We here at Singer like what we do. We concentrate on these risky activities for a reason. Those who discover definitive design find it enjoyable.
Singer Group, Inc. (Singer) follows the instructions of its customers when restoring and reimagining Porsche 911s from 1989 to 1994 that are built on the 964 chassis. Automobiles are not produced or sold by Singer.
Singer is not linked with Porsche Cars North America, Inc., Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche, AG, or any of its subsidiaries in any manner. Any other items mentioned may also be trademarks of their respective owners. The Porsche name and crest, 911, and TARGA are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG. Any mention of registered trade names or other marks is solely for illustrative purposes.
Singer’s meticulous work resulted in a Porsche 911 that he restored and redesigned. This incredible machine should never, ever, ever be referred to or described as a “Singer,” “Singer 911,” “Singer Porsche 911,” or a “Porsche Singer 911” or in any other way that suggests it is anything other than a Porsche 911 that has been restored and reimagined by Singer out of respect for Porsche and to respect Porsche’s trademark rights. Privacy Principles
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Driven: Transforming a Porsche 911 into an artistic creation
Isn’t it crazy, though? Drew Coblitz laughs as he says this. The latest work of art from Singer Vehicle Design, a beautifully upgraded and optimized 1990 Porsche 911, is owned by the 31-year-old luxury specialist and entrepreneur from Philadelphia. I’m smiling as well, but mainly because his carefully customized, inky-blue-black automobile is making me laugh viscerally.
I get to sit in his driver’s seat, a work of braided leather art in and of itself, for a few high-speed moments. I’m in internal combustion bliss as I hold the hand-carved ebony wood shifter knob in my right hand (almost every aspect, from the tuning of the car down to literal nuts and bolts, is tailored by Singer for each customer). Below, in the footwell, my feet are dancing across all three pedals. A powerful yet agile sports car with a roaring, high-revving soul, Coblitz’s one-off is hellbent on devouring the winding canyon road we’re on as though it might never see another.
Just so you know:
10:34 a.m. Nov. 16, 2019
An incorrectly interpreted Rob Dickinson quote that appeared in an earlier draft of this article implied that hip-hop mogul Jay-Z had been interviewed on TV while driving one of Dickinson’s customized cars. Dickinson used the remark to make a reference to himself, not Jay-Z.
In a secret location in Sun Valley, Singer Vehicle Design fine-tunes Porsche 911s from the years 1989 to 1994, which aficionados regard as the height of the German manufacturer’s air-cooled engineering. But these aren’t just repaired sports cars; they’re masterpieces of cutting-edge engineering, material science, and interior design on par with haute couture. Imagine them as the Faberge eggs of the motor world, only more powerful. Or, to personify it all, think of Sean Connery’s 007 as Charlize Theron combined with the Joker played by Joaquin Phoenix: adventurous, sensual, and ultimately fantastic.
Rob Dickinson, a brilliantly funny Brit and former songwriter and lead vocalist of the ’90s rock band Catherine Wheel, is the man behind Singer. He has been in love with 911s since since he saw his first one on the road in 1970 when he was just 5 years old. Dickinson finally arrived in Los Angeles to buy a 1969 Porsche 911 E and fell in love with the city’s vibrant car culture after working as a designer for Lotus Cars, focusing on his music instead, and embarking on a global tour with his band before their split in 2000. He launched Singer in 2009. In order to explore other, more futuristic vehicles, Porsche set aside a legend 20 years ago, according to Dickinson. With the advantage of hindsight, I’d like to believe that we are shedding a lot of light on Porsche’s history.
How would one describe a “crazy” Singer detail? The door and the rear fender, for example, have a gap between them that is known as flush on every production automobile, including Mercedes and Ferrari models. If one of the gaps between the panels is greater or lower than the other, the flush is incorrect. According to Mazen Fawaz, managing director of Singer, tech entrepreneur, and Jenson Button’s partner for this year’s Baja 1000, “If you take a caliper and measure our gaps and flush, they will be flawless on every car.” “Although it may sound absurd, you only get one chance to get those perfect. A car does not leave our hands if they are not.”
Singer’s Redesigned Porsche 911 Is As Expensive As A House
Since 2009, Singer Vehicle Design, a California-based company, has been altering Porsche 911s. It mostly concentrates on the 911s of the 964 generation (1989–1994), although it also restores earlier 930 vehicles (1975–1989), such the white and green one in this picture.
The company exclusively works with air-cooled engines, thus they are limited to automobiles from the 1994 model year. Following that, Porsche switched to more conventional water-cooled engines.
They are some of the most sought-after custom automobiles on the market and are legally and officially known as Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer. Due to Singer’s belief that “everything is important,” almost every one of the tens of thousands of parts on an old 911 are repaired, upgraded, updated, and thoroughly cleaned in order to produce a concours-worthy vehicle.
Turbo Study, the newest model from Singer Vehicle Design, was ordered by a customer who desired a sports focus in his remade 911. It draws on both the 930 and 964 generations’ design characteristics.
