When you think about famous Australian singers the likes of Michael Hutchence, Kylie Minogue, Keith Urban, or Tina Arena, may come to mind? In the automotive world though it’s Singer Vehicle Design, a global luxury brand that has tuned the ultimate classic hits compilation album of the Porsche 911, who has become almost as popular in Australia as these lyrical superstars.
Founded in Los Angeles in 2009 by Rob Dickinson, the former lead singer of the British band the Catherine Wheel, Singer was a pioneer in the resto-mod scene for Porsche 911s. The name ‘Singer’ pays homage to renowned Porsche engineer Norbert Singer as well as acknowledging Dickinson’s previous career as a vocalist.
Singer’s bespoke automotive services began as a piece of Southern California culture and the company is now recognised internationally as a luxury brand with a mission to create the ultimate, enduring collection of iconic design – be it a Porsche 911, or additionally with their own limited edition high-watchmaking award-winning chronographs.
Since the restoration of the very first Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer, hundreds of enthusiasts from around the world have put down their hard-earned cash to collaborate with Singer on restoring their own perfect Porsche 911, with many housing more than one in their own garages.
After 15 years of incremental growth, Singer most recently moved its headquarters from seven original Southern California workshops into a new, enlarged, 115,000 square ft operational facility in Los Angeles to meet the demand from new and existing customers, while still combining its own handcrafted artistry with personal customisation from its owners. A second Singer facility with the same ‘obsession-to-detail’ culture and artisan skills resides within the United Kingdom, which also houses the majority of Singer’s engineering team.
Having restored more than 400 naturally aspirated coupes and Targas worldwide, Singer have now turned their hand to Classic Turbo services, taking the same model Porsche 911 (Type 964) and reimagining it in honour of the renowned 930 Turbo of the mid-Seventies. The original 964 was available in Coupé, Targa, and Cabriolet bodyshell styles, and similarly, Singer can restore the same variations, along with the addition of the extremely rare Classic Turbo ‘Slantnose’ variant (of which all 25 restoration slots have already been sold!)
Australia is currently Singer’s third largest market globally (following the United States and United Kingdom), already delivering more than 13 commissions to date including five of the 75 limited-edition and UK-built Dynamic and Lightweighting Study (DLS) restorations, with another 50 overall commissions on order to be delivered into Australia and New Zealand in the coming years. Those on order include all Singer variations ranging from Classic, Classic Turbo, DLS and DLS Turbo. Should an owner place a deposit to spec their own Porsche 911 to be restored by Singer today, they would not receive their pride and joy until the end of 2027.
According to Charlie Blonigan, Global Partner Manager at Singer, having strong international partners like Zagame Automotive Group within localised markets, creates trust, while eliminating any potential client anxiety when it comes to logistics, import and registration needs.
“Zagame’s decades of experience in hospitality and client service, paired with their incredible understanding of the luxury automotive space in Australia perfectly integrates with our mantra that ‘Everything is Important,’ said Blonigan. “We always strive to align ourselves with partners who deliver an unrivaled customer experience in their own market.”
Pricing is of course dependent on the specification, however, it’s important to note that Singer’s Classic Turbo Services go well beyond the cost of the initial donor 964 vehicle, and include a restoration that has been fully customised to suit its owner. Singer’s services begin at roughly AU$1.4 million with a completed restoration averaging about AU$2.3 million – and like fine art, may appreciate over time.
Cars restored through Singer’s Classic Turbo services are powered by the original Mezger flat six from the client’s 964-generation Porsche 911, enlarged from 3.6L to 3.8L and fitted with a pair of BorgWarner turbos from a 992-generation Porsche 911. There are two levels of output that owners can select being either 336kW to 380kW, with 542Nm of torque for both. With a Singer restoration though it’s not just about the engine power output, but the presentation as well, including the beauty of the engine bay! These machines are recognised by enthusiasts worldwide as automotive sculptures and could easily be put on display in any modern museum of contemporary art.
The restoration of the engine is just the start of the Singer process though, with modified carbon fibre bodywork replacing the original steel panels, apart from the doors which retain that satisfying thud when they are closed. As an example, Singer’s attention to detail is such that the black rubber and plastic pieces on the original 930 Turbo are even recreated with special soft-touch rubberised paint.
Inside the cabin, Singer will retrim the 911 to whatever specification the owner would like and this is more often than not a collaboration of a client’s entire family. This owner chose Cognac leather with Porsche’s iconic Pascha upholstery on the seats. While the dash has open-grained wood veneer combined with original switches, stalks and HVAC controls, and a bespoke instrument cluster. Modern features like the sat nav, phone charging, and USB ports have been subtlety placed within the design.
