The new Porsche Mission S previews a new mid-engined flagship positioned above the 911 – but it is also a first look at the future styling direction of the firm under Tobias Sühlmann.
The 46-year-old joined Porsche in February this year, after previously serving as design chief for McLaren, and has been taksed by new CEO Michael Leiters with developing a new direction for the brand.
As he did as McLaren, Sühlmann's first task at Porsche was to delve into the brand's history, to identify the key elements that he would use on future model. So don't expect a revolution: as his boss Leiters has said "a Porsche must be recognisable as a Porsche at first glance."
Those are now seen in the Mission S, although it isn't just a design study: Porsche is working on a platform for a new mid-engined supercar that will sit above the 911.
The exterior of the Mission S focuses on a 'purist' design language, with torpedo fenders, a sloping roofline and a width-to-height ratio that will be seen on future Porsche sports cars (Sühlmann likens sports cars, SUVs and saloons to three different athletes, so the common elements will take different forms for each). Inside, the interior is notably driver focused, and largely devoid of touchscreens.
The Mission S also contains numerous callbacks to classic Porsches such as the 911 GT1, Carrera GT, 550 Spyder, 356, 917 and 928, showing that Sühlmann isn't going to abandon the firm's roots. This isn't outright retro design like some of the models at the recent Paris motor show, but it's all done with immense respect for the past.
Autocar sat down with Sühlmann ahead of the reveal of the Mission S to get the inside line on what it means for Porsche's future. Here's what he had to say...
Q&A: Tobias Sühlmann
The Mission S is your first Porsche, but it features elements from the Carrera GT and the 918…
“This is exactly the point. We are true to our brand and we’re true to our heritage. We’re not denying our heritage: we are building on it. We are race-born and we learn every time a car races somewhere around the world, and bring that back into our road cars.
“There’s a loop and it’s important to show continuity: in a world that’s changing so quickly, Porsche is a brand that is authentic, and consequent, doing things that are timeless, making timeless products that you’ll look at in 10 or 20 years and think it’s a good-looking car.
“If I see a 928, there are so many timeless things I love. This is what we need to create. It’s very important for me in car design that something is beautiful. Why can’t we do beautiful cars any more? They’re always different for the sake of being different. We want to create beautiful cars with emotion and passion, and something you want to touch and drive.”
How do you marry that with the needs of engineers?
“Form and function go together. I’ll sit down with the engineering team to find solutions. Like ‘where is the radiator and where can we place this?’ Or ‘I want to have more tensions here and bring the shoulders out more – what does that do to the aerodynamics?’
“It’s the same for the interior. We work out how much analogue and digital elements we need and play with that. If I have a screen, how big does it need to be for a car I drive more on track? What do I really need in the car and what do I not need?”
At some point you’ll have to design the next 911. Is that exciting or terrifying?
“It’s exciting. My first Porsche after I finished studying was a 996. It was the Porsche I could afford and I loved it. It was a 3.4-litre, black on black, and when you revved it over 5000rpm, the engine would come up and the car would come to life. That was a goosebump moment for me.
“For me, the 911 is an icon in the car design world. And to create the next one is the greatest opportunity. You have to respect the past. I cannot throw out the concept and say: ‘Let’s make everything new.’ It’s like a chef in the kitchen: you have to fine-tune it and put enough salt and enough ingredients to it that it’s spicy enough, but not too spicy.”
Several brands are removing fussy elements from their cars and embracing cleanliness in design. Do you think that’s a trend we’re in?
“We’re not a trendy brand. So, we are modern but we’re not fashionable. When you think of a watch, you picture something that is timeless. That’s how I see Porsche. We can’t run after every trend – we are long-lasting. So we need technology in our cars, but in a lasting way. When you think of a Carrera GT, you don’t see a screen, and the interior looks timeless.
“We need to think of technology in the future: what makes sense for us and what doesn’t? Cleanliness is also timeless. You don’t want to add surfaces just to be fashionable. Porsche is always something that sits there, and you think: ‘It’s beautiful. I want to drive it.’”