Mission X celebrates Porsche’s 75th anniversary

09 June 2023

Porsche just gave itself the best birthday present ever - what better way to celebrate its 75th anniversary than with an outrageous, all-electric prototype that previews the future? Meet Porsche Mission X, a dramatic 2-seat only, all-electric hypercar that wants to be the fastest around the notorious Nordschleife.

When the Porsche 918 Spyder first saw the light of day - it was outrageous. It was ahead of its time, it broke the rules, and it barely retained the Porsche’s traditional looks. Mision X follows the same recipe - it wouldn’t look out of place in Horacio Pagani’s portfolio or at the start of the Le Mans 24.

At only 177.2 inches it is 18.11 inches shorter than the Porsche Taycan but is almost the same size as the current 911. It has a nearly 11.8 inches longer wheelbase though, and is only 47.2 inches tall - those are nearly the dimensions of the Porsche 918 Spyder, and that’s no coincidence. The staggered wheels setup - 20” front and 21” rear - helps in the aerodynamics department.

The Mission X is full of design nuggets - its doors open upwards and to the front just as the doors on the legendary Porsche 917 did. Porsche’s 4-point light signature has been updated, and the vertical LED modules hide behind a cover that opens up when the lights are activated in a movement reminiscent of a blinking eye - pointless, overengineered, and marvelous at the same time.

Another marvelous easter egg hides in the Porsche lettering at the back of the Mission X. Plug this futuristic hypercar in to replenish its battery, and the letter E will glow up and pulsate like a heartbeat of a sleeping dragon. Porsche engineers have a very specific view of what makes the car cool - and they are absolutely correct.

Interior of the Mission X is an incredible portal into the future. Seats that are part of the carbon fiber monocoque, F1-derived steering with a multitude of switches - everything that the driver needs is within a hand’s reach, and there’s nothing to distract from driving. The passenger has a stopwatch module right in front of them - designed to blend the analog and digital displays to record lap times and display all vital data.

There’s a purpose for the Mission X, and it is far bigger than just celebrating Porsche’s 75th anniversary. Mission X has been designed to match the motorsport golden ratio of power to weight - 1 PS per kg. That’s roughly 0.98 hp per kg. Although the company hasn’t disclosed the power numbers - they are easy to guess thanks to Porsche’s target to keep the weight of the Mission X below 3,307 lb.

Porsche Mission X will have between 1,400 hp and 1,500 hp output - that’s nearly twice as much as the 918 Spyder had back in 2013 when it became the first road-legal car to break the 7-minute barrier at Nürburgring. Its battery will be built using the much improved 900 Volt architecture. The company claims the hypercar will charge twice as fast as the current Tycan Turbo S, meaning 10 to 80% SoC in 10 minutes. Those are awfully specific numbers for a prototype - is Porsche thinking about bringing the Mission X to life?

Well, the secret hides in plain sight - according to Porshe’s official statement, “Should the Mission X go into series production, it will be the fastest road-legal vehicle on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.” The “should” part depends on the interest of potential customers, and apparently, the checkbooks are making so much noise already, Porsche planners can’t get any sleep tonight.

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