Highlights –
- Porsche will reveal the Mission S Concept on October 15 (October 16 in Australia).
- The teasers hint at a flat-8 engine and an 8,000rpm reline.
- The car is expected to preview a mid-engine super car above the 911.
What the teasers show –
One image shows a cooling fan that looks much like those in air-cooled Porsche racing engines. That has fueled talk of a flat-8, though Porsche has not confirmed any engine.
A video shows a hybrid physical-digital instrument cluster with the “Mission S” name under the tachometer. The display cycles through Park, Drive and first gear, and the needle sweeps up to an 8,000rpm reline. The gauges physically move, which suggests a moving-frame tachometer like the ones on a few performance Lexus models. The video has no engine sound.
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The Park and Drive indicators suggest an automatic gearbox. On a modern Porsche, that is likely to be a PD K dual-clutch unit. A manual could still appear on a production car, but nothing in the teasers points to one.
Design: what we can see –
- Rear: The spoiler appears to draw on the Porsche 959.
- Front: A third image shows a small part of the nose with the Porsche crest.
- Overall: Porsche has said the car is its “tribute to the sports car” and a nod to founder Ferry Porsche’s vision. The full design is still hidden.
Flat-8 and the S1 project: what is reported –
Reports say Porsche is working on a new flat-8 for its next halo model, code-named “S1”. German publication Handelsblatt reported this first. It would be the first flat-8 in a Porsche road car. The brand’s last flat-8 was in the 908 race car of the late 1960s.
Automotive News has also reported that the S1 could share its platform with the Lamborghini Temerario and the Audi Nuvolari. This would cut development cost and time. Porsche has traditionally built bespoke flagships, such as the 959, Cabrera GT and 918 Spyder.
Porsche has confirmed that it is developing a mid-engine super sports car platform for a model line above the 911. It has not confirmed that the Mission S will go into production.
What we don’t know yet –
- The engine, power and torque.
- Whether the concept becomes a production car, and when.
- The platform, dimensions and weight.
- The price. Reports suggest it could be under $600,000, but this is unconfirmed.
Our take –
Porsche has not built a proper mid-engine super car since the 918 Spyder, so the Mission S is a big moment for the brand. The company is also trying to improve its finances with a sports-car-led strategy, called “Sportwagenschmiede ‘35”. That includes a plan to focus on “value over volume”. A halo super car would fit that plan well. Whether it gets a flat-8 and a manual gearbox, and how it is priced, will decide how enthusiasts react.
The full reveal on October 15 should settle most of these questions.
Sources: Porsche teasers and statements, Handelsblatt and Automotive News reports, as summarized in the document you shared.
