There’s nothing quite as luxurious than making something truly your own and a one of a kind. Knowing that yours is the only one in the world like it, whether that be a piece of clothing, art, a house, or even a car, is a very powerful feeling.
In the automotive space Singer Vehicle Design offers clients this luxury experience in the restoration of a Porsche 911 (964) in their very own personal style with elements of real significance for themselves. The result may look less conspicuous at first glance to some, but on deeper inspection, they’re as bold as the people behind the builds.
In most cases that person has been male, as a love of cars traditionally runs from father to son. Among the hundreds of Singer commissions there are just a handful that have been fashioned by women. Driven Women Magazine has delved into the inspiration of a few of those remarkable women who have commissioned or purchased their very own Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer.
For each of these women, cars and particularly Porsche 911s, already held a special place in their lives. Whether it be growing up with a father who owned and loved them or being exposed later in life through their family, 911s were “the car” that sparked their automotive passion.
Individual style doesn’t necessarily mean overly bold or aggressive and these women acknowledge that only a select few will recognise and appreciate the significance and elegance of their Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer. These nuances can provide a level of anonymity in the supercar scene that something more overt, like a Lamborghini, Ferrari, or McLaren, does not – often leading to more meaningful moments when talking to people who understand what a Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer represents.
Coconut Grove
Both professionally and personally, Madali Donato has been exposed to many marques and models, but the heritage and design philosophy of the Porsche 911 is what captured her imagination and held it over the years. For Madali, the timelessness and integrity of the Porsche 911 reflects the qualities that she values in all aspects of design. With Singer Vehicle Design Madali found the perfect alignment between her creative sensibilities and her love of the vintage look of the 964 Porsche 911.
“I’ve always been drawn to things that honour tradition while making bold, thoughtful design statements. My home, my personal style—they all reflect this balance between respecting classic elements while creating something fresh and distinctive. Singer does exactly this with its reimagination of the 911, preserving its soul while elevating every aspect through meticulous attention to detail. As someone with strong aesthetic opinions, I appreciated the opportunity to create something truly personal,” Madali shared with Driven Women Magazine.
Madali had a clear vision of what she wanted to create with Singer – her 911 was to be distinctly feminine, reflecting her sense of self and to stand out from her husband’s car collection. That personal style is influenced by Madali’s strong tastes and creativity that have led her to be drawn to rich, unexpected colours that make a confident statement.
“There was also a bit of strategy involved,” Madali told Driven Women Magazine. “I thought if I made it feminine enough, my husband and son might be less inclined to borrow it! That part of my plan wasn’t entirely successful, as they’ve ended up loving the specs as much as I do.”
The rich aubergine leather interior was non-negotiable on Madali’s commission, which she named ‘Coconut Grove’ for the area it resides. From start to finish her restoration with Singer took approximately two and a half years and the anticipation made the final delivery much more rewarding for Madali. She loves everything about her restored 911 from the looks, colour spec, engine sound, and the smooth ride.
“I love personalised items and it has been the ultimate luxury to be able to customise my own Singer restoration. Just as I’ve balanced practicality with creativity throughout my life, creating this very special car allowed me to express my personal aesthetic within a world that often defaults to more conservative choices,” said Madali.
For Madali what stood out the most about the experience with Singer was how it represented the intersection between automotive excellence and personal expression. Madali wants more women to feel empowered to bring their unique vision to spaces traditionally dominated by men, whether that’s in car collecting, business, or any other passion.
“In a world where luxury cars often follow predictable paths, Singer gives you the freedom to create something truly yours. There’s something powerful about claiming your space and doing it with your own distinctive style,” reflected Madali.
Madali admits that she doesn’t drive her bespoke 911 nearly enough as it is located at her second home in Miami, Florida. But when she is there, Madali makes it a priority to take it out, preferably during quieter hours when there’s less traffic so she can truly appreciate what makes a Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer so special.
The Bear
Growing up, the now 23-year-old Sophie Garner and her sister shared a strong bond with their mother over a love of horses. Seeking an equally strong relationship with her father, Sophie made a conscious decision at an early age to share his passion of cars. As time progressed, Sophie became more and more involved in the purchasing and designing of her father’s car collection, and it was this process that led to Sophie discovering her knack for design.
This road eventually took Sophie and her father to Singer’s US headquarters in Torrance where she had the opportunity to be involved in collaborating on the creation of their Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer. Sophie’s father allowed her to spearhead the design of ‘The Bear’ commission because it was a once in a lifetime experience where she would be able to realise many design ideas that would not be considered elsewhere.
Demonstrating further the thought that went into the bespoke design of ‘The Bear’, even before their first trip to Singer’s California home, Sophie and her family had decided that the commission would also be a play on her mother’s equestrian facility, ‘The Palms’ in San Marcos. Initially this was to be an orange 911 with a brown interior reminiscent of the Hermes colours, a bright full-bodied orange paired with a rich chocolate brown, but ultimately, they decided that a dark brown exterior paired with a tasteful orange interior would be more unique. The leather that is used for saddles, bridles, and apparel such as boots or helmets is oftentimes a deep dark brown colour, so the exterior body colour of ‘The Bear’ is meant to reflect this.
