The notion of an outsider “re-imagining” the legendary Porsche 911 is akin to some new artist designing a colorful new smock and background for the Mona Lisa. (Indeed, the new 991 911 Carrera demonstrates that not even Porsche itself can do it without upsetting at least a few purists.) But as we discovered at a recent gathering in Los Angeles, the idea is not necessarily heretical. In fact, within the first 30 seconds or so of examining Singer Vehicle Design’s fourth 911-based creation, we concluded that its “re-imagination” process produced one of the most mouth-watering 911s we have ever seen. And that’s saying a lot—we’ve been to Rennsport gatherings.
For those unfamiliar with Singer Vehicle Design, a company crazy enough to work over a rabidly adored icon, here’s a primer: SVD is based in the suburban Los Angeles city of Sun Valley and was founded by rock vocalist/guitarist and Porsche 911 fanatic Rob Dickinson of British alternative band Catherine Wheel fame. This car, Dickinson’s vision of the perfect 911, wraps the stripped-down and reinforced bones of the 1990–1994 964 911 (among the last of the air-cooled Carreras) with the elegantly uncluttered styling of the 1970s-era models. The Singer-fettled 911’s fenders, bumpers, hood, and roof, however, are rendered not in metal as were the original car’s, but in carbon fiber. The engine is tuned by Cosworth, the headlamps come from Hella, the seats are Recaros, the brakes are by Brembo, and the shocks are adjustable Bilsteins. All must be assembled, Dickinson says, at the very highest level of execution in order to not blaspheme the marque. Suddenly, “re-imagining the 911” doesn’t seem so crazy anymore.
It does get pricey, however: Singer offers three levels of “restoration” starting at roughly $190,000, not including the price of the donor 964 itself—which, if you don’t own one already, can range from $15,000 to $35,000, depending on condition. The base Touring package utilizes a 3.6-liter flat-six, tuned to 300 hp (up from the factory rating of 247 hp); the Sport engine grows to 3.9 liters and produces 360 hp; while the top-shelf Cup utilizes an engine between 3.9 and 4.0 liters (Singer isn’t specific) and produces more than 400 hp. All engines are Cosworth-tuned, air-cooled units. The transmissions are Getrag-sourced five- or six-speed manuals, the former can be paired with an optional limited-slip differential that comes standard with the latter.
The luscious beige metallic piece we saw at the event—held for journalists and prospective customers, and the first public showing of a Singer vehicle—is a Touring-grade model that, if replicated option for option, could cost roughly $275K, according to Singer. There are even more available add-ons, and Dickinson said that prices can top $300K pretty easily (you can check out the full list of available modifications here). Even so, Singer has several orders in the queue, including some from other countries. Based on the reaction of the 100 or so people in attendance that evening, there may be more orders coming in soon. If we had the scratch, you can be sure we’d be among them.
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