Porsche Mission S steals the show … without even being there!

Did Porsche just mic drop a week packed with exiting new car launches from the Paris motor show without even being there?

Quite possibly, this Mission S described as “a glimpse of the ideas and design features that will shape Porsche in the coming years” and jumping to the top of petrolhead social feeds to drown news of new 2CVs, Alpines, wild Peugeot concepts and more coming from Paris. All this, without even saying whether it’s powered by electric motors or a traditional internal combustion engine.

Is the Mission S electric … or not?

This comes at a curious time for Porsche. By its original electrification schedule we should have battery-powered Boxsters and Caymans by now. But the world has changed, and it seems combustion cars have had a stay of execution.

Reading between the lines, the Mission S is an attempt to reset and give Porsche a template for a new model sitting above its iconic 911 drawing on a pick’n’mix of design inspiration from the 1953 550 Spyder through to the late 90s GT1 Strassenversion. Hardcore Porsche nuts will find plenty of additional fan-pleasing ‘easter eggs’ in the design, referencing many and various models from across Porsche’s road and race car history.

A glimpse into Porsche’s future

The fact the interior photos show what appear to be a rev counter and a gearstick, and the press info speaks of the Mission S being “mid-engined”, suggests Porsche still thinks there will be combustion-engined sports cars in its line-up for some time yet.

Indeed, it’s been working hard on more sustainable synthetic fuels so owners can still enjoy them into an age beyond fossil fuels. But as nothing more than a design study – at least officially – the Mission S perhaps gives Porsche the flexibility to pivot back to electrification if the winds blow that way again.