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Was looking at the pictures on the Sotheby's link, and in the one showing the trunk ("frunk") there is an amplifier and other electronic equipment, presumably for the car's sound system, directly in front of the gas tank. This could present a tremendous safety issue. In the case of the frontal or possibly other crash, the amplifier could be crushed into the gas tank, potentially causing an explosion/fire. I would suggest relocating the equipment as far from the gas tank as possible.
Last edited by Robert Linton; 12-09-2019 at 06:26 AM.
No, you are lucky to not have had a severe crash. Also, I assume that the amp in your car was aftermarket as I suspect that Porsche would not have mounted an amp against a fuel tank.
Not to belabor the point, but that is not a CD player, it is a high power Audison amplifier. And while I have seen a few CD payers in 911 trunks, never directly against the fuel tank and certainly never have I seen Porsche install an amplifier against a fuel tank. For safety, the owner should relocate the amplifier to a safer location. And, to be sure, I doubt that Singer would have installed an amplifier in that location as, no doubt, they are concerned for the safety of their customers, not to mention their own liability in the event of a catastrophic incident (explosion and/or fire).
A long-time business associate of mine shared his terribly disappointing Singer Classic build experience with me some time ago, and I feel compelled to share my understanding of his experience, given OP’s question.
Singer’s CFO (Glenn Chang) guaranteed that Singer’s restoration of this fellow’s 964 Porsche would be completed within 3 years of my friend delivering the donor vehicle and paying the deposit for the complete Singer treatment. The client paid the deposit, and provided the vehicle. He made all the progress payments, plus some, immediately upon each request from Singer. Unfortunately, at the end of 3 years, his vehicle was still a bare frame and body—no paint, no interior, no transmission, and no engine.
During those 3 years, there were repeated errors and failures in workmanship that were remarkable, given the amount of money commanded by Singer for these builds.
The first dumbfounding experience occurred when my friend visited the vehicle to find that Singer’s body and frame welds were remarkably sloppy and looked to have been done by a novice welder. I’ve attached some photos to illustrate the poor quality welds. After some significant prodding and waffling, Singer agreed to grind down these welds and start over. Given the wear and tear on the frame and body from the heat generated by welding, grinding, and welding again, my associate wasn’t pleased with this solution. He tolerated it, however, as he was already so far into the process with Singer.
Another blow came when Singer’s subcontractor left the frame and body sitting outside in the rain for at least a month, after the body had already been media blasted, and after the carbon fiber panels had already been glued to the body. There was rust visible all over the body, and visible under the carbon fiber panels as well, where it couldn’t be reached. I’ve attached some photos he had shared with me. Again, after a lot of cajoling, threats, and wrangling, Singer finally acknowledged that the situation was unacceptable. Eventually, they set about stripping the carbon fiber panels off the body, media blasting the frame and body (again), and starting the process over.
Yet another setback occurred when the client received some progress photos only to see dozens of superfluous holes drilled through some of the thinnest, weakest steel on the body; double to triple the number of holes that might be necessary to help bond the carbon fiber panels to the body, which was the reason for the holes, according to Singer. Again, I’ve got some photos the fellow shared with me. Once again, Singer agreed that the work was problematic, stating that they wouldn’t have done it that way, and blaming all these holes around the windows and wheel wells on their subcontractor. They agreed to weld up the holes and grind it down again.
All these various setbacks and snafus came with months of inaction in between. To make a long story short, after three years of waiting, my friend’s car was still a stripped down frame and body with no paint, no interior, no transmission, and no engine. Ed Pink couldn’t even tell this guy whether any work had even started on the engine.
At the same time as all this, the client began to hear from sources he considered credible that Singer was in financial trouble due to the cost of the Dynamic and Lightweight Study (DLS) project.
Throughout all these problems, my friend expressed his considerable concerns with his contacts at Singer. However, never did he receive any communication from any of the higher-ups at Singer corporate. Mind you, Singer bills itself as a bespoke car manufacturer where Everything is Important and calls its product Porsche Perfected. They build a handful of vehicles a year for $700K to north of $1.5M. Here you have a client who experienced screw up after screw up (unprecedented and extraordinary errors, per Singer). The client is looking at an incomplete shell 3 years after starting the project. You’d think he would at least get a call from a higher-up at Singer. Maybe something from CEO Mazen Fawaz or Creative Director Rob Dickinson reassuring the client that they’d be spurring things along toward a successful outcome, or at least showing that they were even aware of the repeated fumbles and huge delay in the promised delivery timeframe. Nothing of the sort ever came.
I can’t speak to the ultimate outcome, but I can say that I wouldn’t go through the process of a Singer build after hearing the details of this particular fellow’s experience.
Originally Posted by wilson9493
Been spending the past few months deciding if I should start this project.
