For most children growing up in Western civilization, the bedtime-story affirmation of “and they lived happily ever after” usually conjures blissful images of storybook landscapes in Europe, where many a familiar fairy tale originated. Happiness is equated early on to alpine hamlets ensconced between verdant mountains carved by pristine waterfalls.
For young gearheads, cars quickly factor into the equation, and the notion of utopia soon includes exploring those fabled peaks and valleys in one’s personal dream machine, often a Porsche 911. Finally, when a certain level of years and maturity have been obtained, those same motoring enthusiasts often fine-tune the fantasy even further. Sure, the backdrop remains the same, but the vision for their vehicle perhaps focuses more on, say, a Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer. That’s exactly what came true for a select group of Singer’s client base as part of the restoration house’s first multiday owner’s escape in Switzerland last summer, and which is being offered again, with a revised format, in a few months.
Singer Vehicle Design has a cadre of devotees that continues to grow, and for good reason. Founded in 2009 by Rob Dickinson, former frontman for the influential 1990s band Catherine Wheel (the name Singer being both a play on his former profession and a tribute to Porsche’s famed engineer Norbert Singer), the restoration house may not have started the restomod concept, but it has become the benchmark. Specializing in transformative work on the air-cooled 964 generation of Porsche’s flagship, built from 1989 through 1994, Singer continues to stand out in presentation and performance amidst the ever-burgeoning field of outfits attempting to emulate the Southern California–based atelier’s success.
“What attracted me to [Singer] was the fact that it was so individual, it was so personal,” says Singer customer Grant Maunder. “You’re in this world with Singer, where you can have anything, which is brilliant . . . you’re way more involved in the process, you’ve got way more decisions to make, that’s part of the fun . . . you’re involved in that build.” It’s that bond that Maunder made with Dickinson through the process of commissioning a Classic restoration from Singer, that served as a catalyst for the international owner’s gathering in Adelboden, Switzerland, last June.
Maunder opened up his own boutique hotel, the Brecon, to serve as base camp for the four-day escape that included two full drive days. And while Robb Report was not able to attend the actual owners’ getaway, we were given the privilege of previewing the roads, one of the routes, the cars, and curated hospitality ahead of time, with Maunder and Singer as hosts.
I was already heady with exposure to the some of the world’s most impressive automobiles, having arrived directly from attending the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the carbon-fiber eye candy in store would prove a visual overload. When Maunder leads through the open doors of a nondescript storage space around the corner from his hotel, the small sea of Singer-restored 911s revealed makes me feel somewhat like archaeologist Howard Carter seeing the contents of King Tut’s tomb for the first time—there’s a palpable sense of awe paired with intimidation.
Both of those emotions reach redline once behind the wheel of one of Singer’s DLS reimaginings, the result of a restoration service announced in 2018. In our coverage at the time, we noted that the process comprises “a client-inspired partnership between Singer, Williams Advanced Engineering, and a handful of other acclaimed automotive specialists such as Bosch, Brembo, Michelin, and Hewland—most of whom developed components specifically for the car . . . Williams Advanced Engineering worked with Hans Mezger to come up with the coupe’s 500 hp, naturally aspirated four-liter flat-six, a considerable amount of which is made from magnesium.” And yes, it has a six-speed manual transmission, so driver engagement is brought to the fore.
Following Maunder as we snake our way from Adelboden to the Susten pass, at an elevation of 7,415 feet, the DLS commission is unequivocally in its element. The shifting is effortless and precise, the steering intuitively responsive, and the grip decidedly reassuring, as is the overall handling, a pleasant surprise for a car that pushes the lightweighting boundaries. It’s an experience tantamount to bridling a carbon-fiber hummingbird and flitting around at will.
At a rest stop prior to the summit, I climb into the driver’s seat of a 911 that had undergone Singer’s Classic services, its initial offering that’s still a favorite. “It’s an extraordinarily unassuming vehicle,” says Maunder, who owns one. “What I love about it is the fact that it’s an amazing leveler, it’s not a shouty, ‘look at me’ sort of vehicle, it’s very understated.”
That may be true for the exterior, and even the interior refinement if one so desires, but the drive dynamics are a powerful statement of engineering aplomb. While its demeanor is far more laid back than that of the DLS, it handles with a balance of power and poise that makes it a bucket-list daily driver.
Decamping from the summit of Susten pass, it’s time try a 911 that’s completed Singer’s Classic Turbo services, a treatment named Robb Report’s Best Restomod just last year. As we stated then, it’s “an homage to Porsche’s first turbocharged 911—the 1970s-era 930. . . . Highlights include a carbon-fiber body, a rebuilt and enhanced Mezger flat-six engine with twin turbochargers and air-water intercooling—and, in the case of the 510 hp commission we drove, a titanium exhaust system.”
Results of the Classic Turbo treatment definitely land solidly between the DLS and Classic across the board. More vociferous than the latter, but with greater heft than the former, it has a character that, perhaps more than the others, most effectively pairs today’s automotive acumen with the finest of yesteryear’s sensibilities.
The Brecon, originally built in 1914 and now comprising 18 rooms and four suites, parallels Singer’s approach to artistically blending past and present. “From a design aesthetic, there’s certainly a sort of similarity . . . a little bit of a back-to-the-future thing,” says Maunder of his hotel. He refers to the style as “going back to what we sort of have a perception of old-school hospitality being about . . . we’ve got a very mid-century, 1960s and 1970s vibe going on to a point, and I think people are attracted to that.”
The next morning, after a dip in the heated pool overlooking the stunning vertical relief accessed by the local ski resort, it’s time to meet up with Dickinson near the base of Engstligen Falls, where we do a deeper dive on Singer’s Classic services and walk around a striking example that vies for attention with the breathtaking topography. Riding shotgun as Dickinson takes it for a spin on narrow, farmland roads, it’s clear that the car is the mechanized manifestation of the man, understated yet purpose driven and defined by the details.
Back at the Brecon’s swank, living-room-style lounge, we discuss the impending motoring experience for his customers, many who, like Maunder, have become friends. “We thought it was a good idea, but more importantly, our clients did, they’ve been asking us to do it,” says Dickinson. “We’ve done various things over the years, where we’ve done drives up to Monterey from Los Angeles . . . a few informal things in England and the U.S., and they’ve gone so well. Putting these guys together, amazing clients that come from all sorts of different backgrounds, it’s just fascinating . . . it’s like a bit of a social experiment, and it always works well, and it always ends in joy, and people want to do it again.”
Members of the Singer community will have the opportunity to do just that this fall when the next adventure unfolds in France. No, living happily ever after isn’t part of the package, but it does come with a storybook experience you’ll never get tired of retelling.
Click here for more photos of Singer-reimagined Porsche 911s in the Swiss Alps.
