Today we know the original approach as the Classic services which forms the foundation of the Singer ethos, and with the order book closed on the car that started it all, Singer has a new state-of-the-art facility and has opened a new chapter with the Classic Turbo services.
As with most things at Singer, Classic Turbo began as a nugget of an idea, when a client mused about celebrating the 930 Turbo. After all, the wide-body, whale-tail equipped 930 is just as iconic (or even more so) to an entire generation of car enthusiasts, and it is positively ripe for the Singer treatment.
After a painstaking, multi-year development process, this new chapter was finally unveiled in 2022. Again, utilizing the 964 as its base, each car restored through the Classic Turbo services remains true to the company mantra “everything is important.” No detail is overlooked in its restoration, making the most of modern lightweight composite materials, bespoke parts, and carefully cherry-picked components from Porsche’s extensive catalogue. Particular attention was paid to keeping the intrinsic 930 character intact such as recreating the impact bumper bellows to function as air vents and creating a special coating to mimic the signature rubberized Whale Tail spoiler. Tying it all together are 18-inch Fuchs-style alloy wheels made to fill the meticulously resculpted arches, and engine intakes cleverly disguised within the ‘shark fin’ stone guards.
This is the first Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer to use forced induction, in this case, a mighty 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged ‘Mezger’ unit, capable of over 500bhp depending on the client’s desires. That engine drives through a 6-speed manual transaxle, putting power to the rear wheels only, in proper Porsche 930 Turbo tradition. Underpinning the car is a bespoke suspension system developed specifically by Singer, complete with front axle lift and optional carbon ceramic disc brakes – with Brembo calipers, and discs shared with the Bugatti Chiron(!) providing massive, fade-free stopping power. Bosch ABS, traction control and electronic stability control systems help keep it pointed the right direction, and again in keeping with the original Turbo’s purpose, the overall results balance all-day comfort with tire-shredding hooliganism.
With so much baked-in detail, it is difficult to describe in print – and like any Porsche 911 restored by Singer, to truly appreciate it is to see one in the metal and carbon.
It is with tremendous pleasure that Bonhams|Cars offers this turbocharged Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer, “The Sun Valley Commission.” This is the first such car to be offered for public sale, and the very car road and track-tested by famed journalist Chris Harris in his 40-minute film introducing Singer’s Classic Turbo services.
As with every car Singer reimagines, Sun Valley is meticulously restored with direct input from its original owner. It has been completely restored around the 964 chassis, with every last nut, bolt, and fastener to meet Singer’s exacting standards. The body shell, which was crafted and painted in the DLS facility in the UK, based on a 964, features bespoke lightweight carbon fiber panels subtly reworked to enhance the aggressive, wide-body stance of the 930. The body is finished in a stunning shade of paint-to-sample Dirty Oak Green Metallic—a color that is and always will be unique to this example, accented by 18-inch Fuchs-style alloys with black centers. The quality of the paintwork alone is staggering, and to protect the investment, it features full-body paint-protection film, applied prior to assembly to minimize visible seams.
Once past the beauty of the exquisite body, you open the featherweight door to reveal a stunning interior that is both instantly familiar and entirely new. The seats and door cards, covered in ivory leather with jewel-like woven olive accents, are inspired by the 930’s ‘tombstone’ seats, but redesigned with aggressive bolstering and a fresh modern look. Olive green carpets and dash roll, and black wood accents punctuate the sophisticated ambiance. Matching rear seats fold flat to provide a platform for luggage – which you’ll need because you won’t want your road trips to end! The details are seemingly endless, from the bespoke wheel to the playfully redesigned instruments and slick integrated optional premium audio system, it is a cabin that will bring joy and surprises virtually every time you climb in.
Abetting the car itself is a matching Singer Reimagined Flytrack watch, stamped with a serial number to match the car and listed on the original build sheet. This beautifully crafted, manually wound timepiece carries with it the same attention to detail, stunning design, and meticulous craftmanship embodied in the car and is only available to owners commissioning Singer’s Classic Turbo services.
The joy will undoubtedly continue when you twist the key to ignite the mighty 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six. Great attention was paid by Singer to ensure the two turbos hanging off the side don’t completely mute the mechanical symphony, and a Singer-developed titanium exhaust ensures it maintains its bark, while still emitting the whooshes and whistles you want from a great turbocharged engine. Of course, it does all of that with sublime balance – never overpowering and always brilliantly judged. This car develops a reported 510bhp which is sent to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual transaxle, aided by Bosch traction control should you need it. In his road test, Chris Harris marveled at the ocean of torque and the incredible ease at which it fires out of one corner and into the next. He also noted that Singer managed to instill just the right touch of turbo lag, which is all about retaining elements of the original 930’s legendary boxer in a suit character.
The Sun Valley Commission is specified with Singer’s sport suspension system, including integrated front axle lift, and it wears Brembo calipers finished in Ivory (a subtle yet brilliant touch) that clamp on massive carbon ceramic brake discs. Away from the confines of the road, Harris found this car was remarkably adept at lurid slides, taking his inputs with ease and translating them into graceful drifts. Driven with gusto, only 267 miles are currently registered on the odometer at the time of cataloging. While designed to be a car you can drive across the country without a second thought, it is also a mighty brute with a thuggish, hooligan side, egging you on to unleash it.
And that is the essence of the original Porsche Turbo. It was the most luxurious 911 offered to date, while simultaneously being one of the fastest accelerating performance cars of the era. The minds at Singer have managed to condense that somewhat unbridled reputation into an exquisite piece of motoring art that is as capable as it is beautiful. With waiting lists growing by the day, the availability of the Sun Valley Commission presents an extraordinary opportunity to jump the queue and acquire an example of Singer’s latest motoring masterpiece.
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