Singer Vehicle Design

Man, if you’re a gearhead who goes weak in the knees at the sight of a well-maintained air-cooled Porsche, then Luftgekühlt 10 could have been your happy place. This year’s event, which went down at the iconic Universal Studios Backlot in L.A., celebrated a decade of this unique gathering and the 50th anniversary of the legendary 911 Turbo.

The Singer ACS has been controversial since it first came out in 2021. Its rally-car-inspired looks and performance specs made a splash in the automotive world. Drawing design cues from iconic rally cars like the 911 SC/RS and the Paris-Dakar 959, the Safari-style ACS is built on a Type 964 air-cooled Porsche 911 platform. Two versions were researched and developed for a long-standing client of Singers, with the agreement that more would be built later - one for dessert rallying and one for tarmac.

Porsche has proven, on numerous occasions, that the 911 is one of the most versatile platforms. Since its introduction, in 1964, there have been countless variants of the German, rear-engine sports car, including all-terrain variants bred for rallying. Porsche offers a 911 for every taste and need, and with the 992 generation, it also brought out the 911 Dakar – a true, off-road sports car by Porsche that pays homage to the classic Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Paris-Dakar 4x4 (953) from 1984. But a US-based company has also undertaken the task of reimagining the rally-bred Porsche 911.

California-based company, Singer Vehicle Design is a little over 10 years old and continues to impress with its unique take on classic Porsche 911s. The company has evolved greatly since its humble beginnings back in 2013 and now features a fully-fledged workshop with a meticulously organized, multi-step process, which focuses on painstakingly perfecting every detail of the reimagined 911s, down to the smallest thing. This near-psychotic obsession with attention to detail has resulted in what is considered the benchmark for a perfectly reimagined classic Porsche sports car. Singer focuses on quality over quantity, which is why every variant of the company’s reimagined Porsche 911 lineup is produced in limited quantities and costs as much as (or more than) a brand-new Porsche 911. Throughout the resto-modder’s decade of manufacturing Porsche 911s for purists, Singer has made only four different models, not counting the different body styles. Here’s how the Singer lineup looks today.

In a legal battle with potentially industry-wide ramifications, Porsche initiated legal proceedings against Singer Vehicle Design in February 2024. The German automaker sued the Californian restoration firm, accusing Singer of trademark infringement on their DLS and DLS Turbo models. Porsche took issue with Singer’s use of Porsche branding and design elements, even though Singer has become renowned for its high-end, meticulously crafted resto-mods of classic Porsches. Early on, Porsche saw Singer’s potential impact. In 2012, a mere three years after Singer’s founding, Porsche negotiated a binding agreement with the Californian firm. This contract outlined the boundaries of Singer’s modifications to ensure they wouldn’t infringe on Porsche’s trademarks, and all the parts used in Singer models had to be sourced from Porsche.

Restomods are all the rage these days, i.e. modern reimaginations of legendary classic cars. However, HWA Chief Engineer Gordian von Schöning insists that their Evo II is "not a resto-mod". HWA was founded by Hans-Werner Aufrecht in 1998, who was also one of the founders of AMG, now under the ownership of Mercedes-Benz. HWA, who have been in the game for a long time now (since 1998) reimagined the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II from the ground up. The HWA Evo II features a lengthened wheelbase for increased stability and a wider track for superior grip. Crafted from lightweight carbon fiber, its custom bodywork conceals an equally impressive powertrain.