From start to finish it took about three years to complete the restoration, with customisation alone taking about six months from the initial design meeting until everything was finalised. ‘The Bear’ name for their commission isn’t simply a play on the unique brown colour and size of their Porsche 911, there’s a bit more of a story to it than that. Sophie’s middle name is Dare, it’s a family name, passed down from her great-grandmother on her mother’s side of the family. The unique colour that ‘The Bear’ is painted in, is actually named ‘Dare Bear Brown’.
“For me, the most significant feature of the car is its exterior colouring as we collaborated to create a one-of-one colour choice, no other car will ever have this exact shade of brown that the Singer team and I were able to produce together. Additionally, I was able to influence and elevate a distinct colour to be tailored into exactly what I was seeking. While to the casual eye, the colour appears to be a pretty standard deep root beer colour, when exposed to natural light, the gold metallic flecks we added to the original paint colour become really exposed,” explained Sophie. This artistic characteristic achieved within Singer’s own paint facility has become a signature style, keeping every colour choice unique to the owner and furthering the brand’s ‘special wish’ collaborations.
Another bespoke feature of the build is found within the centre gauge of the driver’s dash. The logo of her mother’s equestrian venue, something the family refers to as “the chubby horse” etched in chocolate brown atop an orange backdrop and features a 24k gold tachometer with all the dashboard gauges featuring gold plated trim.
The experience of commissioning ‘The Bear’ with Singer has led Sophie, a recent Communications graduate, to pursue her love for beauty and fashion into a design role within the automotive industry.
“The process of reimagining a 911 with Singer was absolutely unlike anything I have ever done before in my life. While I have been exposed to luxury atmospheres since I was small, I have never experienced the level of customisation, attention to detail, and above and beyond service that Singer presented. Not only is the quality of the item absolutely top of the line, the entire experience is extremely enjoyable and approachable for the client. I had never been able to realise my ideas in the way that I was when working alongside the team at Singer,” concluded Sophie.
Australian Commission
In 2015, a cardiothoracic surgeon in Melbourne came across Singer Vehicle Design and fell in love with the cars, the concept, the colours, the interior, and basically everything else about the global luxury brand. She was even more excited when Australian luxury dealer group Zagame became the Australian local distributor for Singer and she could finally order one of her own. It turned out that her own donor 964 Porsche 911 was a year too old to be restored by Singer and after some discussions with her husband over the cost, Singer closed their books and she thought she had missed out.
Twelve to eighteen months later, the surgeon and her husband were having breakfast in a car showroom in Melbourne and they heard another customer mention that there was a restored Porsche 911 by Singer quietly being offered for sale at Zagame. They drove straight there, if only to see one of these moving masterpieces in real life, and Ed Butler from Zagame introduced them to the ‘Australian Commission’.
“It was spec’d in a very similar colour palette to what I had planned in my mind for my own Singer restoration. But best of all, my husband fell in love with it; he was blown away by the curves, the design, the look; and said that I had to buy it! So, I bought it that day,” she excitedly recalled.
The ‘Australian Commission’ is Harbour Blue with a pale grey/blue woven leather interior. The new owner took on her own minor customisation letting Zagame tweak a few little things to her personal preferences, like the pedal alignment to improve the ability to heel-toe around the track. She additionally ordered a pair of the track bucket seats that will be fitted soon, which she has admired since she first saw an example of Singer’s services on the internet. The seats pictured here are those originally fitted to ‘Australian Commission’ and are an example of the 4-way touring seats.
“I was fortunate enough to be able to take it to Sandown racetrack for a drive and it was so much fun. It is a 5-speed manual, with a lovely stiff suspension and beautifully responsive steering – it just loved racing around the track.
I also had the opportunity to drive an example of Singer’s all-new Classic Turbo services around Sandown (late last year) – that is an amazing car. The power is phenomenal and the traction control makes it feel so safe – even when it was pouring with rain at Sandown. The differences between the two variants create a separate driving desire – whereas my Classic is very analogue, and stripped down to the raw driving experience, the Classic Turbo feels completely different with more of a grand touring feel. You could drive the Turbo all day comfortably and in all weather conditions,” said the owner of the ‘Australian Commission’.
“My Dad bought a 911SC in 1978, it was apple green and his pride and joy. Being Italian, he really wanted a Ferrari but we are a very tall family and he didn’t fit in a Ferrari. I used to go to the Motor Show each year with my dad (my brother was completely uninterested in cars) and that is how my love of cars, but really specifically Porsche began,” she shared. Though her dad was not a track driver, she recalled that he appreciated the workmanship, the reliability and of course, the look and sound of the car – all aspects she can relate to with her current Classic restoration by Singer.
Singer uniquely offers a classic 1970s Porsche look, enhanced by today’s technology, and without the inevitable problems that arise from owning and driving a fifty-year-old vehicle. Singer also allows their clients the luxury to indulge (almost) their every whim from a design point of view in a vehicle that will be exclusively re-created just for them.
Though we’ve often heard, “it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind,” these women had a very clear vision of what they wanted and went for it – driving away with their own piece of perfection, thanks to their collaboration with Singer.
Photographs supplied by Singer Vehicle Design.