A normally aspirated, air-cooled, six-cylinder engine that has been modified to produce 510 horsepower is used in the Turbo Study. It has a six-speed manual transmission that drives the wheels in the back. A sports-calibrated suspension, carbon ceramic brakes, and a rear cross brace to maintain the body’s rigidity are other mechanical advancements.
The newly designed 911 has a Turbo Racing White exterior and light green racing stripes on top. A fuel filler located in the middle and carbon fiber components for the front splitter and rear shark fin air intake are featured on the front decklid. It gains a “whale tail” spoiler, louvred bumpers, and the deletion of the bumperette in the back. The bumperettes are the little bits of rubber that were placed inside 911 bumpers as a result of American crash standards.
The Turbo Study’s interior has traditional, lightweight houndstooth seats in white and green as well as several carbon fiber elements. The climate control system is brand-new, as are the gauges. A simple radio with smartphone connectivity and wireless charging is included to the reinvented 911. The doors are made of thin, houndstooth-trimmed cloth.
After the company’s establishment earlier that year, the first Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer was displayed during Monterey Car Week.
Singer’s founder and director of design is Rob Dickinson. He even went into automobile design after falling in love with Porsche 911s in the 1970s. After a while, he gave up that, caught the music bug, and started the band Catherine Wheel as the main singer. After the band disbanded, Dickinson relocated to Los Angeles and created the first 911E in the Singer style to drive around the city.
He discovered that people adored it and were eager to spend money on their own no-compromises restoration and reimagining of a vintage 911. These vehicles have a $350,000 base price and increase from there. Some have sold for more than $1 million, while some that were up for auction sold for more than double that amount. It takes more than 4,000 hours to finish each one.
Since Singer Vehicle Designs first unveiled the Turbo Study in February, more than 70 reservations had been made. The car is priced at $750,000, and ordering one will take at least two years.
The founder asserts that the 450 cars would be preserved in their original form.
The Singer brand-building Classic 911 restomod has been discontinued after 13 years and roughly 450 vehicles. According to firm founder Rob Dickinson, orders for the Classic reinvented lineup of coupes and Targas are no longer being accepted. It seems that maturity is the explanation. Singer relocated into a brand-new factory in Southern California next to Porsche, inked a contract with the manufacturer to have Singer engines assembled there, and it has an expanding client base to consider. Added Dickinson, “We’re merely attempting to show the guys who are purchasing the cars some courtesy. Of course, we want to preserve the worth of the vehicles in the event that they are sold later. However, I believe that Singer’s reputation as a “brand” is more important than the caliber of the vehicles themselves.”
With all 75 units of the Dynamics and Lightweight Study (DLS) sold, the Singer All-Terrain Competition Study rally commissions in limbo, and Dickinson’s statement that “I think we’ve taken it as far as we can go” regarding the naturally aspirated flat-six engine, the Turbo Study is now Singer’s main focus. Early this year, when news of the Porsche partnership made headlines, it was made clear in the announcement that the partnership would only be for atmospheric engines. With only the Turbo Study still on Singer’s menu and more than 70 reservations already confirmed, it’s probable Porsche opted to expand access. We’ve written to Porsche to ask whether whether it makes Turbo engines; if we hear back, we’ll update this piece.
Dickinson did seem to give himself a way out if he wanted to return to the Classic industry. I’m not sure if 450 is the proper number, he said. “We recently relocated to an enormously modern facility in Torrance, California. For the first time, everything is housed under one roof, and we can see that the cars are being constructed using a correct technique.” He added that there are plenty of base automobiles available. “Tens of thousands of 964s exist! There are also many worn-out ones that we don’t feel too horrible about reinventing.”
Want a Porsche Now Instead of Waiting for Singer’s Reimagining? Purchase This One for $1,1,000,000
Do you want Singer to redesign a Porsche? You will need to wait in line. The waiting for the highly sought-after 911s from the southern California company is years long. You probably wouldn’t get your automobile until at least 2025 if you joined the list right away. However, if you’re the impatient type, you may purchase one that has already been constructed. But you’ll pay for it.
A Michigan dealership just listed this Singer-reimagined 1989 Porsche 911 for sale, providing potential buyers with a unique opportunity to purchase a vehicle that often takes years to build. This particular 911 boasts the priciest engine available, a 4.0-liter flat-six with 390 horsepower, which was originally ordered by a collector in Toronto. The car is based on a 964 chassis, just like every Singer produced so far, but it boasts brand-new carbon bodywork and a beautifully upgraded interior. Using just the best tools, everything has been completely overhauled, including the brakes, suspension, and chassis. Only 1800 kilometers, or around 1100 miles, have been put on the automobile since it left Singer’s facility.
It costs money to cut through the line, of course. For one of its reinvented 911s, Singer can charge as much as $500,000, depending on the features you choose. But the asking price for this one, which is being made available for purchase by the Collectors Garage in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, is a whopping $1.1 million. Along with the premium, you’ll also need to accept that since the automobile was ordered for someone else, you won’t be able to modify it how you like. However, if you’re ready to tolerate that, this car is undoubtedly alluring.
Who is Singer Porsche’s motivation?
A Singer-reimagined Porsche 911 is the kind of vehicle that causes you to pause in your tracks. The Monaco’s owner, Edward Lovett, joins us in conversation.