Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Reimagined by Singer is a Gorgeous Eighties-Inspired Car

Call it whatever you wish: this is, quite plainly, a beautiful car. It is the newest creation from California’s foremost reimaginer of Porsche 964s, drawing on an unusually specified 911 Carrera offered during the Eighties. This, in other words, is Singer at its most delightfully obsessive.

“In the 1980s you could order a new 911 Carrera with the pumped-up bodywork of the Turbo but powered by the company’s latest, naturally aspirated flat-six,” said Singer boss Rob Dickinson. “It became known as the Carrera with Super Sport Equipment.”

Officially, this new machine is called the Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Reimagined by Singer. The reason for that lengthy title is one everyone knows. In brief, it is a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre 964 dressed in a wonderfully Eighties-inspired outfit.

Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Reimagined by Singer restoration

The process starts with a donor 964, which is entirely dismantled and examined. These cars first appeared when Tim Berners-Lee was occupied with helping future generations watch dog videos on their phones, so every example is cleaned and prepared thoroughly for restoration.

Its stripped chassis is then comprehensively restored using techniques developed alongside Red Bull Advanced Technologies. No, it will not attempt an opportunistic dive up the inside. It is, however, reinforced to cope with 21st-century power – and there is plenty of that.

Singer’s excellent DLS programme will be familiar to many. Lessons from that project, including a four-valve cylinder head, have been applied to the 4.0-litre flat-six fitted here. Created with Cosworth, it is the first Singer engine to feature variable valve timing, as well as the firm’s first naturally aspirated unit with water-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. As mentioned, Singer is really geeking out here.

The result of that engineering enthusiasm is 414bhp, with the redline extending beyond 8,000rpm. It should sound exactly as glorious as expected, helped by a newly developed titanium exhaust system. A six-speed manual gearbox channels those titanium-enhanced horses to the rear wheels.

Chassis, brakes and Eighties bodywork

Keeping those horses under control are four-way electronically adjustable dampers, including a nose-lift function, plus carbon ceramic brakes. Five drive modes adjust the traction and stability control settings, while Michelin Pilot Sports sit around 18in wheels.

Now, about that new attire. The body is made entirely from carbon fibre, widened at both ends and fitted with a deep front spoiler for improved cooling. Buyers can also specify the whale-tail rear wing, for a greater visual impact.

Then there is the potentially more divisive option: “high performance auxiliary driving lights, rising from the front hood when activated and folding down flush when not in use”. Yes, everyone: a Porsche with pop-up headlights. We are wholeheartedly on board, because any opportunity to own a car equipped with pop-up headlights ought to be seized straight away.

Bespoke Singer cabin and limited production

The cabin brings still more drama. Every Singer is naturally bespoke and personalised – which explains why the two cars shown are not alike – but each broadly receives hand-built instruments, ‘traditional leatherworking techniques’ throughout, and technology deployed “with restraint”.

Production is restrained too: only 100 examples of the Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Reimagined by Singer will be offered. As for the price, do not ask. It all… depends.

“The Super Sport Equipment package was intended for what Porsche described as ‘the connoisseur of high performance’,” said Dickinson. “We’ve used this as inspiration for our latest services and as a home for this special engine. Hans Mezger’s masterpiece - restored, reimagined and reborn - is at the heart of the car”.

So, call it whatever you like. It remains quite simply a gorgeous car.