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Not mentioned in the film is that Roger has a well regarded Porsche tuning business located in the town of Stetten about an hour outside of Frankfort. The shop does tuning & maintenance. They have a line of custom components such as LED headlights and carbon fiber battery boxes. And, if you have the time and the money, they will also resto-mod your car. http://www.kaege-retro.com/
Amazing machine!
I’m a Porsche enthusiast, a year ago I was thinking of creating the ultimate collectible piece for Porsche lovers and I come up with this idea: https://kck.st/2EhRWCV I decided to build a CNC Fuchs replica wheel for my self and now I’m sharing the project with the community. The project was posted on Kickstarter a few weeks ago to see the response from the community. You guys are free to check it out, thanks.
I don’t think that George was down on Singer. He says in the beginning that he admires Singer enormously. However, George Kaege, like me, probably like you, like the founder of Singer himself, cannot, himself, afford a Singer. And some people who could, might actually prefer a car like George’s which does not have, for instance, a fully custom motor, and can be maintained to a very large degree out of the Porsche parts catalog. Kaege, goes a long way in the direction of building a ‘Singer-like’ car, without pulling out all the stops.
There is an inferiority complex broadly displayed by Roger Kaege. This is very evident, and it is clear he feels ashamed and guilty for copying another man’s work. Even his logo is designed to mimic Singer’s. I felt embarrassed for Kaege to watch him try to desperately justify his work. Petrolicious did themselves, this man, and Singer a great disservice in producing and publishing this piece.
@phyzul Singers are lovely cars. Each detail is exquisite. The leathers used, the level of polish on things like unseen fasteners is all extraordinary. Because of this uniqueness, the cost of operation of a Singer has to be as exceptional as the purchase price of the car itself. There is a lot to be said for a resto-mod that is done mostly out of a standard parts catalog. A Kaege restomod can actually be driven without incurring staggering costs. In several viewings I never hear Kaege say that he wishes that his cars were Signers. He is doing something else.
I get this and am heading down the same path with an Alfa I rescued. I think after redoing a few old ones, you realize that really you LOVE the style of old, the classic sense of design, but also appreciate all that a more recent car brings to the table in terms of everyday utility. To marry those two seems the ultimate to a car lover. Maybe too much race gas fumes, but the end goal drives us along. Cheers
I am beginning to understand why I like this series of videos so much. Roger Kaege built five bumpers for this car before he got the one he wanted. That fifth bumper was the one he sought. Whether he got the shape right on the first attempt or the sixth was irrelevant. There are few other places where people regard this behavior as reasonable. Yet, if you do this work, this is what it takes. Roger, the other commenters on this forum, and I know this. Most people have no idea. You all, and Roger, you understand.
Really outstanding Roger! I’d love to know how much this project cost to build. Then of course there’s one year’s worth of labor to account for. I’m sure the final number is nowhere near a Singer and how do you put a number on the amount of personal gratification you get from building something this beautiful with your own hands? I think the most brilliant aspect is the use of factory parts to keep the maintenance costs reasonable.I have to admit I prefer the look of the classic Momo steering wheel in the Singer but this interior is also fabulous especially the beautiful painted metal dash. Awesome!
Roger Kaege sells these cars. He has quoted EUR 350,000 (includes tax) plus the cost of a 993 donor (an additional EUR 60,000 at least). It costs extra if you want to customise the interior beyond what is offered in a 993. In US Dollars that is well over $500,000, which is the same as Singer and without any of the Singer customisation.