The seldom-seen results of Singer’s Dynamics and Lightweighting Study (DLS) will be shown on the Michelin stand in Hall 5 at the Geneva motor show from March 5-17, 2019. Working with Williams Advanced Engineering—part of the UK-based Williams Grand Prix Engineering Group—and other technical partners including Michelin, Singer Vehicle Design went in pursuit of the most advanced air-cooled Porsche 911 in the world, inspired by Singer client and Porsche enthusiast Scott Blattner’s request for lightweighting and high-performance enhancements for his 1990 Porsche 964.
The result has received plenty of publicity and was one of the stars of the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed, but this is another chance to see it—and it’s worth seeing up-close to appreciate the extent of the work that has gone into it. That includes the normally-aspirated, aircooled Porsche flat-six, developed by Williams Advanced Engineering with technical advice and consultancy from legendary Porsche engineer Hans Mezger. It’s reckoned to produce 500hp at 9000rpm, makes extensive use of magnesium and lightweight materials to reduce mass, and runs on lightweight throttle bodies with F1-inspired upper and lower injectors to optimize performance and drivability.
Williams Advanced Engineering also worked with former Porsche race engineer Norbert Singer to re-assess every surface of the car through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. As a result, front axle lift was eliminated by the redesign of the front oil-cooler intake and venting, and a new front splitter, the shape of the famous ducktail spoiler was optimized, and the roof channel and roof/rear window spoiler redesigned to work with the ducktail and diffuser to generate downforce at rear. To reduce weight, every panel is now carbon fiber bodywork, unique to DLS, and the engine has been moved forward and other components reallocated to the front trunk area for better mass distribution.
It also features ABS, traction control and electronic stability control (ESC) systems calibrated for DLS by Bosch, lightweight multi-link, double wishbone, front suspension and aluminium rear trailing arms, with integral brake cooling, bespoke mass-optimized dampers with remote adjustment, a Hewland six-speed gearbox and Brembo CCM-R carbon ceramic high performance, lightweight brake discs and monobloc calipers. Rob Dickinson, founder and creative director of Singer Vehicle Design summarises: “Singer Vehicle Design’s philosophy for the last decade has been Everything is Important. No detail is too small to be worthy of consideration in pursuit of an encounter with perfection.”
Images courtesy of Singer Vehicle Design
