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What Singer creates when they restore and modify 964s isn’t really original in terms of the base idea—backdated 911s with engine swaps and bigger wheels have been around for quite some time now, and in terms of outright performance RUF sort of, you know, exists—but the work is elevated to a unique space because of the company’s meticulous attention to detail; the importance they place on a door handle for instance: which material to use, how to finish it, how it should feel to the touch and how it reflects the sunset. They build the pieces that would otherwise be borrowed, they place an equal degree of importance on the car’s aesthetic presence as its mechanical aptitude, and really, they touch everything to ensure that the amalgamation of all those covetable little details results in a car that people call by name and not by mod-list.
There seems to be a mandate of thoroughness in the Singer philosophy that allows each component to stand alone as a reflection of the entire machine, but in a sense, Singer-modified 911s can be boiled down to very well done resto-mods commissioned by people with open checkbooks and built by people who really know what they’re doing. I like Porsches as much and probably more than the next guy wishing one were in his garage, but it would also be nice to see car enthusiasts clamoring for a different top-shelf resto-mod, for lack of a better term.
I’m sure you can point me to numerous examples of shops making something in line with that, but let’s play in the hypothetical space where life’s more fun and we all have multi-bay garages stuffed full of toys that repel dust and never run out of fuel. So, if money were no object, which car would you give the “Singer treatment” to? What’s your base car? What’s going under the hood? How would you modify the body? What does the cockpit look and feel like?
A BMW E24 with Group 2-inspired bodywork and a hot S54 under the hood might get my vote, but what do you think? How about a Ferrari 355 with one of their recent turbocharged transverse eights nestled in an enlarged bay? Maybe a Nissan 240Z with a G-nose, GTR running gear, and an interior full of Alcantara and perforated leather? A first-gen fastback Mustang would be pretty sweet with a flat-plane V8 and a Trans-Am look with none of the roughness. It’s more than just engine swaps that we’re concerned with, so if you already have your dream car fully trimmed, by all means go into the details—they’re topical here.
Image sources:
635csi: 1-3
240Z: 1-2
240ZG: 1, 2, 3
355: 1, 2
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I’m think of a similar theme but in a different direction. How about a singerfied Lincoln MK V? Instead of making it fast as possible, make it comfy as possible. I would still put a more modern engine in it, something powerful enough to move to highway speeds at a modern pace, but also have auto start stop and cylinder deactivation, replace the original suspension with the Magnetorheological suspension that Cadillac makes, and yes I understand the hypocrisy in this but, it’s an amazing suspension. And the interior, give it the softest comfiest bench seats you can, so you can have the space in your mobile living room to spread out, as well as all the modern self driving aids around!
To run with the idea of a serious driver’s car that deserves some quality engineering upgrades I’d go with early Lotus – something like the Europa with a carbon monocoque, fizzing engine and updated ride/handling would be a rare treat. I’d also fancy a Stratos but rather than using an original as a donor you’d have to pretty much start from scratch – a bit like Hawk did but to a far higher, more reliable standard.
As suggested by Mister Hughes. a Karmann Ghia Coupe would make a great base for Singer as they have aged so well and are beautiful even this day. The Ghia wouldn’t require major bodywork, just minor touch-ups.
Just imagining a two tone in “pampas green” with the chrome switched to brushed steel, makes me want to take a loan and sell a kidney, to actualise it.
A 1969 Ford Capri.
The car never received the performance that the design deserved, so I think the engine from a Mustang GT350 would fit nicely, as it is a flat-plane-crank V8 and thereby resamples its American roots by being a V8 and European influence by its ability to rev all the way to 8000 rpm. The engine should be tuned down a notch to around the 300 hp, maybe 350 hp so it wouldn’t feel overpowered and too unpredictable to enjoy on a twisty road. The suspension, transmission and brakes, would off course, be upgraded to accommodate the engine.
The Ford Escort RS Cosworth.
This a dream-car for me and defiantly among the top 5 cars I want to own.
It has racing history in the WRC, driven by the legendary Colin McRae and just summarises the 90’s perfectly for me, with its widened wheelarches, giant laggy turbo and the symbolical wing that even a F1 could be envious off.
The RS lack the classiness and elegance that the 911 possesses, so I am very curious to how Singer would approach this car. Would they focus on suspension and performance to create an amazing drivers car for the back road twisties or maybe lift the overall quality of the car by cleaning small details on the exterior and update the interior with exotic materials.
I tend to get a little carried away when I come across a lovely subject like this, that allows diversity and sharing interesting ideas with fellow petrolheads, so if you have read this far, thank you.
A Mk1 Escort with the Zakspeed style bodywork or similar, a Millington Diamond Series II engine, and double wishbone all round (we don’t need to stay in the Stone Age). The interior would be minimal leather for seating, but with Alcantara for remaining trim and A/C, so not totally stripped out. Kind of a Ford equivalent to the Alfaholics GTA-R 290, but better.
Audi ur-Quattro.
Great drive, amazing history. Despite their appeal, the Audi I owned from that era had some serious engineering issues and areas where build quality was light at best. Restoring to factory original condition wouldn’t interest me. Restoring with a few upgrades would be incredibly interesting.
