Porsche Mission X unveiled: new electric hypercar concept
The Porsche Mission X concept could pave the way for a new flagship Porsche EV
Porsche’s history of range-topping hypercars really consists of three models - the 959, the Carrera GT and the 918 Spyder. Now, a new concept has just been revealed which could become the fourth instalment - the all-electric Porsche Mission X.
The date chosen for the Mission X’s reveal certainly is a special one for Porsche - exactly 75 years on from the first 356 ‘No. 1’ Roadster hitting the public road. Porsche says the Mission X is just a concept car for now, but also notes that its concept cars “have always laid the groundwork for the future”.
A sleek two-seater, the Mission X sits around 4.5 metres long and two metres wide with a wheelbase of 2.73 metres - making it comparable in size to the Carrera GT and 918 Spyder.
The body is designed for downforce with Porsche aiming for figures beyond those of the current 911 GT3 RS. Although no powertrain information has been revealed for the Mission X, Porsche says it is aiming for a power-to-weight ratio of 1bhp per kilo.
Charging speed should be improved over the Taycan Turbo S with a 900-volt system and while Porsche hasn’t disclosed the battery size, the unit itself will sit behind the seats. As you’d expect, there’s extensive use of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic in the body to reduce weight.
There are references to historic Porsche models all around the Mission X concept. Launching the car on the eve of Le Mans 24h race weekend 2023, Porsche has included a timely nod to its 917 with the doors fixed on the A-pillar to open forwards and upwards just like the famous Le Mans racer. Further design elements such as the vertical base form of the headlights were inspired by other Porsche racing cars, namely the 906 and 908.
The headlights themselves open up when activated "like an eye blinking open", according to Porsche. To the rear, there’s a full-length brake light, a design trait now common among modern Porsches. The Mission X also features Porsche’s new logo. The new badge, not hugely dissimilar to the old one, took three years to complete and sits on the bonnet, steering wheel and in the centres of the wheels, which measure 20-inches up front and 21-inch to the rear.
As for the interior, the leather upholstery is finished in Andalusia Brown combined with Kalahari Grey. Occupants are held in via carbon-fibre seats and six-point harnesses, while the steering wheel is a racing-inspired ‘open-top’ design with mode switches and shift paddles.
Porsche Chairman, Oliver Blume spoke on the new concept car, “The Porsche Mission X is a technology beacon for the sports car of the future. It picks up the torch of iconic sports cars of decades past: like the 959, the Carrera GT and the 918 Spyder before it.”
Porsche says that if it brings the Mission X to production, it will aim to make it the fastest production car to lap the Nurburgring, beating not just Tesla’s EV record set with the Model S Plaid but the outright production car record of the Mercedes-AMG One as well.
This isn’t the first time Porsche has used the ‘Mission’ name for a concept. The 2015 Mission E concept car laid the ground for the Taycan and in 2021 we saw what the firm could achieve with a racing electric car in the shape of the Mission R.
We don’t expect a production version of the Mission X for a while, however. The next pure-electric Porsches will be the Macan EV in 2024 and then the Cayman EV but you can take this concept as confirmation that something very special is in the works.
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