So I thought it would be a great idea to pop down to the Singer factory in LA, and let the car decides for me.
What really surprises me is the level of attention to detail and the extent of customization you get on each car. I really enjoy the fact that they have thought about every part of the design.
And the idea of getting a car that is specifically tailored to your taste just made me feel very excited.
So before I start the journey of looking for a donar car, I wonder if any owners can share their ownership experience? Are you still happy about the car after a year or two?
FWIW - The above doesn't reflect my experience with Singer. I found them to be extremely concerned about customer satisfaction particularly after care support. They went out of their way to help me. I found the product to be excellent and the company to be solid. I've recommended them to several folks one of whom is in the queue now and getting great communication/advice/support. I'm not saying the above didn't happen just that my experience and that of others I know was quite different.
FWIW - The above doesn't reflect my experience with Singer. I found them to be extremely concerned about customer satisfaction particularly after care support. They went out of their way to help me. I found the product to be excellent and the company to be solid. I've recommended them to several folks one of whom is in the queue now and getting great communication/advice/support. I'm not saying the above didn't happen just that my experience and that of others I know was quite different.
Could you share when did you take delivery of your Singer and how long was the process from order to taking delivery? Thanks.
A long-time business associate of mine shared his terribly disappointing Singer Classic build experience with me some time ago, and I feel compelled to share my understanding of his experience, given OP’s question.
Singer’s CFO (Glenn Chang) guaranteed that Singer’s restoration of this fellow’s 964 Porsche would be completed within 3 years of my friend delivering the donor vehicle and paying the deposit for the complete Singer treatment. The client paid the deposit, and provided the vehicle. He made all the progress payments, plus some, immediately upon each request from Singer. Unfortunately, at the end of 3 years, his vehicle was still a bare frame and body—no paint, no interior, no transmission, and no engine.
During those 3 years, there were repeated errors and failures in workmanship that were remarkable, given the amount of money commanded by Singer for these builds.
The first dumbfounding experience occurred when my friend visited the vehicle to find that Singer’s body and frame welds were remarkably sloppy and looked to have been done by a novice welder. I’ve attached some photos to illustrate the poor quality welds. After some significant prodding and waffling, Singer agreed to grind down these welds and start over. Given the wear and tear on the frame and body from the heat generated by welding, grinding, and welding again, my associate wasn’t pleased with this solution. He tolerated it, however, as he was already so far into the process with Singer.
Another blow came when Singer’s subcontractor left the frame and body sitting outside in the rain for at least a month, after the body had already been media blasted, and after the carbon fiber panels had already been glued to the body. There was rust visible all over the body, and visible under the carbon fiber panels as well, where it couldn’t be reached. I’ve attached some photos he had shared with me. Again, after a lot of cajoling, threats, and wrangling, Singer finally acknowledged that the situation was unacceptable. Eventually, they set about stripping the carbon fiber panels off the body, media blasting the frame and body (again), and starting the process over.
Yet another setback occurred when the client received some progress photos only to see dozens of superfluous holes drilled through some of the thinnest, weakest steel on the body; double to triple the number of holes that might be necessary to help bond the carbon fiber panels to the body, which was the reason for the holes, according to Singer. Again, I’ve got some photos the fellow shared with me. Once again, Singer agreed that the work was problematic, stating that they wouldn’t have done it that way, and blaming all these holes around the windows and wheel wells on their subcontractor. They agreed to weld up the holes and grind it down again.
All these various setbacks and snafus came with months of inaction in between. To make a long story short, after three years of waiting, my friend’s car was still a stripped down frame and body with no paint, no interior, no transmission, and no engine. Ed Pink couldn’t even tell this guy whether any work had even started on the engine.
At the same time as all this, the client began to hear from sources he considered credible that Singer was in financial trouble due to the cost of the Dynamic and Lightweight Study (DLS) project.
Throughout all these problems, my friend expressed his considerable concerns with his contacts at Singer. However, never did he receive any communication from any of the higher-ups at Singer corporate. Mind you, Singer bills itself as a bespoke car manufacturer where Everything is Important and calls its product Porsche Perfected. They build a handful of vehicles a year for $700K to north of $1.5M. Here you have a client who experienced screw up after screw up (unprecedented and extraordinary errors, per Singer). The client is looking at an incomplete shell 3 years after starting the project. You’d think he would at least get a call from a higher-up at Singer. Maybe something from CEO Mazen Fawaz or Creative Director Rob Dickinson reassuring the client that they’d be spurring things along toward a successful outcome, or at least showing that they were even aware of the repeated fumbles and huge delay in the promised delivery timeframe. Nothing of the sort ever came.
