What's all this about?
If you've ever heard of Singer Vehicle Design (Singer) based in Sun Valley, part of Los Angeles and the 'SoCal' tuning scene, then you'll know the company has a particular specialism. It restores and re-imagines classic Porsche 911s, with a particular focus on 964-era cars, into 'the best of the best' examples. It should be made very clear at this point that Singer never wants its projects to be called 'Singer 911s' or 'Singer Porsches' or anything that insinuates the finished product is anything but a Porsche 911.
A noble history lesson. But what's the reason you're telling me all this?
There's an event going on just outside Monterey (a bit further up California than LA) in August called the Quail Lodge Motorsports Gathering. A total of eight of Singer's customer creations will be present, which makes this the largest gathering of Singer projects in one place, but there are two cars making their debut at Quail. And they both belong to one owner from Minnesota. The lucky so-and-so...
Which two cars are they?
Both based on 964-era Porsche 911s, first up is the Luxemburg Targa. Luxemburg, by the way, isn't our really bad way of spelling the Grand Duchy situated near Belgium, but is in fact a township in the northern US state of Minnesota. This is a 1990 911 underneath, but it now features a 4.0-litre Ed Pink-developed engine with a six-speed gearbox and massive Brembo brakes. The Deep Orange bodywork is complemented by an interior comprising Navy Blue leather details and a seven-colour 'Tyler Tartan' weave, made up of two oranges, four shades of blue and a cream. Eagle-eyed Porsche aficionados among you might have also spotted a Singer speciality on the Targa's exterior, which is two air-filtering louvres on the rollover hoop, rather than the factory count of three louvres. Neat.
OK, that's absolutely gorgeous and I want it badly. But can we look at the other car?
Yup. It is a 1994 964, now finished in Gunmetal Grey with a Tobacco Brown cabin (mmm, brown...), while at the back is a 350hp, 3.8-litre Cosworth engine with a six-speed gearbox. A roll cage and blue, instead of orange, rev counter also identify the Minnesota Coupé, to give it the proper Singer name.
How much are these cars worth?
A lot. Singer's individual machines are usually around the $350,000 mark - or about £266,000. That hasn't put off buyers worldwide, though, as fifty 911s have passed through Singer's hands since Brit ex-pat founder Rob Dickinson (who once used to be a rock-and-roll singer, geddit?) formed the company in 2009. Another 80 plus commissions are in the pipeline, as well, so Singer is in the rudest of health. And, judging by these gorgeous re-imagined 911s, it's not hard to see why.
Matt Robinson - 18 Aug 2016