Porsche was inspired by iconic race cars like the 906, 908, 917, and 919 when designing the Mission X Concept
September 29, 2023 at 07:58
The Porsche Mission X Concept is one of the most beautiful creations from the German brand in recent memory, built to preview an all-electric hypercar that will serve as the spiritual successor to the hybrid 918 Spyder. Quite often, it takes car manufacturers many years to bring vehicles like this into reality but in the case of the Mission X, the decision to build it was only made in mid-2022.
In creating the 918 Spyder’s successor, Porsche wanted to keep the proportions as compact as possible while ensuring that the concept had obvious motorsport heritage. Not only did Porsche take inspiration from other concepts and ideas it has explored over the last five years but it also referred to the 919 Hybrid and classic Le Mans race cars like the 917.
Some of these design elements are immediately identifiable. For example, the glass dome, butterfly doors, and the ‘Daytona’ windows take inspiration from the 917 while the headlights are reminiscent of those from the 906 and 908 race cars. Porsche’s designers also spent considerable time crafting smooth and clean surfaces across the exterior. They even went to the trouble of adding functional lights, light strips, ‘E’ lettering, and a start-up button in the interior that pulses when the car is charging.
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Read: New Porsche Mission X Is An Electric Hypercar Concept Charging For ’Ring Record Glory
Interestingly, Porsche says it decided against giving the Mission X Concept an interior that looks like it has been lifted directly from a race car. As such, it eschews the Alcantara that’s popular in vehicles like this in favor of leather and contrasting fabrics.
A lot of work lies ahead of Porsche in bringing the Mission X to production, including improvements in its aerodynamics.
“We still need to work on the aerodynamics,” Porsche head of design Michael Mauer says. “We need to optimize the body to make it the fastest street-legal car on Nürburgring Nordschleife. There will be hundreds of hours of fine-tuning in the wind tunnel. The front of the car, including the headlights, is very advanced aesthetically, and even the interior is feasible with very little modification.”
Porsche has not yet confirmed when the Mission X-based production car will hit the market.