I understand precisely Rob Dickinson's explanation of what Singer was going for. And, having driven some early 911's, it's clear to me that Jay Leno "gets" the car. Contrasting the Singer with a Bugatti Veyron is apt. Another way to put it is that if you'd just as soon have a 930 Turbo or a 959, you're not on the Singer wavelength. Here's Leno's video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PemPidqObJ4
The Singer has had a lot of internet coverage lately, often as "the ultimate 911." A better way of understanding it is Dickinson's explanation: "We wanted to optimize everything [all components of the air-cooled car]." One could make a case that it's ridiculous to spend 4000 hours remanufacturing a 20-year-old 964/911. The Singer folks seem to have a case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Regular readers know that Pilote takes a rear jump seat to no one in his affection for the air-cooled 911. When Dickinson waxes poetic about surface development of the body (for example, the original Butzi Porsche long-nosed trunk and the careful blending of the rear fender flares with the early cars' narrow tail), he has my full attention.
I'm of two minds about this. The Singer is a tour de force, a carefully cut and polished jewel. Is it worth $100,000 more than a Ferrari 458 Italia? Yeah, if you have the money and must have one.
It's probably the ultimate 911. ;-)
3 comments:
There are many visionaries out there in the automotive realm that live in a stratosphere I'll never experience....and perhaps shouldn't. I am a "regular guy", and this car isn't meant for me. My first clue? Cost. I'm a cheapskate. I have never had Beluga caviar. Don't want any, either - it's salty fish eggs. But I don't live for the "finer things". I'm OK with a fresh deep dish pizza. Would I like to drive a Singer Porsche? You bet. And Mario's black&gold F1 Lotus. And Roger's Blue trans Am Camaro. And the original 3-seater McLaren F1 street terror. I can dream, right?
Assuming I had the money (ha!), I'd have to revert to The Hotshoe Test: drive 'em both. Without a day on roads and a couple of hot laps on a club circuit, I honestly couldn't say which I'd choose: a Singer or a 458.
But I have to say that, aesthetically speaking, the Singer wins. Just SO damned elegant...
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