"Every Porsche has to be clearly recognisable as a Porsche. Many elements that we envisage in studies find their way later into production cars. This also applies to motorsports. Moreover, our customer sports vehicles are always based on production sports cars," explains Michael Mauer, Head of Style Porsche. "What this means in the case of the Mission R is that the car is packed to the gills with signs that hint of a future production model, and that, of course, means: pure racing!“
At first glance, the extreme compactness is very apparent: it has a length of 4,326 millimetres and a width of 1,990 millimetres. Typical of racing cars, the electric racer sits very low on the road (height: 1,190 millimetres). The wheelbase: 2,560 millimetres. The narrowly shaped cabin reduces the frontal area of the racing car and contributes to the outstanding e-performance due to the lower air resistance. Cameras are mounted on the edge of the roof as a digital replacement for conventional wing mirrors.
The colour concept is dominated by Porsche's standard Carrara White Metallic satin finish. By contrast, the front bonnet and front wings are painted in a high-gloss bright metallic red. This new shade extends into the doors, where it ends with a dynamic sweep. The spoilers are in black to provide a sharper contrast.
Dynamic proportions
Due to the transparent surfaces of the exoskeleton roof (see body and chassis section), the silhouette of the Mission R appears even flatter than it actually is. The puristic design approach is defined by the sleek cabin (the greenhouse), the roofline that slopes sharply downward to the rear (the flyline) and the pronounced shoulders of the wings. Much like the Porsche Cayman, the window graphics (daylight opening) end at the C-pillar with a counter-sweep.
The A-pillars are in black and visually blend the side window surfaces into a single unit, reminiscent of a helmet's visor. Another characteristic Porsche feature is the curved windscreen, which extends slightly around the corners. Form follows function – the driver benefits from better all-round visibility as a result.
Below the waistline, things get technical and functional: the sills are recessed, which makes the aero underbody even more effective. As is the case with the front splitter and the large diffuser at the rear, the underbody panels are not painted so that the natural fibres are visible.
The Mission R runs on 18-inch Cup wheels featuring a five twin spoke design with central locking. With polished carbon aeroblades in high-gloss black, they are also flow-optimised.
There are panels located in front of and behind the wheel arches. If they become damaged as a result of contact with other vehicles during the race, they can be replaced quickly. Yellow arrows indicate where their quick-release fasteners are located. Other functional parts that must be quickly accessed are identified with yellow arrows, too: they include levers, pins and panels, for example, and the compress air connections for the lifting system located in the C-pillars.
The roof module is reminiscent of the profile of a submarine: among other things, it incorporates a pitot tube to measure speed and an LED display to indicate the operating status of the high-voltage system.
Striking look with light emblem in the style of the electric Porsche
In typical Porsche style, the front bonnet slopes down between the two sharply curved wings. The large side air intakes, each with three louvres, the front splitter with its visible natural fibre mix and the flat LED headlights dominate the nose. The four-point light emblem is based on the design of the headlights on the Taycan electric sports car. Two towing lugs as vertically aligned components link up the front splitter and bumper visually. As functional parts, they are also painted yellow.
Wide rear with light strip
The rear view is dominated by the two aerodynamic components – the diffuser and the two-section spoiler, which is made of carbon. The designers have integrated the brake and rain lights into the profile of its wing plates. This makes them easily seen by following drivers, even in spray.
At the rear, there is the typical Porsche light strip. It consists specifically of a large number of illuminated vertical elements to the right and left of the lettering, which also illuminated.
The towing lugs at the rear are highlighted in colour, which is usual practice for racing cars. What makes them special is that they have been seamlessly integrated into the supporting structure of the vehicle.
The charging connection for the battery is located in the middle of the rear window behind a flap.