I can’t speak to the ultimate outcome, but I can say that I wouldn’t go through the process of a Singer build after hearing the details of this particular fellow’s experience.
yeah, they kind of just become “another” and unfortunately is getting further away from “another” actually exciting car...they just get faster and less involving. Oh well was bound to happen at some point!
not less involving. just harder and harder to find places to access it outside track setting, hence the drift towards antiques.
not less involving. just harder and harder to find places to access it outside track setting, hence the drift towards antiques.
The new 992gt3 literally just got more grip as the main enhancement to its lap time stats, with stickier new tires...I can't see how that translates to being more involving on the road 😂. Ill take a 997.2 RS all day every day over the new kit at pretty much the same price points...but Porsche will sell every new GT3 they make so good on them from a business perspective.
A very interesting first post here on behalf of an unnamed individual bringing up an older thread...but I've still seen more people happier than they've ever been (as in I've seen multiple grown men tear up) when they get their car finally delivered than any single other car purchase people have made otherwise. No process like this is without it's few nightmare stories and Singer isn't immune to that one, but knowing many of the current owners and how happy they've been, myself included...I would sign up for another car in a heartbeat with them if there was something I wanted from them.
Originally Posted by Pete80424
A long-time business associate of mine shared his terribly disappointing Singer Classic build experience with me some time ago, and I feel compelled to share my understanding of his experience, given OP’s question.
Singer’s CFO (Glenn Chang) guaranteed that Singer’s restoration of this fellow’s 964 Porsche would be completed within 3 years of my friend delivering the donor vehicle and paying the deposit for the complete Singer treatment. The client paid the deposit, and provided the vehicle. He made all the progress payments, plus some, immediately upon each request from Singer. Unfortunately, at the end of 3 years, his vehicle was still a bare frame and body—no paint, no interior, no transmission, and no engine.
During those 3 years, there were repeated errors and failures in workmanship that were remarkable, given the amount of money commanded by Singer for these builds.
The first dumbfounding experience occurred when my friend visited the vehicle to find that Singer’s body and frame welds were remarkably sloppy and looked to have been done by a novice welder. I’ve attached some photos to illustrate the poor quality welds. After some significant prodding and waffling, Singer agreed to grind down these welds and start over. Given the wear and tear on the frame and body from the heat generated by welding, grinding, and welding again, my associate wasn’t pleased with this solution. He tolerated it, however, as he was already so far into the process with Singer.
Another blow came when Singer’s subcontractor left the frame and body sitting outside in the rain for at least a month, after the body had already been media blasted, and after the carbon fiber panels had already been glued to the body. There was rust visible all over the body, and visible under the carbon fiber panels as well, where it couldn’t be reached. I’ve attached some photos he had shared with me. Again, after a lot of cajoling, threats, and wrangling, Singer finally acknowledged that the situation was unacceptable. Eventually, they set about stripping the carbon fiber panels off the body, media blasting the frame and body (again), and starting the process over.
Yet another setback occurred when the client received some progress photos only to see dozens of superfluous holes drilled through some of the thinnest, weakest steel on the body; double to triple the number of holes that might be necessary to help bond the carbon fiber panels to the body, which was the reason for the holes, according to Singer. Again, I’ve got some photos the fellow shared with me. Once again, Singer agreed that the work was problematic, stating that they wouldn’t have done it that way, and blaming all these holes around the windows and wheel wells on their subcontractor. They agreed to weld up the holes and grind it down again.
All these various setbacks and snafus came with months of inaction in between. To make a long story short, after three years of waiting, my friend’s car was still a stripped down frame and body with no paint, no interior, no transmission, and no engine. Ed Pink couldn’t even tell this guy whether any work had even started on the engine.
At the same time as all this, the client began to hear from sources he considered credible that Singer was in financial trouble due to the cost of the Dynamic and Lightweight Study (DLS) project.
Throughout all these problems, my friend expressed his considerable concerns with his contacts at Singer. However, never did he receive any communication from any of the higher-ups at Singer corporate. Mind you, Singer bills itself as a bespoke car manufacturer where Everything is Important and calls its product Porsche Perfected. They build a handful of vehicles a year for $700K to north of $1.5M. Here you have a client who experienced screw up after screw up (unprecedented and extraordinary errors, per Singer). The client is looking at an incomplete shell 3 years after starting the project. You’d think he would at least get a call from a higher-up at Singer. Maybe something from CEO Mazen Fawaz or Creative Director Rob Dickinson reassuring the client that they’d be spurring things along toward a successful outcome, or at least showing that they were even aware of the repeated fumbles and huge delay in the promised delivery timeframe. Nothing of the sort ever came.
I can’t speak to the ultimate outcome, but I can say that I wouldn’t go through the process of a Singer build after hearing the details of this particular fellow’s experience.
12-04-2019, 12:44 PM
