Daily Slideshow: Does This 500HP Singer Make You Rethink Classic Porsches?
There are certain stars in the automotive firmament that seem to shine brightest, two of these have come together to create the ultimate air-cooled Porsche.
1. Singer, Meet Williams
California's Singer has great aspirations. In their own words they ". . . are dedicated to the passionate study, preservation, and optimization of the world’s most respected high-performance vehicles through modern techniques and unique and fresh perspectives." They'd also like you to take a look at the watch they sell, though currently when you click to 'Learn More' about their chronograph, you'll be transported to the page for their newest project, "a client-commissioned Dynamics and Lightweighting Study undertaken with Williams Advanced Engineering and other technical partners." Those other technical partners include manufacturers Michelin, Brembo, and BBS Motorsport, along with advisors Norbert Singer, Hans Mezger, and racing driver Marino Franchitti.
2. Client Cooperation
Making good on their goal to ". . . add modern techniques and unique perspective. In true collaboration with our clients . . . ," Singer was eager to work with Scott Blattner, the client who commissioned the light-weighting, and other performance modifications, for his 1990 Porsche 964. Scott recounted the genesis of this project: “The guys at Singer have always been receptive to the question “What if?” So, the question became…what if Singer worked on restoring and modifying my beloved 27-year old Porsche 964, with the assistance of an engineering concern born from the world of F1. How would such a car look and how would it perform?” High-profile Singer clients Jan Koum and Mark Evenstad joined the 964-only effort, the results of which are now available to 75 lucky buyers.
3. Results
The result of the meeting of these impressive minds, The Dynamics and Lightweighting Study (DLS), is a car weighing as little as 2,180 lb. The Singer-Williams DLS cars, which will all be built at Singer's facility on the Williams Advanced Engineering campus in Oxfordshire, England, achieve this impressive result in part through the use of a magnesium Hewland six-speed transmission, magnesium wheels, and other assorted carbon fiber and titanium bits.
4. Exclusive Bits
Among those bits are exclusive-to-DLS items such as Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, 18-inch BBS magnesium wheels, Brembo calipers and carbon composite rotors, and bespoke EXE-TC damping. The suspension enhancements include updated geometry as well as components that further shave weight... or add "lightweight". The team also had a look at the aero aspect of the 964 using computational fluid dynamics, resulting in a slippery shape that provides the additional air required by an updated powerplant.
5. Five Hundred Steeds
About that engine, Williams Advanced Engineering developed a 4.0-liter flat-six that's air-cooled, naturally. The boxer unit features four valves per cylinder, a remarkable 9,000rpm+ redline, dual-oiling circuits, titanium connecting rods, twin injection, and ram air induction. These changes help enable the engine to put out 500 naturally-aspirated horsepower.
6. Tomorrow Never Knows
The wheels and tires aren't the only exclusives to DLS vehicles, you've probably noticed another one—the striking "absynthe" green paint applied to the example in these photos, paired here with a "blood-orange" interior. Cost depends on which options are chosen by the owners of each of the cars. With this new collaboration and Singer's obvious designs on upmarket manufacturing expansion, one wonders what the future holds? Will Singer partner with Williams to produce a unique, McLaren-like marque? Or will Porsche take the California company into the fold à la Mercedes and AMG? Only tomorrow knows.
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