Get a load of this one, guys. It’s Porsche’s new dream machine called the Mission X. At this stage it is just a concept but the company describes it as a “beacon for the sports car of the future”.
Porsche unveiled the Mission X concept this week, as part of the ’75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars’ exhibition being held at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. On June 8, 1948 – 75 years ago – Porsche debuted its ‘No.1’ Roadster, which was the first car in history to wear a Porsche badge.
The Mission X is obviously quite different to that original model. But it does build on a long line of legendary and pioneering models, such as the 959, the Carrera GT, and the 918 Spyder. It stands 4.5 metres long and about two metres wide, which isn’t that large for a hypercar, particularly the length.
Being a smallish sports car is true to the company’s heritage, with 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels cementing the hypercar look. At the front is an extremely low and deep splitter system, not too dissimilar to what you’ll find on an actual race car, while the long and protruding rear haunches are textbook hypercar stuff.
Zooming in on the detail, the rear wheels feature special aero blades that are almost transparent, and designed like turbines to help cool the brakes. The low body, mostly made from carbon fire and standing just 1.2 metres tall, becomes a showpiece when the extravagant butterfly doors are opened upward, and it’s all coated in a bespoke paint called Rocket Metallic.
Now for the exciting part, Porsche specifically says if a production version is made it should “be the fastest road-legal vehicle around the Nurburgring” as well as offer more aero downforce than the GT3 RS, and feature a 900-volt electrical system that charges up in twice the speed of the Taycan Turbo S.
This all means that yes, the Mission X is an electric vehicle. Strangely, Porsche hasn’t actually mentioned any specifications or power figures. However, another vision for the production version is for it to offer a power-to-weight ratio of 1PS:1kg. So if it weighs 1500kg, for example, it’ll produce 1500PS (1103kW).
So, will it go into production? We think it will. After all, it is electric and that’s an important focus for almost all automotive brands at the moment.
Secondly, Porsche rarely builds a concept car for no reason; the Taycan was originally pitched as the Mission E concept and then it arrived in showrooms with a pretty similar design. Michael Mauer, head of style Porsche, said:
“The Mission X is a clear commitment to the core of the brand. The continuing, enhanced expression of our brand and product identity is an important compass for us to navigate the development of our series-production models. The concept study symbolises a symbiosis of unmistakable motorsport DNA with a luxurious overall impression.”
We assume the concept will be on display at the Porsche Museum for the celebratory exhibition, and it’ll probably do the rounds in various media and event showcases at some point.
