Porsche 911 fettled by Singer
Vehicle Design is already a pretty special piece of kit. But Porsche enthusiast
and long-time client Scott Blattner is not most people – he had specific ideas
on how to turn his 1990 Porsche 964 into one that is lighter and faster.
As such, the Californian concern got together with
Williams Advanced Engineering – under the same company as the
championship-winning Formula One constructor – on a “Dynamics and
Lightweighting Study.”
Williams optimised the underbody and surface aerodynamic
performance through computational flow dynamics (CFD), with another Porsche
icon Robert Singer roped in as a consultant. The bodywork is made completely
out of carbon fibre to achieve a minimum weight of just 990 kg, and the front
splitter and the slotted roof design have both been shaped using CFD.
At the front, larger intakes feed the oil cooler,
while the fenders – already fairly broad on “regular” Singers – have been
stretched still further to accommodate the extra track width. Those fenders hide
centre-lock 18-inch forged magnesium monobloc wheels by BBS Motorsport, shod
with bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, and there are also Brembo carbon
composite brakes with monobloc callipers.
Elsewhere, the suspension components are lighter and
feature enhanced geometry and improved adjustability, paired with custom EXE-TC
dampers. Those holes in the rear side windows are part of a ram-air intake to
force air into the massively uprated engine.
That engine is a quad-cam, naturally-aspirated
air-cooled flat-six that has been bored out to 4.0 litres in capacity, boosting
output to a heady 500 hp. There are dual-oil circuits, new cylinders and
pistons with titanium con-rods, aluminium throttle bodies with carbon-fibre
trumpets, new upper and lower injectors, a carbon fibre air box, an Inconel and
titanium exhaust system and an enlarged engine cooling fan.
Paired to the mill – which revs all the way to 9,000
rpm – is a Hewland magnesium six-speed manual transmission with a gorgeous
exposed linkage. To hone the car, Singer has enlisted the help of race car
driver Marino Franchitti and Top Gear host Chris Harris, who worked in close
collaboration with Williams’ dedicated vehicle development team.
Production will be limited to just 75 units at
Williams’ campus in Grove, Oxfordshire, with Singer working closely with the
owner to tailor the car to suit – whether it be stripped bare for the track,
kitted up for intercontinental touring duty or anywhere in between. Pricing is
dependent on the client’s wishes, and with “standard” examples already fetching
a pretty penny, rest assured it won’t be cheap.
The car you see here, in Absinthe with Blood Orange
highlights, is Blatter’s, and two other collectors Jan Koum and Mark Evenstad
also supported the project and expressed interest. What do you think of
Singer’s creation? Sound off in the comments section after the jump.