Singer Vehicle Design made its name by re-introducing the Porsche 911, but after announcing the results of its Dynamics and Lightweighting Study in 2018, the company seemed to have found the ultimate limit to how far it could go. could push in terms of performance and design. It seems that there would be more to come. This morning, Singer unveils the culmination of his client’s second major research and development project, the All Terrain Terrain Competition Study (ACS), which culminates in 911 rally races reborn to tackle Dakar or Baja.
“We at Singer are motorsport nerds in our hearts, and to demonstrate our understanding of the discipline, we need off-road vision to show deep legal competition evidence from the construction engineering to the bodybuilding ethos, to the mechanical package,” said Rob Dickinson , Singer’s founder and executive chairman, in the official announcement. “So much of what we’ve done over the past decade has been inspired by Porsche’s competitive success, and the off-road competition study offers us the opportunity to present that idea literally and vividly.”
Examples from the All Terrain Terrain competition study for Singer Vehicle Design for the Porsche 911.
Photo: Thanks to Singer Vehicle Design.
While influenced by the Porsche 911 SC / RS examples led by Rothmans at the 1980 World Championship (WRC), Rothmans won 12 prominent rally races in 1984 and 85 alone – the Singer in Southern California, selected the 1990 Porsche 964 platform for the ACS-adapted vehicles.
Singer’s collaboration with Richard Tuthill and his team, the winners of the East African Safari Classic in 2019, as well as numerous other top finishes in the sport, was crucial to the process. Tuthill, based in Oxfordshire, UK, also worked on the original Rothmans cars.
The permanent four-wheel-drive coupe with limited slip-on differential is significantly increased, and is powered by an air-cooled, 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged engine mated to a five-speed consecutive gearbox. According to Singer, production starts at 450 hp and 420-foot torque, but that depends on the intended form of competition. Underneath the carbon-fiber body panels are a reinforced monocoque chassis, a long-suspension system with five-way adjustable dampers (two per corner) and an enlarged fuel tank.
The permanent four-wheel drive coupe is powered by an air-cooled, 3.6-liter twin-turbo-flat-six engine mated to a five-speed consecutive gearbox.
Photo: Thanks to Singer Vehicle Design.
The entire package is molded on 8-inch x 16-inch forged aluminum wheels in BF Goodrich All-Terrain rubber and supplemented by four-piston monoblock disc brakes. On-board features include race-specific GPS navigation, some full-size spare tires and an integrated driver and navigator hydration system.
“It really was the chassis development that took a while,” Singer CEO Mazen Fawaz said during a conversation with Robb report about the study, which was about three years in the making. ‘Richard [Tuthill] led that. And then you have a body structure that had to be designed, and that’s a process that Rob does. [Dickinson] led. It’s not just a 911 with a roll cage. We knew we had to grow up. We do not really do trendy. We had to do something that would be a competitive off-roader. Fully designed, it’s like a WRC race car with a trophy truck in it. ”
Changes include carbon fiber body panels, a reinforced monocoque chassis, increased ride height, a long suspension system and an improved fuel tank.
Photo by Nick Dimbleby, courtesy of Singer Vehicle Design.
And Fawaz needs to know, because he raced trophy trucks with Formula 1 driver Jenson Button’s team, Rocket Motorsport, and plans to do it again this season. The test of the ACS-adapted Porsches will be done with a team consisting of Fawaz, Tuthill, the veteran of Le Mans, Marino Franchitti and the consultant Chris Harris.
The cabin has an integrated occupant hydration system and race-specific GPS navigation.
Photo by Nick Dimbleby, courtesy of Singer Vehicle Design.
According to Fawaz, the car’s first official event will probably be the Yokohama Mexican 1000 of the National Off-Road Racing Association in April. Once the delivery of the two vehicles – one in Parallax White and the other, more adapted for paved reconnaissance, on Corsica Red – has been made to the commissioning customer, the ACS package will be available to other Singer customers, with the price determined by the scope of amended amendments. Each example will be completed in the UK and offers the option to provide support from Tuthill and crew.
There is also a wheelchair, FIA-certified racing seats and a hydraulic handbrake.
Photo by Nick Dimbleby, courtesy of Singer Vehicle Design.
When we talk about the first car to be manufactured, Fawaz sounds like a proud parent. “It’s this perfect balance between heritage and ability, and there’s no shortcut to it – it’s very Singer,” he says. “It simply came to our notice then. And when you get there, it’s very exciting. ”