Singer's DLS Turbo is a 700PS reimagined Porsche 935 tribute
Singer’s come a long way in its mission to dream up reimaginings of the Porsche 911. Time once was, its works were primarily a ‘60s marriage of elegance and the extreme. Then we got the DLS, then we got the crazy off-road ACS, then we got the Turbo. What next? Think of a Singer-reimagined tribute to the incredible Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Turbo, 934 and 935 and something like the DLS Turbo will come to mind. Would you just look at it…
There’s no doubting this is a hat tip to those monstrous endurance racers of Porsche’s Group 5 era, with those boxed arches, jutting spoilers and gaping vents. The latter very much has us chuckling, given that so much was made of how cleverly intakes were integrated in the ‘Shark fins’ of the Turbo study. Integration was never necessary on the 935, so you won’t see it here.
What you will see with this reimagined 911, which of course was not the case with the 935, is that there are two versions; one geared for the road and one for track. The lack of wing is probably the giveaway for the road-focused DLS Turbo, though it also loses the 935-style wheel covers and features a smaller more road-friendly front splitter. The track car obviously generates more downforce thanks to its larger splitter and adjustable wing.
Although the 934 and 935 were somewhat crude in their day and these cars very much pay visual tribute, the shape has been optimised in CFD. One area it certainly deviates from the 935 is in the treatment of the lower rear end. Where on the ‘70s racer you’ll see all manner of turbo gizzards, on the DLS Turbo, we find a diffuser sprouting from an aero-optimised underfloor. The exhausts meanwhile are directed out the sides at the rear and the turbos are hidden above the diffuser.
On the inside the two are relatively similar with the same supportive bucket seats, though in the track car you will note a cage behind them.
So what powers the Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer – DLS Turbo? Well, Singer’s usual practice of total strip-down and re-engineering applies. The end result is a 3.8-litre air-cooled flat-six, with twin turbochargers featuring electric wastegates, that are fed by air-to-water intercoolers. Quite incredibly, it’ll still rev to over 9,000rpm and produce upwards of 700PS along the way. Of course, there is a degree of variability based on what the customer wants.
Indeed, the car’s road (or track) manners can be tailored too. As above there are two basic trims but both will get adjustable dampers. Where that power goes is non-negotiable, it’s fed to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. Happily, each DLS Turbo will be available with either Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 or Cup 2R tyres wrapping the 19- and 20-inch magnesium centre-lock wheels.
“I was 12 when my father’s friend showed us his Super 8 film of the 1977 Watkins Glen 6 Hours,” said Rob Dickinson, Founder of Singer.
“As the familiar face of a Porsche 911 morphed into impossibly boxed hips, gaping intakes, and a giant double-planed rear wing, I can still remember the shock and the realization that this was the other life of the 911 – the racing car. Since Singer began, I’ve wanted to return to that moment, collaborate with our clients and celebrate that car – the 934/5.
“The results of turbocharging our advanced four-valve, high-revving DLS engine have been quite spectacular and combining it with all we have learned about lightweighting and vehicle dynamics has provided the perfect canvas to honour the Type 934/5 and its vital role in the genesis of the 911 as a racing car.”
So can you have one? Well, Singer is taking enquiries now, though no number of cars to be produced has been quoted. As ever, the sky is the limit when it comes to customisability and therefore, price. If it were us, we’d take a track-focused car in a tribute spec to the Singer-livered Hertz Jota Porsche 963 from Le Mans…
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