Designfax weekly eMagazine

Subscribe Today!

Archives

View Archives

Partners

Manufacturing Center
Product Spotlight

Modern Applications News
Metalworking Ideas For
Today's Job Shops

Tooling and Production
Strategies for large
metalworking plants

Porsche Mission X: Next-gen supercar concept

Porsche has created the one-off Mission X concept to gauge potential customer interest in the future of supercar offerings from the 75-year-old automaker. The evolution of the 959, the Carrera GT, and the 918 Spyder is an all-electric affair finished in Rocket Metallic that aims to be the fastest road-legal vehicle around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Details are scarce, but here is what we know so far.

Aims for the car are for it to have a power-to-weight ratio of roughly 1 hp per 2.2 lb, achieve downforce values that are well in excess of those delivered by the current 911 GT3 RS, and for it to offer significantly improved charging performance with its 900-V system architecture by charging roughly twice as quickly as the current Porsche frontrunner, the Taycan Turbo S.

The battery is installed centrally behind the vehicle's seats. Porsche says this "e-core layout" centers the mass in the car. As with a conventionally powered mid-engine car, this provides the basis for excellent agility.

Measuring approximately 177 in. long and 78.7 in. wide, the Mission X concept is a relatively compact hypercar. With a wheelbase of 107.4 in., Porsche says it has the dimensions of the Carrera GT and 918 Spyder. For aerodynamic purposes, the concept car has staggered tires, with 20-in. wheels at the front and 21-in. wheels at the rear.

The car has a sculpted form and muscular lines, but not that overly aggressively look of many competing hypercar designs. The low-slung body, which is less than 47.2 in. tall, is finished in an elegant paint color specially designed for the concept study. Design elements in carbon fiber with a satin finish are found below the beltline.

The wheels of the two-seater concept study feature elaborate details: The rear axle is fitted with almost transparent aero blades, which are designed like turbines for better brake cooling.

Immediately noticeable is the lightweight glass dome with an exoskeleton made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) that extends over both occupants. Le Mans-style doors are attached to the A-pillar and the roof, opening forward and upward. This type of door was previously used on the Porsche 917 racing car.

Another eye-catching element is the light signature. For the Mission X, the designers have reinterpreted the characteristic Porsche four-point graphic. The vertical base form of the headlights was inspired by historic racing cars such as the Porsche 906 and 908 and drawn well down toward the road. A high-tech support structure frames the LED light modules and presents the exposed narrow elements of daytime running lights and indicators. When activated, the light opens up like an eye blinking open.

The rear features a full-length floating light unit with transparent, illuminated Porsche lettering -- a standout element. The sculptural rear light emerges, as if suspended in the air, from a support structure and extends across the entire width of the vehicle in four segments. While charging, the "E" of the Porsche lettering pulses.

Inside, the driver focus can be seen in the asymmetry of the interior and its color concept. The two seats are colored differently. Apart from the leather pads in Andalusia Brown, the driver's seat is Kalahari Grey and forms a single unit of color with the center console and the dashboard. The passenger seat is in the contrasting Andalusia Brown shade.

Beyond the CFRP seat shells and their six-point seatbelts integrated into the monocoque, further motorsport parallels include the open-top steering wheel, which has mode switches and shift paddles. There are multiple cameras on board. Recording starts as soon as the driver presses the Record button (REC) on the multi-purpose trigger controller. Shifting is also done using this controller.

On the passenger side, there is a bayonet system embedded in the instrument panel to which a stopwatch module can be attached. For the Mission X, Porsche Design has created a special stopwatch module with an analog and digital display. The clocks are designed for both racetrack and rally use and can display the lap times or vital data of the driver, among other information.

Porsche has updated its logo, too, and the Mission X is the first car to wear the new badging, which features brushed precious metal, three-dimensional honeycomb details, a refreshed crest animal, and more subtle gold color.

Evolution of the Porsche crest. Latest is far right.

 

 

So what do you think so far? Does Porsche have a winner on their hands with the Mission X? Only time -- and customer input -- will determine if this design makes it to the finish line in the real world.

Source: Porsche

Published June 2023

Rate this article