The Singer idea was to take an undervalued car with huge potential and make it special. Miatas, E30s, and Volvo 240s are good examples of relatively inexpensive, well engineered cars that are still plentiful, have parts availability, and can be blank canvases for creativity. The Datsun 510 has been the poster child of this idea for years. Singer just applied an ungodly amount of anal retention to the concept.
1963 Corvette
-dry sump 427 cu. in. LS with individual throttle body injection disguised with Delmo’s dress up kit to look like an old 327 SBC
-rear 6 spd transaxle from C6 corvette
-interior redone to the same standard as current Singer
-factory exterior in Daytona Blue
-Van Steel/Wilwood “big brakes” behind original 15 “turbine knock off wheels with Avon CR6ZZ tires
-aftermarket frame with C6 corvette suspension
don’t know about the gt, but a british company named Frontline Developments make what they call an “MG Abingdon edition” of the convertible. It’s got a 2,5l I4 Mazda engine and a Mazda 6 speed transmission, a different suspesion setup and different brakes. The restoration of the base car itself is about as thorough as possible, so i would say it’s at least in the same category as a singer. They would probably make a similar one with the GT, as it is more or less is the same car.
I’ve always hoped Singer would consider “backdating” a Cayman. Make a Cayman look like a restored 1968 Cayman, with lots of painted sheet metal in the interior, nickel plated trim all over the place, old-fashioned alloy wheels, very little plastic, and a Singer oomph in the engine compartment. Give a great car a heritage it never had. It could be brilliant.
I think the more obvious choices are covered: Mustangs, BMW 2002s, Early Z cars. Going with something that is already exotic, like a Ferrari, misses the point a bit – despite the overheated aircooled P-car market, these were never meant to be high-flying exotics, but rather driver’s cars for serious drivers who appreciate originality and details, without drowning in flash. Ferraris, Dinos, and DeTomasos don’t fit that mold. The closest thing – and I’m very biased- would actually be the humble Miata.
It’s fairly well-known that with simple modifications the Miata goes from a fun weekend car to a very capable club racer. Turbo kits have been around for quite some time and have been very developed, with some tuners getting 300+ horsepower out of 1.8L Mazda BP engines – a characterful mill that goes with a turbo like peanut butter to jelly. Likewise, the suspension options are very developed. The aftermarket in general is enormous.
In terms of fit and finish, I’d take a “keep it 90s” approach and develop things using that aesthetic and palette, but with 2018 production and QC techniques. Replace everything vinyl in the cabin with leather, replace everything plastic with glossy or even matte carbon fiber, with some parts being made of brushed, satin finish aluminum for good measure. I’d stay away from the 60s retro vibe for these cars – they end up looking like pretenders. Miatas were some of the best value driver’s cars of the 90s, and they now deserve top level finishing reminiscent of that decade.
I loved the De Tomaso slight mods discussed somewhere else here, but I would say here that a singerification of a pre-war car would be just perfection. Maybe an old Bentley, or a Talbot Lago. The idea being that these cars are exquisitely crafted, but flawed due to their age, even restored, and so modern technology could make them more usable and enjoyable. A Morgan, basically…
Karmann Ghia Coupe : Maybe Singer could crack some of these out, not so very different from a 911
Ferrari 400/412 : A meticulously resto-modded Ferrari GT plz
Volvo Amazon : Can’t beat a nicely turned out retro wagon (I’d also be okay with a VW Type 3 Squareback)
Austin Healey frog-eye Sprite : Just because.
Hi Alex
There is irony that the first gen mustang mentioned, trans am look etc. As I own a 66 mustang I see a lot of resto mod mustangs which dilute the classic nature of the car for modern touches – it’s a tough balance and the feel becomes as you stated “rough.” What Singer do is lift the standard of 911 engineering, performance and generally a build quality that supports the bespoke nature of the car whilst not losing the classic feel and appearance. I have not seen that balance achieved with multiple production with a mustang as yet and hence Singers capability and philosophy is ideal on a 64 to 73 mustang.
Alex,
It’s Brandon with the BMW E38 M7. Glad to see the 240z mentioned. If you aren’t familiar, check out MZR Roadsports in the UK. They are building the closest thing you can get to a “Singer” 240z. I know the owner and would be happy to put you in touch for a feature on them. I promise it would be worth it! Their work is magnificent and the attention to detail is outstanding!
Brandon
I”m down with the Singerfied Z’s. Other fun one would be:
Old Beetles (Probably more of the Emory Outlaws treatment tbh)
MG Midgets’/ MGBs (modern brakes and a Fiesta Turbo 4)
Austin Mini’s (Modern JCW everything in the original body)
E30 M3’s
and…
NOw that 914’s are all hot and bothered in the market now, a Singer-fied 914-6 would be cool as hell!
Yeah, those would be fun to see.
My candidate is the third to mention the Lancia marquis. The still reasonable purchase price of a driver quality a Lancia Scorpion/Montecarlo leaves a lot of budget for some fantastic upgrades like Alfa Busso V6/Integrale/Thema 8:32 power, a leather interior that’s actually impressive, air-con that actually works, and all manner of other refinements.
It’s an achingly pretty 70’s Pininfarina design that deserves more than it got in terms of power, refinements and overall level of finish. I’d love to chase down a Renault Alpine in a Singer Montecarlo!
Take a look at the Ringbrothers Pantera https://ringbrothers.com/1971_pantera_adrnln