For me, it’s almost offensive to call the Porsche 911s restored by Singer ‘resto-mods’, because they are more like artistic and engineering marvels to which nothing compares with on the road. Obsessive details by Singer’s skilled craftspeople and fabricators can be illustrated when noting the panel gaps – absolutely faultless – each being measured to an exact 4mm!!! In fact, Singer artisans utilise gloves with sandpaper stuck on the ends of their fingers so that they can reach into the tightest of gaps and sand the carbon fibre panels to perfection. This ensures that Singer’s painting process can be flawless and so on, with every step and craftsperson in the restoration process singing from Dickinson’s ‘everything is important’ songbook.
I exclusively discovered these details first-hand at a recent owner’s day held at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne, where an example of Singer’s Classic Turbo services previously displayed at Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year, was on hand for Singer owners and potential owners to test drive.
Zagame Automotive Group’s Director of Business Development, Ed Butler, spoke with Driven Women Magazine during the day at Sandown and mentioned the pride he feels with his organisation’s association with Singer.
“Zagame is the only dealership in Australia where you can spec a Singer restoration – and we are thrilled with the enthusiasm we are finding for Singer from new and existing clients,” said Butler. “Our clients are excited with the on-track opportunities Singer is providing – watching the sheer joy that has been shared is as exhilarating as the cars themselves.”
As the only invited journalist within a group of owners and those already associated with the brand, I was captivated by the shared experience and eager to gain a passenger slot. With Singer’s Ambassador and chief test driver Marino Franchitti behind the wheel, I had the opportunity to experience a Classic Turbo commission around the equally historic racetrack at Sandown. Marino is obviously a skilled racing driver, but he could also effortlessly hold a conversation with me as we went around Sandown at a pretty swift pace.
Marino told me how he has spent his life surrounded by strong women who have a passion for cars, including both of his grandmothers, his mother, and also his wife Holly Mason, second daughter of Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and a racer of historic cars herself.
The Classic Turbo restoration by Singer doesn’t have the 1970s all-or-nothing turbo boost, but rather a more pleasant build up before the turbos really kick in. According to Marino the car is “very engaging for the driver” and with the Bosch traction control system there are five different settings available and although it has been tested on track the suspension setup and the like is more a road car or a grand tourer than a track weapon. You can hear the turbochargers whistling and the engine pops, bangs and crackles, but it’s just fuel and hot exhaust doing their things rather than a computer programed soundtrack.
And driving Singer’s rendition of the iconic Turbo, takes Marino back in time. The shape of a Porsche 911 930 rear quarter reversing out of his family’s garage was one of Marino’s first childhood memories with his father owning one for a time when Marino was about two years old. His father couldn’t afford to keep it, so it was sold, but the story doesn’t end there. Marino’s brother, retired motorsports racer and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, located his father’s 911 a few years back and then returned it to him. His father was overcome with emotion and now drives it on special occasions.
“Porsches were my passion from that point and what I love about the Porsche 911s restored by Singer are that they have all the cues of an old Porsche, but it is all brand new, driving more like a modern car, but without losing the soul of what I love about air-cooled 911 Porsches,” Marino told Driven Women Magazine. “That for me is what makes every Singer restoration special. They’re the perfect blend of old and new,” Marino continued.
Marino was friends with Singer founder and executive chairman Rob Dickinson and CEO Mazen Fawaz for some time and was a fan of what they were doing from the brand’s beginning. He describes working with them among the greatest joys of his life. They would often talk over a beer about the “what ifs” in terms of how far they could go with light weighting and modern technology in old Porsche 911s, with their early conversations ultimately becoming the company’s Dynamic Lightweighting Study (DLS). As Marino was intricately involved with the DLS program from performance testing to a technical advisory role, he describes the lightweight performance version as his favourite among the Singer restored 911s, with its high revving naturally aspirated engine and the incredible technology unpinning it.
Through Marino, Singer’s introduction was made to Williams Advanced Engineering and four years later Singer’s DLS services were revealed during the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Each of the 75 limited-edition DLS commissions were assembled in Northampton UK and have all been delivered, with individual vehicles costing in the vicinity of AU$4 million. Beyond five DLS customer commissions that have found their homes in Australia, an additional three DLS turbo commission are on order for the region.
Those in the Australia/New Zealand area interested in customising their very own Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer, can contact Ed Butler from Zagame Automotive Group for more information. Contact via zag.com.au
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine unless otherwise noted.