In issue 325 of evo we drove Singer’s stunning new Porsche 964-based Classic Turbo, and it felt like the ultimate homage to the 911 Turbo for its 50th birthday. Now, the Los Angeles firm has announced three new variants to sit alongside the existing coupe – a convertible, Targa and a Flatnose model, the latter of which is inspired by the rare, streamline-bodied 930 Turbo with pop-up headlights.
As you’d expect from a Singer product, the Classic Turbo is exquisitely designed and rebuilt from the ground up to an incredibly high standard. Its bodywork is more muscular and refined than the original 930 and formed from carbonfibre, with a fully restored shell and top quality componentry installed throughout.
At the heart (or in the back, more accurately) of the Turbo is an upgraded Mezger flat-six, enlarged to 3.7-litres and boosted to 503bhp. With a peak torque figure of 442lb ft, it’s almost twice as potent as the 3-litre engine you’ll find in an original 930. The Classic Turbo is light too, coming in at around 1280kg depending on specification.
The chassis has been overhauled to deal with that firepower, with passive two-way R53 dampers, adjustable ABS, traction control and stability control, as well as 18-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres. The Turbo is still old school at heart despite its technical sophistication, sending drive to the rear wheels alone through a six-speed manual gearbox.
Predictably, this extensive re-engineering comes at a considerable cost. The Classic Turbo starts from around £850,000 (not including taxes or a donor car), and even at this level, Singer has already sold all 25 allocations for the Flatnose model.
That leaves three flavours of Classic Turbo available – coupe, convertible and Targa – with Singer offering customers huge scope for personalisation with regard to paint colours, trims and interior specification. The firm can also tailor the Turbo to deliver a more focused driving experience or GT-like qualities, depending on customer requests.