What's all this about?
Porsche has eschewed the ongoing Paris Motor Show and instead decided to launch the first step in its Sportswagenschmiede '35 programme over in New York. And here it is: the glorious Mission S Vision.
So not a concept car, then?
No, because Porsche refers to it specifically as a vision of where the brand is going in the future. At one point fully committed to a transition to all-electric products, slow take-up of its (admittedly excellent) offerings in the EV arena has given the German firm cause to think again. And thus, the fresh CEO of Porsche, Dr Michael Leiters (he only joined last year, having previously been at McLaren), has already kicked off the marque's next era of development. It will, apparently, still have much to do with internal combustion.
But Porsche won't make the Mission S a production reality, right?
Wrong. Remember, the Mission E eventually went on to become the Taycan without too many changes. And permit us to go back to Dr Leiters, who gave this truly tantalising titbit to the world at the reveal of the Mission S: "A Porsche must be recognisable as a Porsche at first glance. The Mission S provides a glimpse of the ideas and design features that will shape Porsche in the coming years. At the same time, the Mission S represents a mid-engined super sports car platform positioned above the 911 - not as a one-off hypercar, but as a permanent and versatile addition to our customer offering."
Oh wow! Do we know any specs on it as yet?
No, but as the latest entrant into a series of top-end Porsches that (roughly) runs 550 Spyder, 959, Carrera GT and then 918 Spyder, the Mission S promises to be spectacular. Rumours abound that Porsche is working on a majestic configuration of engine to sit in the midriff of the production Vision S, supposedly a flat-eight petrol developed from the long-serving boxer-six that has been used in 911s since the dawn of time. It's not hard to imagine Stuttgart's engineering wizards screwing a lot more power out of a T-Hybrid-empowered eight-cylinder engine, so expect something well north of the 711hp output of the 992.2 Turbo S from the eventual road car.
Why did Porsche choose New York, of all places, for the reveal of Mission S?
Fully 73 years ago, images of the company's original mid-engined machine, the 550 Spyder (please, nobody mention James Dean... oh; whoops...), made their way around a long-pre-internet world having been snapped on the dockside in the American city. So the German outfit felt it was appropriate to recreate the same image in modern-day NYC, only using the Mission S in the same location. You can see the original and reframed shots in our image gallery.
We'll finish by highlighting some of the design features of the Mission S, inside and out. Porsche cites the use of traditional features, such as 'torpedo fenders', the company's signature roofline, round headlights and a car that seems much wider than it is tall, but it also deploys a couple of retro-inspired flourishes to further its own special sense of identity. The flat front is a direct homage to the 911 GT1 Strassenversion, the hooped rear spoiler a nod to the 959. There's an air-intake vent on the leading edge of the roofline and even a fan above the engine bay, which harks back to the competition 917's radiator cooler. Even the wheels are supposed to mimic those found on the 928.
Within, two seats and a minimalist look, but there's a purposeful nature to the cabin of the Mission S. Porsche promises "a smooth transition between analogue and digital controls", and - going by our own experiences of the modern automotive scene - no automotive company in the world is better at this sort of stuff than Zuffenhausen, so that statement fills us with a great deal of heart. Don't go expecting a H-gate manual, mind; at the level of the car market the production version of the Mission S will likely operate, such things are now non-existent. So if you want a three-pedal Porsche sportster, you're going to need to stick with something like a 911 Carrera T.
Anything else to add?
Let's end with this final statement from the release on the Mission S, which says it all: "Above the iconic 911 sports car, Porsche is planning, for the first time, a permanently available super sports car offer. The clear objective here is the highest level of engineering excellence and maximum flexibility. This is underpinned by decades of motorsport experience, innovative and brand-defining technology, and the forward-looking design unveiled with the Mission S."
We can't wait to see this thing in the metal as a showroom model, hopefully before too long.
Matt Robinson - 16 Oct 2026
