Porsche
Porsche unveiled the Mission S concept in New York City on Thursday, a "forward-looking vision model" that previewing its new design identity and a new mid-engine supercar that will sit above the 911 in the lineup. The German automaker is hoping that timeless design and returning to its driving-focused route will carve a path to a financially successful future. The upcoming production supercar won't be built in a limited run, but will be part of the regular Porsche lineup that's available to customers.
The Mission S is more of a statement of intent than a typical concept car. From the exterior bodywork to the interior's layout and materials, it would be easy to mistake this machine for an actual production supercar sitting on display at an auto show. That said, Porsche didn't elaborate on what kind of engine was sitting in the compartment behind the driver (though all signs point to it using a flat-8 engine with some sort of hybrid system).
Porsche
In the press release, Porsche Chairman and CEO Dr. Michael Leiters said, "The Mission S provides a glimpse of the ideas and design features that will shape Porsche in the coming years. At the same time, the Mission S represents a mid-engined super sports car platform positioned above the 911 – not as a one-off hypercar, but as a permanent and versatile addition to our customer offering."
A rolling homage to Porsche's design history
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While the Mission S is about the future, Porsche was thorough in covering the design with as many nods to its past as possible. The supercar itself was unveiled on the same Queens pier as the 550 Spyder in 1953. Leiters stated, "a Porsche must be recognizable as a Porsche at first glance." Designers were able to create a striking silhouette with clean lines integrating both front and rear light signatures without reinventing the wheel. Like any good Porsche, the Mission S features the round headlights, torpedo fenders and sleek roofline that every 911 has sported since time immemorial.
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Most of the references on the Mission S are to the supercars of Porsche's past. Its flat front and car-in-car rear are supposed to be reminiscent of the 911 GT1 road-going race car. The roofline leading to the active rear wing was heavily influenced by the 959. As a nod to another sports prototype, designers were inspired by the 917's radiator fan to create a fan-fitted cooling system for the Mission S. Porsche's motorsport history even oozed itself into the interior of the displayed Mission S show car sporting familiar tones of white, gray and red.
The interior is focused on driving, not displays
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Continuing the timeless theme, the Mission S won't look like an Apple-designed spaceship when you step inside. Porsche deliberately aimed to keep the number of digital displays at a bare minimum. There is no center or passenger display. To use the automaker's words, Porsche "aimed to create an ideal symbiosis of analogue and digital controls." Designers opted to install a retractable MagSafe-compatible smartphone system, with the phone serving as the information and navigation display. At this point, anyone buying a supercar always has a display just sitting in their pocket, which occasionally slips out and falls under the seat. It's an intuitive solution to ensure that the platform isn't fitted with screens that will age like milk.
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On the analogue side of the symbiosis, the Mission S features a cluster of five round gauges positioned in front of a digital display behind the steering wheel. Porsche emphasized that the tachometer is fitted with a physical needle. The combination cluster-display will move closer to the driver depending on the driving mode, presumably getting closer in any sport or track mode to make it easier to view at a glance. There are also new push-pull control elements embedded directly into the dashboard. With the driver actually being at the center of the driving experience, anyone behind the wheel has the control to make the changes they want without turning their head away from the road.
It's thrilling to see Porsche developing a supercar to permanently add to its lineup, and it will be even more exciting to see how design elements from the Mission S are incorporated into the automaker's other upcoming models, especially the 718. Despite everything, I'm still willing to go out on a limb and say that the next Macan will have a dedicated center display.