The Porsche Mission X has just debuted on the German automaker's 75th anniversary, marking an important milestone and foreshadowing what an electric supercar from the brand could be like.
Unlike the fabulous supercars that came before it like the 959, Carrera GT, and 918, the Mission X is fully electric. It's just a concept car for now, but if it made it to production, it would be Porsche's first electric supercar.
The Mission X debuted 75 years to the day after the very first Porsche-badged car got its operating permit for the road. The vision for the Mission X includes making it the fastest road-legal vehicle around the Nürburgring, having a very low power to weight ratio of just under 1 hp per kg, having more downforce than a 911 GT3 RS, and charging twice as quickly as the Taycan Turbo S.
The automaker calls the Mission X small by class standards, with an overall length of 4.5 metres and a wheelbase of 2.73 m. That's about a match for the Carrera GT and 918, so it's not going to be all that small if you're standing beside it.
Porsche has placed the battery directly behind the Mission X's seats, rather than under the floor. This isn't as good for weight distribution as mounting them below the occupants, but it is much better for overall vehicle height (keeping it to just 1.2 m) and for giving the driver and passenger space. The company likens it to a mid-engined car, and says the mid-mount battery helps deliver "excellent agility."
There are plenty of Le Mans-inspired design details in the Mission X, starting with the doors. The roof and a-pillar hinge mounts are similar to the ones found on Porsche's endurance racers through the years. Long, low, and slim headlights are another race car detail.
The cool doors of the Mission X with their massive windows are made from carbon fibre, and much of the chassis is made from the same lightweight composite. While the top of the car is finished in a Rocket Metallic colour designed just for the Mission X, the lower parts of the car show their carbon weave through a satin varnish.
Under that bubble of a roof is a cabin meant to be asymmetric. The point is to focus on the driver, which is why the left seat uses light grey and brown materials. The passenger seat is finished with a much darker material, and both seats have carbon shells and six-point seat belts.
The passenger gets a special stopwatch module that combines analogue and digital displays. There are also several cameras on board that can record video of the driver's laps and adventures.
Porsche hasn't committed yet to actually producing the Mission X, but the company has been working extensively on EVs including the replacement for the 718 sports car and Macan SUV. Those vehicles, along with Porsche's strong vision for the car and its history of ultra-fast performance machines, have us thinking we could see it on the road sooner rather than later.
