The Porsche Mission X Concept Is the 918 Successor You've Been Waiting For

• The Porsche Mission X has a mission: to be the fastest road-going car around the Nürburgring.
• Facts and figures are scarce on this all-electric hypercar concept.
• Porsche says the hypercar will have a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio, something never done in an electric car.

Right now, this is just a concept car. But give it a little time, and the Porsche Mission X will likely morph into the brand’s new halo car — you can bet your 918 Spyder on it. It features a super efficient electric powertrain and Le Mans-style doors, and Porsche claims it will be the fastest road-legal car around the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife. We just hope Porsche actually comes through and builds this dream machine like it did with the original 918 Spyder concept.

However, unlike the 918, the Mission X is fully electric (similar to the the brand’s previous Mission R concept). Of course, because this is a concept, Porsche doesn’t have to bother with physical limitations just yet — it claims a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio, at least in PS, not American horsepower. Supposing that comes to fruition, Koenigsegg’s One:1 will have been “One:upped.” The car is low, too, thanks to the eschewing of the long-standing skateboard layout for EVs. Instead, batteries are mounted behind the seats, à la mid-engine supercar.

Thankfully, some numbers have been supplied. Downforce figures for the Le Mans racer-inspired Mission X are “well in excess” of 1,900 pounds. That’s more than the current GT3 RS by a good margin, and Porsche uses car that as a yardstick here. The car will be small as well. It’s just 4 feet tall. With Hobbit height and Carrera GT width and wheelbase (Porsche says 6 feet and 9 feet, respectively), the little car’s wheelbase is no bigger than your average Subaru Crosstrek's. For aerodynamic purposes, the wheel size is staggered — 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear. These have focused aeroblades to help cool what will surely be huge carbon-ceramic brakes.

That’s where the numbers end, unfortunately. But there’s much more to unpack, especially from an aesthetic standpoint. If you’re a motorsports fan, the car will look familiar. The upward-hinged Le Mans-style doors are an obvious giveaway that Porsche has taken great care to model the Mission X after its racing cars (and to ensure no one over the age of 50 will have an easy time getting into one). The forward lighting signature says “I’m a race car” too, and it's a slightly different take on the brand’s recent four-dot lighting signature.

Stuttgart makes judicious use of carbon fiber, both for aesthetics and for performance. How much of the stuff is used is, again, a mystery. Lots, we’ll assume. The seats are carbon, as is much the bodywork below the car’s beltline. Given the motorsports flair, we’re betting on a carbon-infused chassis of some kind.

Inside, things are categorically different from any road-going P car that’s come before. That is the point of a concept, after all. Those carbon-fiber seats are both tight and light, and the steering wheel is pure motorsport. If you’re going to have a yoke-style wheel in your car, this is certainly the way to do it.

Curiously, the back of the wheel features paddles, which may be for a number of EV-specific settings like brake regen. Likely, many of the other switches are for settings just as nerdy as that. The new GT3 RS lets you use DRS (drag reduction system), adjust damper values and more, so why not this? There’s even a removable stopwatch so your buddies can time your lap at Spa from the passenger seat — supposing they’re not too busy screaming, crying and vomiting.

Today’s date for the unveiling is significant as well. It’s the official kickoff for Porsche's 75th-anniversary celebrations. 75 years ago today, the brand’s 356 Roadster received its road permissions. It was the first car to ever don the Porsche crest. Speaking of, this is now the first car to receive Porsche’s updated logo, though you’ll be hard-pressed to spot said updates. While this is a concept, we’re sure the Mission X will reach production in some form. How long might that take? You’d have to be either a sage or Porsche CEO Oliver Blume, and the latter won’t be giving up any info yet.

Edmunds says

Now this is cool. Sure, it’s an electric car and not one with the heart of a Le Mans Hypercar, but it absolutely looks the part. And if it really does claim the Nürburgring lap record, it will certainly go the way a hypercar should too.