored 960 though. If they made it look like the 918, but ditched all the tech and put hydraulic steering and a manual in it, it could be one of the best Porsche ever.
And FWIW, I think part of the reason so many are shocked by the price is because of the fact how mainstream Porsche is getting, 850k seems like a lot. If this were a Pagani or a Ferrari I don't think there would be as much complaining, but whatever, the majority of us couldn't afford one even if it were $450k.