Customer racing has a long tradition at Porsche. Since the start of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany 31 years ago, more than 4,400 Cup racing cars have been produced in Weissach. The latest version of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup based on the 911 generation 992 starts today in more than 30 one-make cups worldwide. But what does the future of customer motorsport look like?
With the Mission R concept study, Porsche is teasing us with a promising outlook: Driven by two newly developed electric motors and made of natural fibre-reinforced plastic, the Mission R generates up to 1088 hp in ‘qualifying’ mode. In ‘racing’ mode, the output is constant at 680 hp. The capacity of the oil-cooled battery cells of around 80 kWh, and innovative recuperation should enable sprint races without any loss of performance. From a standing start, the Porsche Mission R should accelerate to 100 kmh n 2.5 seconds and reach a top speed of more than 300 kmh. The lap times - the most important unit of measurement of performance for racing drivers - are at the level of the current Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. A 15-minute break from racing should be enough to charge the batteries from five to 80 percent capacity thanks to 900-volt technology and Porsche Turbo Charging.
Even if the streamlined silhouette is somewhat reminiscent of the legendary Porsche 917, the Mission R is an extremely compact piece of sports equipment: the length is even less than the dimensions of the Porsche 718 Cayman, but much wider and flatter. The driver-oriented interior is also innovative. The driver sits in a central racing seat under a roof structure made of carbon, which combines the safety cage and roof skin like an exoskeleton. The racing data is shown on the central display between the steering wheel, while a second display shows the images from the side mirrors and rear camera. The driver's biometric data can be called up via another touch display. The connection between real and virtual motorsport is also new: the driver's cell, which is constructed as a modular monocoque, is also suitable as an epsort simulator in exactly the same design.
“Porsche is the brand for people who make their dreams come true. This also applies to motorsport. We live our innovative strength on the racetrack, show courage for new paths and inspire with sporty performance" says Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche AG. “In addition to our involvement in the Formula E World Championship, we are now taking the next big step in electromobility. The concept study is our vision of all-electric customer motorsport. The Mission R embodies everything that makes Porsche strong: performance, design and sustainability."
Potos: Stefan Bogner
