Singer Teams With Williams, Cranks Another Porsche to Eleven

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

Singer Vehicle Design, builder of meticulously re-imagined Porsches, has partnered with the advanced engineering arm of UK’s Williams F1 team. Together, they’ve created an incredible commission for a well-heeled classic Porsche enthusiast. The sales commission was probably pretty good, too.

With a focus on keeping the weight down, this “Dynamics and Lightweighting Study” has resulted in the beautiful machine you see here, cranking out 500 horsepower and weighing less than 2,200lbs.


There is no turbocharged wizardry in this flat-six Porsche. Developed by Williams Advanced Engineering for this DLS project, it is a four-valve, four-camshaft engine which is naturally aspirated and air-cooled.

A host of weight saving tricks were deployed, with copious amounts of magnesium, carbon fiber, and titanium strewn littered around the car. Thanks to high-tech, gee-whiz Computational Fluid Dynamics, the car’s underbody and exterior surfaces are said to cut a sharper yet more stable line through the atmosphere at speed.

The wheels, looking for all the world like classic Porsche rims, are in fact lightweight forged magnesium 18-inchers from BBS with, naturally, centre locks. They are wrapped in a set of bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Behind the wheels rest a set of monobloc calipers from Brembo.

“On a technical level, the study has been fascinating and has resulted in an incredible restoration with the benefit of top drawer resources and modern science,” said Singer Vehicle Design Founder and Creative Director Rob Dickinson. “Artistically it has been a second chance to connect with the machine on a new level.”

The DLS has been a long-term project, spanning a full two years of intense study and component development. This car, the result of the project’s findings, was built for Singer client (and Porsche enthusiast) Scott Blattner, who requested lightweighting and high-performance enhancements for his 1990 Porsche 964 after presumably showing up at Singer’s office with bag full of money earlier this year.

Specifics of the study will be available to no more than 75 customers, who may choose to use the findings to have Singer build them their own bespoke version. It’s good to be stinkin’ rich.

Interested? Any commissions using the DLS specs will be undertaken in the UK at a new Singer facility on the Williams campus in Grove, Oxfordshire. A pricetag wasn’t announced.

[Images: Singer Vehicle Design]

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

More by Matthew Guy

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 14 comments
  • Cognoscenti Cognoscenti on Nov 20, 2017

    In for the obligatory Catherine Wheel reference. I love the music that gave Rob Dickinson the cash he needed to found Singer. The cars? *shrug* - with that kind of disposable cash, I rather buy a Cessna 182.

  • Gardiner Westbound Gardiner Westbound on Nov 20, 2017

    “I've been rich and I've been poor, rich is better.” ― Mae West

  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
Next