Porsche Mission X FIRST LOOK

It's a concept, but it still hopes to crush a 'Ring record.

-  Alex Kierstein

Porsche celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, so it’s no surprise the Stuttgart company is looking to make a splash. The Mission X supercar concept certainly does, and if it hits its target—to become the quickest road-legal car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife—it will make an even bigger one.

That’s a big ask, because the Mission X is an EV, and it would have to topple the $2.7 million Mercedes-AMG One hybrid supercar, which has the benefit of gasoline’s much greater energy density. The AMG holds the outright production car record at the ’Ring (6 minutes, 35.183 seconds), while the Tesla Model S Plaid Performance owns the production EV record (7:25.231). So it’s a tall order, but Porsche no doubt considered its bogey before setting its goal. Besides, what else could the company do to demonstrate its “commitment to the core of the brand,” as head of style Michael Mauer puts it?