Porsche will be getting serious about internal combustion performance in the near future, and one element of its plan is a new flagship supercar that will sit above the 911 in its product lineup. Now, we have an idea of when to expect such a thing, as the automaker put a countdown clock on a microsite for the so-called Mission S, a mid-engined “tribute to the sports car.”
And as we learned earlier today, the Mission S will almost certainly be a pure-combustion offering, ditching the plug-in hybrid power of its 918 Spyder predecessor (as well as the distantly related Lamborghini Temerario and Audi Nuvolari).
Porsche Mission S TeaserPorsche
Don’t Call It A Boxster Or Cayman
Porsche tends to be fairly protective of the 911 insofar as performance and prestige are concerned, ensuring that it’s always more powerful, faster, and more expensive than the Boxster, for example. But the automaker occasionally lets its product planning and engineering teams off the leash, which in the past has resulted in some supercar greats like the Carrera GT and 918 Spyder.
We suspect the Mission S will follow in their footsteps, riding on its own unique platform that’s unrelated to the mid-engined architecture of the bygone 718 Cayman while still retaining that configuration. Expect it to resemble the similarly named (but otherwise unrelated) Mission X concept that’s been given the axe, with a long, flowing rear deck plainly visible in the teaser video below.
How Much Will The Mission S Cost?
Given Porsche’s own messaging that the new flagship is “driven by the love of sports cars,” we hope the Mission S will be more attainable than the $440,000 Carrera GT (in 2004!) or the $845,000 918 Spyder from a decade ago. If we had our druthers, Porsche’s new supercar would come in under its Lamborghini Temerario corporate cousin, which starts at more than $380,000. That said, considering the German automaker is reportedly planning a bespoke platform and unique flat-eight engine for the Mission S, we’re worried that things are going to get expensive in a hurry.
Close
Since one of Porsche’s, um, missions for the Mission S is increased profitability, it’s likely that the flagship may share some components and technologies with other cars in the company portfolio. For example, the rumored flat-eight engine could use the existing flat-six’s architecture, only with two added cylinders. That calculus would suggest at least 900 horsepower for the new mill, considering the 911 Turbo S produces 701 already.
Porsche Mission S TeaserPorsche
The Mission S Debuts Next Week
The microsite announcing Porsche’s new flagship supercar also features a countdown clock, which will reach zero at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, October 15. That’s almost certainly the debut date for the Mission S, which would suggest a market launch sometime next year, likely as a 2028 model.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
The sooner the Mission S arrives, the better. Porsche has been in dubious financial shape for the last few years, with tumbling profits corresponding to tumbling sales in some of its biggest markets, like the US and China. Although the German automaker remains solvent, its leadership is eager to return to its early-2020s form, when sales consistently reached record highs and profits followed. The Mission S will almost assuredly be a low-volume vehicle, so expecting it to single-handedly return Porsche to bestselling status is probably unfair.
But as a pricey, desirable flagship, the supercar will almost assuredly boast higher profit margins per vehicle than more commodified cars like the Macan Electric. The Mission S needs to get here quick, both literally and metaphorically.
Source: Porsche
