GRR

Mission R is 1,000PS Electric Porsche racecar

07th September 2021
Bob Murray

A taster of what Porsche’s first electric customer race car – the 911 GT3 Cup of the electric age – will be like is revealed today at the Munich Motor Show. The Mission R concept is an esports simulator brought to life – and it’s not just very sexy, it’s also very fast.

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In qualifying mode, it can call on 1,088PS (800kW) for 0-62mph in less than 2.5 seconds and a top speed of above 300km/h (186mph). Great for that flying lap, hillclimb or sprint but with 80kWh battery capacity you might run out of juice over the course of a full race.

That’s when you select race mode which drops power to 680PS (500kW) – and the good news is Porsche says it can still turn in the same lap times as the current petrol-powered Porsche customer racer, the GT3 Cup.

The batteries are good for about 40 minutes of racing, but a mid-race top-up to 80 per cent requires a pit stop of just 15 minutes, says Porsche. That’s thanks to 900-volt technology and the ability to charge at up to 340kW.

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Racing range is enhanced thanks to a new kind of energy recuperation system and direct oil cooling for the motors and batteries, ensuring constant power and no tail-off in performance owing to changing thermal conditions.

Obviously a Porsche, with a happy face and giant adjustable rear wing, the Mission R picks up on lots of Porsche styling cues in a low slung body that’s actually shorter than a Porsche Cayman, if a lot wider and lower; at just 1,190mm (47 inches) it’s very low indeed.

The active aerodynamics are based around louvres in the nose section and a drag reduction system (DRS) in the two-section rear wing. All four wheels are powered thanks to motors back and front; the forward unit can deliver up to for all 435PS (320kW) and the rear motor 653PS (480kW). It’s all similar to the electric drive in the Taycan.

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The body is mostly made of plastic reinforced by natural flax fibres, giving Porsche’s newest racer another tick in the sustainability box. The interior, also largely plastic trimmed inside a safety module of carbon-fibre, could double as an esports simulator. It’s pure stripped-back racer with total focus on the driver. Porsche likens the distinctive cocoon with glazing to the sides and above to that of an exoskeleton.

In front of you is a steering “wheel” with most of the controls at its centre. A display behind it shows race data while a monitor above it displays images from rear-view cameras. A touch display on the right calls up the driver’s biometric data. Gamers will surely instantly feel at home here.

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Porsche’s series of Mission concept cars, which date back to 2015, have a pleasing habit of becoming very real and the Mission R is unlikely to break the trend. So this is odds-on the face of Porsche’s customer motorsports – and the inevitable one-make Cup race series that goes with it – of a few years’ hence.

Is it also a sneak peek at what an electric Porsche Cayman/Boxster might be like? Those in the know say a very definite yes to that…

  • Porsche

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  • Mission R

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