Porsche is heading into Ferrari territory with plans for a new mid-engined super sports car to sit above the 911. Rather than building a one-off hypercar, which has traditionally been Porsche’s style, the company wants to make this a permanent part of its line-up, with the newly revealed Mission S concept giving us a first look at the German brand’s thinking.
“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,” confirmed Porsche boss Michael Leiters.
The new platform is being developed with flexibility in mind, drawing on Porsche’s motorsport experience. The Mission S itself is a design preview, not a finished production model, and its influence is intended to extend to the rest of the Porsche range, not just the new super sports car. Leiters said, “The Mission S provides a glimpse of the ideas and design features that will shape Porsche in the coming years.”
For the reveal, Porsche followed Jaguar’s lead and went to New York, choosing a pier in Queens with Manhattan providing the backdrop. It’s the same spot where pictures of the mid-engined 550 Spyder were taken in 1953, helping introduce that car to a wider audience. Porsche describes the 550 as its first super sports car, a model that helped establish its identity and its success in America.
There’s plenty more family history in the Mission S itself, with Porsche’s aim being to carry its familiar styling into future models rather than start again with a completely different look. The round headlights and raised front wings take their lead from the 911, while the low nose draws on the GT1. The roofline running beneath the rear wing borrows from the 959, although here it continues right through to the back of the car. Body-panel joins have also been worked into the lighting shapes, a nod to the G-model 911.
A line running around the body connects the front and rear lights, with the areas below it revealing more of the car’s working parts. The centrally positioned engine helps shape the proportions, while an active rear wing is built into the body. Even the cooling arrangement has a historical reference, echoing the 917’s fan, while the lightweight wheel design takes inspiration from the 928.
Inside, Porsche has taken a step away from filling the dashboard with screens. There’s no permanently fitted central display or fixed passenger screen, with the focus instead on controls arranged around the driver. The cabin draws on the 550 Spyder and 356, using lines across the dashboard and doors to create the feeling of sitting deep within the car, while physical switches and buttons sit alongside digital displays.
The usual five round instruments behind the steering wheel aren’t quite as traditional as they first appear, either. The central rev counter combines a real needle with a display behind it and can shift closer to the driver depending on the driving mode. The moving dials can also rearrange themselves, sitting alongside one another or going into positions behind each other to suit the mode selected.
For navigation and other information, there’s a retractable smartphone holder compatible with MagSafe technology. Rather than relying on a built-in central screen, drivers can use their own phone when needed, with the My Porsche app providing access to the car’s functions. It also lets them choose instrument designs inspired by historic Porsches, bringing another bit of the back catalogue into the cabin.
Other details include a key holder to the left of the steering wheel, push-pull dashboard controls for comfort and driving functions, and a redesigned Sport Chrono unit combining analogue and digital elements. The seats get a seatbelt buckle integrated into the centre panel and repositioned electric adjustment controls, while white, grey and red tones draw on Porsche’s racing colours.
Although the Mission S remains a concept, Porsche is making clear that its influence won’t stop there. Tobias Sühlmann, head of Style Porsche, said, “This vision model illustrates a fundamental strategic direction that we will soon be translating into our future product portfolio.”
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