Singer’s Turbo
Iconic 911 Turbo is latest to get the Singer treatment, complete with 500bhp and an appropriately stratospheric pricing
IF YOU GREW UP WITH POSTERS OF Porsche’s wide-bodied and wildly bewinged 911 Turbo on your bedroom wall, then Singer Vehicle Design’s latest offering is all your four-wheeled adolescent fantasies come true.
Simply called the Turbo Study, it is the most literal of Singer’s works to date. Where the Classic is an unashamed amalgam of 911 greatest hits and the DLS a wild evolutionary experiment applying F1 thinking to create the last word in air-cooled performance, the Turbo applies Singer’s learnings with a lighter and more reverential touch.
As with all Singer’s projects, the Turbo Study is based on the 964-generation Porsche 911, the late-’80s-to-early-’90s models lending themselves perfectly to the kind of complete reworking for which the firm has gained an unrivalled reputation.
The Turbo Study’s looks are deceptive. What appears at first glance to be a subtle overall refinement of the 930 Turbo’s iconic signatures is actually far truer to Singer’s reimagined ethos. Immediately recognisable yet completely fresh, it is a distillation of Porsche’s 930 and 964-generation 911 Turbos, with all the neat touches, obsessive surfacing and laser-cut panel gaps we have come to expect from the Anglo-American concern.
Wider than a Classic, narrower than a DLS, it’s an immaculate piece of work from nose to whale tail. Pleasingly, the more you look, the more you see. Among our favourite details are the gill-like slits at the ends of the front bumpers, which offer a brilliant nod to the black rubber bellows of a 930’s impact bumpers. Likewise the functional repurposing of the ‘shark fin’ graphic on the flanks, more of which later.
The heart of the Turbo Study is, of course, its turbocharged Mezger flat-six. Built to Singer’s specifications by Porsche Motorsport North America, the 3.8-litre air-cooled motor features twin turbochargers with electronic wastegates. Bespoke air-to-water intercoolers sit inside the intake plenums for greater efficiency and neater packaging. In
addition, that iconic black ‘shark fin’ has been redesigned as a functional air intake that feeds cold air to the engine.
Power is quoted at 450bhp, though Singer states this is a starting point. We expect a figure of 500bhp to be more likely, perhaps with a number of driver-selectable engine maps. Given the bespoke nature of each customer commission, there’s every reason to expect some cars to be truer to the Touring ethos, while others will wish to push for a car with greater emphasis on harder-edged performance. Both will be very different in character from Singer’s naturally aspirated builds.
Emphasising the Turbo’s broad appeal, Singer says it can complete restorations in rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. A choice of standard Turbo-specific cast-iron brakes or optional carbon-ceramics (both with ABS as standard) offers further scope for tailoring to a customer’s needs. There’s no word on whether cars with be offered with an alternative to the six-speed manual gearbox. While it’s clear a Turbo would suit some kind of two-pedal offering, it would have to be something better than Porsche’s old-school Tiptronic. Perhaps a more sophisticated solution will come via a customer bold enough to request it via Singer’s Special Wishes programme.
Singer has used the Turbo Study to introduce a plusher and more luxurious interior. The instrument gauges are of a new design. Air-conditioning and heated, electrically
Turbo Study is a stunning blend of 930 and 964 generations, comprehensively reworked by Singer; note ‘shark fin’ side graphic repurposed to provide engine cooling. Interior is Singer’s most luxurious yet, suggesting a car built for touring in the grand style
adjustable seats promise the highest levels of comfort. If the reality is half as seductive as these images, the Malibu Sand leather and smooth fillets of Black Forest wood trim in this Wolf Blue car suggest the Turbo should be a fabulous car in which to cover serious miles.
As with Singer’s well-established Classic, Turbo restorations will be undertaken at the company’s brand new 115,000 sq ft facility in Torrance, California. It’s here that customers’ 964 donor cars will be stripped back to a bare tub before being completely restored to Turbo Study specification.
There is no ‘base’ price for any Singer, as the final cost is entirely dependent upon a customer’s vision. This said, Singer is suggesting a starting price of around $750,000 (`5.6 crore before Indian duties) for a Turbo, positioning it above the Classic but well below the DLS. Build numbers will not be limited in the manner of the DLS (all 75 of which have been sold and are currently being built at Singer’s UK facility).
Though the Turbo Study is an evolution of Singer’s current offerings, an extensive test and development programme is refining the set-up and establishing the durability and reliability befitting a restoration of this price and quality.
According to Singer’s CEO, Mazen Fawaz, interest in the Turbo Study among present Singer owners has been ‘incredible’ with more than 70 orders taken for restoration slots before anyone has so much as seen a finished car. This is consistent with the wider narrative of Singer’s relentless rise, Fawaz confirming that the company more than doubled sales between 2020 and 2021. It’s this growth that led Singer to expand from its old premises just north of Hollywood in Sun Valley, California to its new home in Torrance.
The Turbo Study is set for its international debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in late June, with an appearance at Monterey Car Week scheduled for August. We can’t wait to see (and hear!) it. ⌧