911 icon: Rob Dickinson

The Singer Vehicle Design founder has ignited a lasting passion for the 964 generation and inspired an entire sub-industry for reimagining classic cars

The founder of Singer Vehicle Design is responsible for a subgenre of backdates and making 964s trendy again

The guest editor of Total 911’s milestone 200th issue, Rob Dickinson’s meteoric rise to prominence in the Porsche industry has been spectacular over the past decade or so. His company, Singer Vehicle Design, has turned the automotive landscape on its head with its striking ability to breathe stunning new life into old 911s, creating an entirely new subgenre of extremely detailed, bespoke restorations in the process.

Dickinson’s infatuation with the 911 began at the age of five when, from the seat of the family’s VW Beetle, his father pointed out a Porsche 911 overtaking them on the Autoroute in the south of France.

Success in the music industry would allow for Dickinson to indulge in his 911 passion while growing up in his native Britain, but it’s fair to say a move to California had an everlasting effect on both his personal passion and profession. Singer was borne out of Dickinson’s own 1969 911E, which he bought in 2003 and modified into a cafe racer-style hot rod. The ‘Brown Bomber’ as it became known, gained notoriety around the Hollywood hills and, after offers were continuously received from passers-by wishing to buy it, Dickinson realised his eye for detail was unique. Singer was duly founded in 2009, Dickinson telling us, “I just had a desperate idea that we could restore old 911s… modifying them in such a