Singer’s All-Terrain Competition Study Takes The 911 Off Road
Most 911 fans are purists – they want their classic Porsches to look and feel as if they just rolled off the line with no meddling whatsoever. But there are a great many who also look to professionals like Singer to take classic 911s down a different path – one that allows for some creative and functional performance modifications while being respectful of what the original creators have done. That is taken to new extremes with Singer’s latest development, the All-Terrain Competition Study. They’re almost as cool as the Brandenburg 911 Safaris!
Singer stuck with the Type 964 Porsche 911 as a starting point as they always do. They then partnered up with 911 rally specialist Richard Tuthill to create a sportscar with serious all-terrain capabilities.
The client who commissioned this whole project actually paid for 2 machines – one in Parallax White that focused on high-speed desert rallies. The other in Corsica Red was made for high-speed tarmac events.
Powering these two cars is the 3.6L air cooled boxer six engine fitted with twin symmetrical turbochargers and fly-by-wire individual throttle bodies.
As for the body of the car itself, Singer used a strengthened and customised version of their carbon fibre shell to allow for easy access to components for service. The use of carbon fibre also help offset the additional weight of the roll cage. Inside, you’ll find FIA spec seats, harnesses, a race GPS navigation system and in-seat rehydration systems for both driver and navigator.
Although the first two were individually commissioned, the Singer All-Terrain Competition Study is now open for other individuals to purchase and customise for themselves. The vehicles themselves will be assembled at the Tuthill facility in Oxfordshire with Support packages for racing and maintenance being available too.
Here’s the press release with more.
PRESS RELEASE
At the request of a long-term client, Singer has looked to a golden era of Porsche rallying in the 1980s, and to automotive heroes including the 911 SC/RS and 959, to reimagine his air-cooled 911s as World Rally Championship-inspired, all-terrain competition machines.
Singer’s latest services will enable their clients to go off-road racing, with a Porsche 911 modified by Singer for all-terrain use.
The All-terrain Competition Study has been undertaken by Singer, in partnership with renowned 911 rally specialist Richard Tuthill, in response to the request from their client for modifications to his air-cooled Porsche 911 that would enable the car to compete in off-road racing and to demonstrate extensive all-terrain exploration capabilities. To highlight the broad repertoire of the ACS, the client has commissioned two machines, one – in Singer’s iconic Parallax White – focused on high-speed desert rallying and a second – in Corsica Red – configured for high-speed, high-grip tarmac events and disciplines.
Porsche 911s prepared by UK-based off-road competition specialist Richard Tuthill have dominated rally events for decades, with recent victory in the 2019 East African Safari Classic marking a remarkable 4th win in the grueling 5000km event across Kenya and Tanzania. These successes sit alongside deep expertise from the world of WRC competition and events such as the Paris-Dakar.
As with all Singer’s restoration services for owners of the Porsche 911, the car takes the Type 964 generation of air-cooled cars as its starting point. At the heart of the machine is an evolution of the “Mezger” air-cooled flat-six, here in 3.6L form, with twin symmetrical turbochargers and fly-by-wire individual throttle bodies. The performance characteristics of the engine can be tuned depending on the demands of competition and the owner.
A bespoke carbon fiber body is optimized to allow easy access to mechanical components at service stops and to enable effective breathing and cooling for the powertrain. The use of carbon fiber allows Singer to reduce overall mass and, for this car, to offset the extra weight of the roll-cage.
The All-terrain Competition Study draws on Richard Tuthill’s extensive knowledge of the demands of both on and off-road racing. The bespoke suspension and damping, together with AWD configuration is designed to enable effective deployment of the car’s power off-road. The strength designed into the car’s structure and components is a response to the forces encountered during high-speed, off-road endurance events and pathfinding.
Inside, the All-terrain Competition Study reflects the demands of off-road racing. FIA specification seats and harnesses sit within a full roll cage. The car is equipped with a race GPS navigation system while both driver and navigator have access to in-seat rehydration systems.
Singer’s restoration services encompass both sports cars for the road and now off-road motorsport competition. As always, the results are guided by the Singer philosophy – a Relentless Pursuit of Excellence.
Wider Availability, Costs and Assembly Details
The commissioning owner has agreed that the results of the All-terrain Competition Study will be available to others who wish to equip their cars with this off-road capability.
As always, each car is approached as a bespoke restoration and Singer’s special wishes personalization approach is available. The price for the restoration services based upon the results of the All-terrain Competition Study will be dependent on the specification chosen by the owner.
The ACS restoration has been undertaken as a collaboration between the two companies. Singer’s Design Office in California has led a joint engineering team with assembly undertaken in the UK at the Tuthill facility in Oxfordshire. Future cars will all be modified at Tuthill’s facilities. Support packages for racing and maintenance will be available.
Modification services developed for the Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer – All-terrain Competition Study include:
- Off-road competition capability, conceived with events such as the Baja 1000 and Dakar Rally in mind, but suitable for a range of surfaces
- Dramatically increased ride height, suspension travel and overall strength
- Carbon fiber body panels suited to quick replacement and easy underbody access
- Permanent AWD
- A twin-turbocharged, 3.6L, air-cooled flat-six with power starting at 450hp.
- Sequential racing transmission with front, centre and rear limited-slip differentials.
Technical Specifications
- 1990 Type 964 Porsche 911
- Core strengthening to monocoque for heavy duty off-road use, carbon fiber body panels and off-road race modifications including:
- Suspension, wheels and brakes
- Specialised long-travel suspension with twin, 5-way adjustable dampers per corner (8 dampers total).
- Forged aluminium 8×16″ wheels with BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres.
- 4-piston, monobloc steel disc brakes with hydraulic handbrake.
- Engine
- 3.6L twin turbo-charged, air-cooled, Porsche flat-six.
- Water-to-air intercoolers, with individual-bank charge coolers housed within the plenum and cooled by clamshell-mounted radiator.
- Tuned for the demands of each event, power starts at 450hp and 420lb ft torque
- 5-speed sequential dog-box enabling flat-shifting. Manual and paddle-shift capable.
- Permanent AWD.
- Front, centre and rear, mechanical, plated limited-slip differentials.
- Additional Specialised Equipment:
- Long-range fuel tank.
- 2 x full-size spare race wheels and tyres in front trunk area and rear storage area.
- Full FIA specification roll cage.
- Bespoke competition seats with FIA certification
- Rehydration system for driver and navigator
- State-of-the-art GPS race navigation system.
About the Author
Subhash Nair Written work on dsf.my. @subhashtag on instagram. Autophiles Malaysia on Youtube.
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