Every 10 years, Porsche tries its hand at the supercar, which was the case with the Carrera GT in 2003 and the 918 Spyder hybrid in 2013. Even if in 1985 the 959 had also been a first attempt at the exception, it was the youngest who clearly determined the main lines of a super sports car with a mid-rear engine. An unmistakable sign, the hinged doors on the transparent roof and the windshield pillar, as on the mythical 917, open like a scissor above the sidepods and the 20-inch wheels at the front climb to 21 inches at the back.
After the 959, the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was the occasion to lay, a decade later, the foundations of the new Porsche supercar. A car that will also mark the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of Porsche. It goes without saying that first with a heat engine and then a hybrid engine, it was inevitable to end up with all-electric traction on the latest addition.
At this stage, Porsche is still very secret about the technical architecture and the number of engines used. However, its wheelbase of 2.73 m can accommodate a battery with substantial capacity which is installed in the rear central position just behind the seats. In the absence of V8 or V10, here is a detail favorable to the centering of the masses. Each undercarriage will certainly have its own motors, the power output of which is unknown. Just Porsche delivers an indiscretion, the power-to-weight ratio will be one kilo per horsepower.
A ratio of Formula 1 or sports prototype, but which bodes, on a road car weighing certainly more than 1.6 t, of monstrous power. Because the weight of the batteries does not allow optimized lightening even if the use of full carbon for the hull and the bodywork must partially compensate. Another indiscretion, the electrical architecture of the Mission X and equipped with a network of 900 volts which will allow recharges twice as fast compared to a Taycan Turbo S, that is to say a little higher than a quarter of ‘hour.
We will notice in our photos a brand new style, favoring the curves at the edges which have largely fueled the design of recent cars. Porsche seems to be pointing in a completely different direction, but it’s the purity of the Mission X’s lines that leaves you wondering. The Porsche four-point lights are suspended at the rear on an attached structure, while the brand’s lettering switches to night lighting. We also observe the absence of a visible spoiler at the rear, but a mobile device will surely deploy with the increase in speed.
In this regard, Porsche has taken up a major challenge by recovering the lap record on the Nürburgring road circuit which serves as an absolute reference. This is currently held by the Mercedes AMG One and Porsche announces the color with a timing system installed on the dashboard facing the passenger. Note also the shape of the handlebar steering wheel in the manner of Formula 1, barred by immediate control buttons. Shorter, wider and taller than the 918 Spyder, the Mission X is invested as its name suggests, but will also certainly be a prelude to its road version as was the case before it with the Mission E, giving birth in the Taycan.