Automotive

The Singer-Williams DLS Is The Ultimate Carbon Fiber Vision Of A Porsche 911

By TechKee Admin

Posted on July 11, 2018

When the Porsche restorers at Singer Vehicle Design announced they were partnering with racing firm Williams Advanced Engineering, we were excited without having seen anything. Even more so after we saw their first collaboration. And now that we’ve seen their latest project together, we’re wondering who we have to kill to get some seat time.

This is the Singer Vehicle Design DLS Goodwood. The DLS stands for “Dynamics and Lightweighting Study,” and it’s a 1990 Porsche 964 whose owner requested Singer and Williams restore and modify his car with an emphasis on—you guessed it—reducing weight. And as you probably guessed from the name, it’s set to debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend.

Also, it looks rad, like all of Singer’s restored cars. That goes without saying.

Let’s talk specs. This guy has a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat six done up by Williams so it’s good for 500 horsepower at a howling 9,000 RPM. The motor boasts lightweight throttle bodies with supposedly F1-inspired upper and lower injectors, a unique oil lubrication system and it has dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. They moved it forward for better weight distribution too.

The suspension was optimized by Williams as well and it boasts a bespoke six-speed manual transmission. In other words, it should be a hoot to drive. Recaro seats, Brembo brakes, Momo steering wheel. The ABS and traction control systems have been designed by Bosch and the tires are custom-sized Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s.

But half the fun of Singer’s creations is just looking at them, and this one does not disappoint. As the emphasis is on reducing weight, the entire exterior is carbon fiber with every body panel unique to this car. The 964’s original shape was reassessed through computer modeling for max aerodynamics—including that iconic rear ducktail spoiler.

The interior is absolutely stunning. Carbon fiber and weight reduction everywhere. They even punched a damn hole in the gear knob!

There’s no word from Singer on the car’s curb weight vs. a standard 964, so I’d be curious exactly how much lighter it is, but I assume a decent amount.

But a car like this is about much more than numbers and specs—it’s about dreams made reality, the ultimate and idealized version of an already very good car. If you have the means—and unless this post is being read to you by your butler, you probably don’t—75 examples of this restoration will be made available to customers.

Best of luck getting yours! Here are some photos if you cannot.