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Noticed by senpai: Porsche agrees to build engines for Singer

The German automaker rarely goes into partnerships with 911 tuners

Singer Vehicle Design has a reputation for building high-quality Porsche restomods. PHOTO FROM SINGER

Very few companies are any good at modifying Porsche vehicles. Even fewer firms can claim to truly improve the iconic sports cars in ways that are commercially successful and revered by petrolheads the world over. And among the handful who manage, even fewer will ever be officially recognized by the carmaker itself. Singer Vehicle Design has just managed to achieve just that. The now famous company from California has officially been noticed by senpai and received the automotive equivalent of a knighthood. How, you ask? By achieving what other 911 tinkerers can only dream of: An official cooperation with Porsche itself.

Porsche likely noticed the extreme attention to detail being put into each Singer build. PHOTO FROM SINGER

Founded by Rob Dickinson in 2009, Singer Vehicle Design has quickly built up a reputation for creating truly special machines. Despite eye-watering price tags that can easily reach into seven figures, carefully restored and modified 911s from the firm have proven popular with loaded speed seekers across the globe due to their unique mixture of classic design, modern technology, and high-quality craftmanship. And according to this Auto Motor und Sport article, in the future, engines for some of the models will officially be supplied and fitted by Porsche Motorsport North America. What looks like a simple arrangement is actually quite big deal. While Porsche does sell engines, these are usually going to private individuals and motorsport teams for use in track-only race cars.

Singer, on the other hand, builds passenger cars anyone can buy and drive. Granted, that’s anyone with a big-enough bank balance. But still, technically, Porsche and Singer are competitors in the field of high-end sports cars. Practically, however, bosses in Zuffenhausen must have been so impressed with Dickinson’s wares that they decided to enter a deal in which the firm’s North American motorsport division will supply “remanufactured” engines to Singer. This means they are likely rebuilt from existing blocks, and it seems Singer is also applying the final settings and specifications to them in accordance with their own preferences. Still, getting someone like Porsche to officially supply you with engines is definitely something to be proud of.

No less than Porsche's motorsport arm will be building the engines. PHOTO FROM PORSCHE

Next to the new deal with Porsche, Singer is also still working with Williams Advanced Engineering, Cosworth and Ed Pink Racing Engines when it comes to creating exceptional powerplants for the company’s different models. The lengths to which Singer goes to create its cars is truly staggering. Just to name two examples, engineers replace the existing wire harness of any donor car with a motorsport-spec version that is manufactured by hand, and the new Brembo brakes being installed features the same carbon-ceramic compound you would find on a Bugatti Chiron.

Seeing that the firm was apparently even named after Porsche engineer Norbert Singer and also used the late Hans Mezger as an advisor in the past, maybe it’s not surprising that Porsche itself has now given the company a very gentle and minor nod of approval.



Frank Schuengel

Frank is a German e-commerce executive who loves his wife, a Filipina, so much he decided to base himself in Manila. He has interesting thoughts on Philippine motoring.



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