Returning from the body shop, the car goes through a careful assembly with the ingredients of the recipe developed by Rob and his team. Re-imagined the Singer way, the Porsche 964 takes a hybrid appearance. The esthetic cues are definitely of classic Porsche heritage, but the polyellipsoidal Hella headlights give a very modern expression to the front end.  At the rear, under the hood, the 996 GT3 plenum, sublimely finished with a gold plated Porsche casting, crowns the flat 6. The unit has been bored up to 3.8L and its guts completely redesigned by the American subsidiary of Cosworth in Torrance, no less.

Starting from a 996 GT3 crankshaft, which magically fits into the 964 crankcase, pistons and conrods are specific — optimized for performance and reliability. Depending on the emissions standards at the car’s destination, the unit puts out between 270 and 360hp. Singer ventured to develop a 420hp version, but on top of being far less compliant in daily use, the engine price became prohibitive, even in the context of such an abundant transformation budget.

Please click on the thumbnails for larger images.

With a peak torque of 380 Nm, one could expect a vintage performance envelope, but factor in the drastic weight reduction and things start looking a lot spicier. Depending on the equipment configuration, the total weight falls as low as 2300 lbs (1043 kg), resulting in a tidy 2.9 kg/hp power-to-weight ratio. To put it in perspective, this is Ferrari 599 territory, not exactly an old school slouch. Under its cute and friendly demeanor (according to Rob, the car has huge appeal with female audiences), road performance must be very entertaining. Singer initially opted for the 6 gear transmission of the 993, but then reverted to the 5 ratio unit of the 964 which is more attuned to the spirit of the car.

After a long discussion with Rob on the history and operations of “Singer Vehicle Design”, I return to the shop with complete freedom to photograph whatever I want, except one exhaust part which is still under development. The quality of the parts lined up on shelves is astounding. The most expensive are carefully wrapped in cartons, such as these gorgeous Ohlins dampers, specially calibrated for this configuration and whose beauty is only matched by their price tag. The refurbished Recaro seats are simply superb, same for all of the plated external parts awaiting assembly.

Further in the shop, car number 6 awaits me for some one-on-lens time. The stance of the car is unusual, mixing a graceful shape with muscular volumes, not unlike a 400m sprinter. The bespoke 17” rims, fitted with 225/45 rubber at the front and 265/40 at the rear, strike the right chord in this context. They are suitably chubby by modern standards, but the tires – a set of Michelin Pilot Sport – is resolutely contemporary.