A 911 super fan was raving about the old-school "grand trip" as his company entered a new era.
Rob Dickinson
Founder of Singer Vehicle Design
In my observation, many fans have been more or less affected by the Porsche 911 in the process of "becoming a fan", such as sitting in one car, watching one speed past in front of them, or looking around one in the parking lot. In this regard, Rob Dickinson, who plays the dual role of musician and founder of Singer Vehicle Design, is no different from these fans. Of course, if anyone like him had founded a company that specializes in repairing and modifying the classic 911 models, there would be such an experience.
"It was on a highway in the south of France, and my father introduced me to the 911, and since then, my curiosity about the car has begun." Dickinson recalled to us.
"Fortunately, I got my first ride shortly after. It was an early black 3.0 Turbo, almost like an alien visitor — I think it looked like it was the car of former Jordanian King Hussein — and I was stunned at the age of 11. I felt like I was in a rocket ship. ”
These embryonic experiences underpin Dickinson's love of 911. Since 2009, he and his team at Singer Vehicle Design have been keeping this innocence through the 911s they repaired, but now they're starting to work on a thick fragment of the 911 gene, which is Turbo. Dickinson said: "In the 1970s, a childlike obsession sparked my imagination, but for us, in many ways, it was hardly a matter of course to pay homage to Porsche's early 911 models with cars we made in California. The car that should be homaged the most, the classic of porsche classics, is the Turbo – but it took us 12 years to get ready to do it. ”
Holidays abroad with his family and sitting in the Volkswagen Beatles gave Dickinson a taste of the charm of a "grand trip": "We saw on the Riviera and some of the cars we saw while crossing France, which constituted a mixture of charm and gasoline, which was intoxicating. ”
These thoughts about Shanda Travel help explain why Singer Vehicle Design's new turbocharged products will be their most practical series to date. Of course, they still have weapons-grade speed, but the interiors incorporate new materials from top suppliers and consider how to design personalized interiors for different customers for different lifestyles. Customers could even ask Singer to provide a suspension setup with a bias of comfort, and Rob and his team are working on using adjustable shock absorbers on future Turbo.
But what about later? With most members of the automotive world beginning to focus on electrification and sustainability, while companies are working on synthetic fuels for internal combustion engines, which path should Singer go? "I remember writing my first copy for Singer's first website, when I gritted my teeth and thought, 'Is it possible that this will be presented as a second life for a car?' There's a sense of classic reincarnation here, and I guess that's what we're doing – it's a little bit difficult to sell this idea to people, but that's the truth. ”
Singer has some basic concepts about sustainability, including that it takes much less raw material to keep a car alive than it does to build a new car, but there's also the question of how to power the powertrain. At the Turbo Study (see "Singer Wants to Recreate Turbo's Glory Years"), Dickinson told us that the electric Singer "is not something we'll see here anytime soon," but they also keep a high degree of attention on this aspect.
"It's clear that the automotive world is undergoing a fundamental transformation right now, but cars powered by internal combustion engines aren't going away overnight." Dickinson added.
"The idea of finding a way to optimize synthetic fuels is appealing because we obviously have an emotional connection to the internal combustion engine."
In the short term, Singer's focus is on moving all production, design, and R&D to a new building in California (previously, in Dickinson's words, these operations were scattered around "seven different buildings around Los Angeles") and stay true to the goal of providing the highest quality products to each customer. Dickinson laughs and says, "You could say it's a propaganda cliché, but what makes people angry is that it's accurate." ”
"I'm a hard-to-meet person, so I'm always obsessed with making sure anything with the Singer name meets our own standards of execution and performance."
"As a founder, I have a clear idea of what it means to encounter something labeled Singer; as executive chairman, I see it as my role to stick to that vision and in some ways be the conscience of the company." Dickinson concluded: "We have some very ambitious goals – we have always had them! If we continue to strive to achieve such a goal by striving for perfection, ensuring that anything we touch is pleasing to people, whether they are driving or experiencing it in other ways, then we will be on the right track. ”
6 questions that only we will ask
Tell us about your first car
"The first time I drove my father's Opel Ascona touring sedan, the rear-drive, but the first car I bought myself was the first-generation Ford Fiesta."
What are you most proud of?
“Singer。 We have earned the trust of hundreds of customers and influenced the automotive world. This achievement may be trivial, but it is also exciting. ”
What's the most interesting thing you've ever done in a car?
"On my last road trip to the south of France with my parents in 2019, we once again visited countless attractions I visited during my holidays as a student."
Have you ever messed up anything?
"Our first cars were the G-Series 911, and it was only later that we decided that the 964 should be the foundation of the future restoration business, so the thousands of hours spent on conception and styling were wasted upfront."
Do you prefer supercars or antique cars?
"I have a GT3 Touring and a (Austin-Healey) Frogeye Sprite. So I like both! ”
A tricky question: What is singer's 100th car called?
"The Alabama Commission (a project commissioned by car collector Jay Leno) is a 4.0-litre hard-topped car painted in atomic silver and a blackberry interior."
Text:Jake Groves/Shang Hongxin