The Porsche 911 Targa Reimagined by Singer Is All About the Details
The gearbox. It's a Euro-spec six speed G50/21 out of a 993-generation 911 with some "special bits" inside. The result is the most satisfying manual transmission you'll ever use. Each shift slickly notches into gear. Rev matching on downshifts is effortless. Every movement of the lever makes you realize that there was time, effort put in to make this gearbox nearly perfect. That's what Singer Vehicle Design does.
Singer is the renowned shop known for "reimagining" the Porsche 911 through a thorough restoration process that creates a car that is a greatest hits album of the best Porsche bits all in one place. The chassis of the 964, the exterior of the 911, the gearbox of the 993, the intake plenum of the 997 GT3, and more bits and pieces throughout that have been rigorously, painstakingly, and probably painfully re-engineered.
You always hear that Singer pays attention to all the details when restoring and reimagining Porsche's 911. You also think that perhaps that's all exaggerated and the cars aren't actually as perfect as everyone says. There is no exaggeration. These cars are as close to perfect as cars can be. The thought that perhaps the enthusiasm is feigned because you want Singer's restoration to be great goes away when you realize that it is, actually, great. Really great.
Take this Targa, for instance.
Dubbed Luxemburg for the town in Minnesota where it'll reside, this is one of the few Targas that Singer has reimagined. It also has one of the most stunning interiors the company has done, with an orange and blue pattern that sounds like it'd be a mess but looks like stunning perfection. Everything has the look and feel of something that Porsche would have fitted from the factory, but moreso. Like a 911 on performance enhancing drugs. Like how it'd feel if Porsche never made the 964 or 993 and just kept slightly updating an original classic.
I drop in to the bucket seat and before even starting it, I just take a look around. Now, I haven't driven an exorbitant amount of classic 911s, but what I do know is that this feels better than all of them. And it's not like Porsche has a reputation for phoning it in. It's the little bits that stand out. The tach with the face of Singer founder Rob Dickinson screaming out a note (he was a singer, after all) goes to 11,000 RPM. Yes. It goes to 11. All the switchgear is new but looks period correct. The wheel, the gauges, the gearshift, and even the flipping door pulls look amazing. Everything just feels special, even the turn signals, which I imagine took them months to perfect knowing just how obsessive they are over the most minute of details.
These cars strike a very satisfying balance. The look is everything you'd want from an old 911, the fit and finish is everything you'd expect from a new 911, and the performance is everything you'd want from any car.
This particular car is fitted with the 4.0 liter flat-six that has been built by Ed Pink Racing Engines in LA. It has 390 horsepower, which isn't a crazy number in a world where a Dodge Charger can have 707 and a 911 Turbo S has 580, but the number doesn't matter. What matters is how it delivers the power and how it feels.
This flat-six makes those supercharged and turbocharged engines feel like robots. This feels like a real engine with power that you can use. And it's linked to what has to be the finest gearbox ever. I know, I already mentioned the gearbox. I want to mention it again. It bears re-mentioning..
It isn't notchy, but it isn't like moving a stick through mud, either. Like everything else Singer has done to this car, it just feels right. There's something exceedingly special about how this drivetrain interacts with the driver. Rev-matching is effortless, thanks to that lovely gearbox, and delightful clutch, and an engine that revs freely with just the tap of the pedal.
This is what you realize before you even take the car around a corner.
When you do get to that corner, you get a 911 that is so 911-ey you can't believe its 911-ness. The steering is delightful and precise. My sentiments echo my colleague Sam Smith,who drove a similar 911 modified by Singer previously:
Driven tentatively, the car is uneasy. Mild understeer. If you go bonkers but mind the front tires, it turns neutral, but that weird 911 neutral, where you have to treat the throttle like a light switch to get anything done, the rear bumper alternately yawing or nailed down. You eye pavement changes, hiccuping your right foot as the car plunges into a hollow, a dump of throttle and camber there to catch it.
There's something special here. Running up and over Monterey, California's Laureles Grade, the Luxemburg Car exhibits every nuance that makes it simply great. The sound of the flat-six wailing behind you, the feeling of perfect gear change after perfect gear change, feeling connected to the car whether you're at the limit or not even close. It's a rare car these days that makes you part of the experience no matter how slow or fast you're driving.
We pull over for photos on one of the many scenic lookouts just as the sun starts to break through the fog and smoke from the nearby wildfires. It catches the orange paint and just starts to light up the curves of the body. I'm against saying a car is "sexy." Cars aren't sexy. However, this is probably as close as you can come to a car with sex appeal. It's oozing from every panel.
New cars don't feel like this. New 911s don't feel like this. But this is also an acquired taste. For some people, this car isn't at all what they want. There are people who don't get how a restored 911 could possibly be worth a half-million dollars or more. Before driving one, I felt the same way.
But now, I totally get it. There is something here that you don't get in a new car at the same price. Sure, a Ferrari F12tdf or a Lamborghini Aventador SV or a new Ford GT will be faster than Singer's reimagined 911. On paper, all three of those cars will be "better." But on the road, at speeds considerably below "warp," Singer's restored 911 has them all beat. It's pure magic with some excellence slathered on top.
Singer currently gets about two cars per month out of its LA-area shop with plans to double that in the coming months. But with more than 100 orders on the books right now, the wait time for a newly reimagined 911 isn't going to be short.
Every single minute, and every single dollar, will be worth that wait. If you have the means, go have them restore one for you. Right now.
What are you waiting for?
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