With the Mission R, Porsche shows what an electric customer racer could look like. However, the design and technology also point to the new electric 718 Cayman. It will probably not have 1088 hp like the racing car, but its two engines will. Now Porsche is giving a clear view of the technology.
Because Ferry Porsche's saying that the last car built will be a sports car is not just a quote but also an obligation for Porsche, they can sometimes dream in Weissach. The Mission R is a vision of what an electric racing car for customer motorsport could look like in the near future. With 30 one-make cups worldwide, more than 4,400 911-based cup vehicles produced to date and 31 years of the Carrera Cup in Germany, Porsche claims to be the most successful brand in customer motorsport. So it makes sense that people in Zuffenhausen and Weissach are wondering what a customer racing car could look like in the future. And not only that: there is no electric version of the iconic 911 on the model timetable for 2024, but the not unsportsmanlike series 718 (Boxster and Cayman) is getting an electric successor . In this respect, the Misson R probably not only gives a glimpse of the first electric two-seater from Porsche, not only in terms of design, but probably also in terms of the technical layout.
At first glance, the study is a bit reminiscent of the successful Le Mans racer 919 with a more elegant front and shortened rear. But underneath the shell, which will be unveiled at the start of this year's IAA, are the rudiments of a Cayman underbody and the outer skin also looks like what you would imagine an electrified 718 to be. The wheel suspension, however, comes from the 911 RSR, the engines at the front and rear are newly developed engines with a combined output of over 800 kW (1,088 hp). For comparison: The most powerful Cayman (GT4) has 420 hp. After all, the performance specification for the Mission R only applies to qualifying mode, in continuous racing it is 500 kW (650 hp). The engines originally came from the Taycan, but were further developed for motorsport purposes in such a way that they are practically new designs. The rear engine is up to 480 kW, the front drive can contribute up to 320 kW.
In 2.5 seconds to 100 km/h
Fueled like this, the Mission R, which weighs only 1,500 kg, should accelerate to 100 km/h in less than 2.5 seconds, the top speed should be 300 km/h. The Mission R is not supposed to drive fast like many other electric racers, they say. One of the reasons: the oil cooling of the engines. Because the Porsche racer also gives an outlook on how motorsport e-machines will work in the future. The Mission R's permanently excited synchronous motors have stators that are directly tempered with oil as a coolant.While the coolant flows through a jacket outside the stator in conventional electrical machines, with direct cooling the oil flows directly along the copper windings. This allows more heat to be dissipated directly at the source. This ensures consistently high peak power and high efficiency.
Both engines bring their power to the road via a straight-toothed input gearbox. Gears and pulse-controlled inverters of the front and rear drive are identical in construction, which also saves parts and costs. Speaking of savings: the Mission R can do without the two-speed gearbox of the Taycan, and acceleration from a standstill is not really in demand in customer motorsport. And drives have endless power, even with just one gear that reaches speeds of over 300 km/h. This is also confirmed by Timo Bernard, Porsche works driver, long-distance world champion and Le Mans winner as well as holder of the legendary world record in the 919 on the Nordschleife: "Indescribable, you simply have to experience the direct power of the two electric motors for yourself. Such a tremendous one So far, I've only experienced a boost in my Le Mans winning car, the 919 Hybrid."
Only 1.12 meters high
The drive is not only powerful when accelerating, but also when decelerating and recuperating. Incidentally, so that the Mission R can fully recuperate the first time you brake, it never sets off with a full battery. The recuperation power is up to 800 kW, so the brake system can be correspondingly smaller and lighter. "In the back we don't actually need any brake discs at all"; says project manager Matthias Scholz, just recuperating would bring the tires to their grip limit. He walks around the car, you can see his enthusiasm. Points out design details, talks about the active aerodynamics with adjustable air intakes and wings, and talks about developments that you don't see at first glance. The batteries, for example. Unlike the Taycan, the battery pack sits in front of the rear axle. Porsche calls the E-Core layout. Among other things, this arrangement means that the Mission R has handling characteristics similar to those of a mid-engine racer, says Matthias Scholz. The battery cells are also oil-cooled. They work with an operating voltage of 900 volts, which also contributes to the fact that the batteries can be charged from five to 80 percent in just 15 minutes during racing.,
Of course, you can also dream about the interior. The driver sits low and well embedded in a bucket seat, in front of the steering device, the steering wheel really doesn't fit more than description. All the controls required for driving are concentrated in the control device, while the functions for the pit stop are located in the center console. Directly in the pilot's field of vision: the monitor of the cameras, which take over the rear-view mirror function.A passenger seat can be installed on the right for taxi rides, but the Mission R is actually planned as a pure motorsport model. Where the passenger backrest normally sits, a helmet holder was built in, which dries and cools the driver's helmet using air conditioning. Porsche also thinks of seemingly small things. Of course, a pilot shouldn’t be too tall, the Mission R is just under 1.12 meters high (and 4,326 mm long and 1,990 mm wide, wheelbase 2,560 mm) and the opening that opens through the conventionally hinged doors seems rather narrow . Striking that a carbon fiber construction visible from the outside can be seen through the domed roof. "We call that exoskeleton"; says Matthias Scholz, and explains that the structure not only looks cool, but is also light and stable and also offers space for an emergency exit hatch for the driver.
Porsche is also thinking ahead. For example, how motorsport will develop in the future. And what interfaces to e-sports could look like. For example, it is conceivable that you could buy the driver's cell with controls as a simulator and at the same time have the opportunity to rent a real Mission R on the track for a few races. How realistic is this vision? Maybe not just as a racing car, but as the basis of a 718 successor? The project manager smiles. Customer sport models were always based on a production car, sometimes it could be the other way around.,
Conclusion
Cool design, groundbreaking technology - the Mission R shows that Porsche is thinking and working very intensively on the future of sporty driving and motorsport. And that's just as well. Because in 2024, the Zuffenhausen-based company will approach customers with an electric sports car. With a bit of luck, the new 718 won't be all that dissimilar to the Mission R.
