The freshly shown Porsche Mission S mid-engined supercar base is designed to work with a classic manual transmission in addition to automated PDK choices.
Porsche executives noted that adding a manual transmission to the production version will hinge on market interest and owner input.
The retro-styled Mission S concept includes classic driver-centric details, such as a physical key, showing dedication to mechanical involvement.

The Porsche Mission S concept vehicle recently displayed is intended to chart the automaker's path ahead, one featuring a new flagship supercar positioned above the 911 to raise the brand's standing while reinforcing links to its heritage. This path, it appears, might feature a traditional manual transmission.

In comments at the debut event in New York City, Porsche CEO Dr. Michael Leiters emphasized that the new supercar uses a versatile platform compatible with various powertrains, and he noted specifically that it could run on either pure internal-combustion engines or hybrid setups. More notably, it can also pair with either manual or PDK-style automatic transmissions.

Porsche

“Customer demand will decide what we produce on this platform,” he told one of our colleagues at Road and Track.

Leiters can be relied upon; not only does he lead at Zuffenhausen, but he also took a key part in the Mission S's development. As he told the gathered media at the launch, six months ago he personally approached the newly named head of design Tobias Sühlmann and stated the brand required a new mid-engined supercar with fresh styling.

The outcome? The Mission S. “This is a car that shouts I want to drive it. That shouts Porsche,” Sühlmann said.

Regarding what might power the Mission S shown, Leiters and Sühlmann stayed quiet. While many design concepts run on basic motors to cross a stage, when the CEO fired up the Mission S and drove it onstage, it started with a clear sound much like a boxer engine, though perhaps with more cylinders than typical for the layout.

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Will Sabel Courtney is a contributing editor at Road and Track. A 12-year veteran of journalism, he formerly worked at Gear Patrol, The Drive, and RIDES Magazine, and contributed to the New York Daily News and Jalopnik, among other outlets. You can often find him test-driving new cars in New York City, cursing the slow-moving traffic surrounding him.