The New Singer Turbo Study Is Predictably Lovely
California-based Singer Vehicle Design has made a name for itself by taking old air-cooled, naturally-aspirated Porsche 911s and turning them into fantastic works of automotive art. The thing is, an increasing number of the company’s well-heeled owners have been clamouring after turbochargers. And so, here to satisfy that demand is the Singer Turbo Study.
It’s Singer’s first road-going turbocharged car - the ACS has a pair of snails, you might remember, but it is solely for off-piste use. As with all Singer projects, the starting point for this more daily-driver friendly turbo car is a 964-generation 911.
Each donor car gets a new carbon fibre body that subtly reimagines that instantly recognisable shape in the name of boosting “aesthetic and functional performance”. Singer hasn’t said a whole lot about the chassis yet, other than confirming the presence of carbon ceramic brakes, but a geekier deep-dive will no doubt arrive later in the year.
The heart of the car is a twin-turbocharged ‘Mezger‘ air-cooled flat-six. Singer’s version displaces 3.8 litres and features electronic wastegates plus bespoke air-to-water intercoolers sitting inside some gorgeous intake plenums. Neatly, the ‘whale tail’ rear wing has an air intake tucked underneath. The power output depends on the customer’s preferences, with 450bhp used as a baseline figure.
Where that flat-six sends its power is also up to the buyer, with all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive configurations available. Whichever they go for, a six-speed manual gearbox will be involved.
Each Singer Turbo’s cabin will no doubt be very different, given the level of customisation usually on offer with cars like this. The Study car, for instance, has a Malibu sand interior with Black Forest wood accents. You can also expect to sit in electrically adjustable and heated seats and enjoy a modern air-conditioning system.
As for the price, Singer doesn’t give one since figures are, “dependent on the specification requested by the car’s owner”. If you have to ask, and all that. What we do know is that 70 of these are already reserved.
For anyone not in the market for such a thing, it’ll be possible to enjoy the car in the carbon at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this June, and Monterey Car Week in August.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Overpriced render.