Everything you need to know about the striking new Porsche Mission X concept
This is the new Porsche Mission X, a striking new electric concept car, which marks the German marque's 75th Anniversary and previews a potential EV successor to the seminal Porsche 918 Spyder.
A bit of history
Porsche launched its 918 Spyder hyper car in 2018 as a rival to the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari. Arriving as a plug-in hybrid, the 918 had a combined output of 652kW and 944lb ft of toruqe, helping it sprint from 0-62mph in just 2.7sec. Production for the brand's halo sports car ended in 2015.
Tell me more about the new hyper EV
Primed to fill the gap left by the 918 Spyder, the Mission X concept has been designed as a two-seater sports car which is said to use a 1118kW (1500bhp) all-electric powertrain. Porsche has not revealed the technical details for the Mission X, instead sharing a number of objectives the new hyper EV must hit in order to reach production.
A key objective for the German brand's concept EV is to become the fastest road-legal car to lap the storied Nürburgring Nordschleife. The record is currently held by the F1-inspired AMG One hypercar, which completed the 12.94-mile circuit in 6min 35.18sec.
The Mission X design
The low-slung concept features a lightweight glass-dome with a carbon-fibre reinforced plastic exoskeleton that extends over both seats. Porsche says its new concept represents "the pinnacle of performance and modern luxury", with much of the exterior silhouette inspired by the firm's Le Mans racing machines.
The Mission X design
Up front the Mission X gets a reworked version of Porsche's 'four-point' light signature, with the vertical lights inspired by the Porsche 906 and 908 historic racing cars. At the rear, a full-length light unit has been designed to 'float', and features transparent, illuminated Porsche lettering.
How big is it?
Measuring 4500mm long and with a 2730mm wheelbase, the Mission X is similar in size to the 918 Spyder and Carrera GT. At 1200mm tall, the machine has been designed to be relatively compact – like the halo models of yore – and sits on 20in wheels at the front and 21in wheels at the rear, a move to further aid aerodynamics.
It's a stunning looking concept, but what about the interior?
It's not just the exterior design that's bold. Inside, the Mission X gets a motorsport-style layout and features different colours for the two seats. The sculpted racing seats get six-point harnesses, and there is a smaller, motorsport-inspired steering wheel with mode switches and shift paddles.
Any cool tech we should know about?
Porsche has equipped its new concept with a number of built-in cameras, which can be activated using the Record button on the multi-purpose controller; we should get some great shots of the brand's Nürburgring lap record attempts at least.
When will the Mission X hit the road?
While the brand has launched the Mission X to celebrate the brand's 75th Anniversary, a production version of the hyper EV is unlikely to arrive before 2027 based on timelines for previous electric models. The Mission E, for example, was first shown in 2015 and previewed the Porsche Taycan which went on sale four years later.
