California king of Porsche customization

For the first time ever, a US client-owned Singer Vehicle Design (SVD) re-imagined Porsche 911 will be on display to the public, at this year's Pinehurst Concours d'Elegance.

Typically, announcing that a 1990 Porsche 911 will be one of the stars of an upcoming classic car show wouldn't be enough to get anyone excited -- even huge Porsche 911 fanatics.

However, this isn't just any 25-year-old 964-model Porsche 911. California-based Singer Vehicle Design has been rebuilding Porsches to a very specific formula that blends tradition with modernity since 2009. Founded by British 911-lover Rob Dickinson, who actually started out as the lead singer in 1990s indie rock band Catherine Wheel, the Pinehurst Concours d'Elegance car, ‘Virginia,' is a totally unique car that took the best part of a year to realize and is one of very few cars Singer has built for a US client.

"Each machine we work with has its own special touches," said Dickinson. "As an example, ‘Virginia' is the first of the cars we've restored that wears the full ‘Touring' trim on the bumpers and rockers and is the only vehicle to date where a customer has chosen to align an exterior of metallic Fish Silver paint with Sand-Beige interior leather weave."

While every Singer re-imagined Porsche is unique, all share some elements, the most notable of which is a 964-model chassis -- the platform that purists believe is the best. The exterior design brings in lines and forms from the original 1960s-era Porsche. Under the body the powerplant and suspension set up are brought right up to date but in a way that retains the original car's handling characteristics. The result is a sort of Porsche 911 greatest hits compilation album where every track is just as good as the next.

And despite the fact that building something like the Virginia takes 10 months and typically costs upwards of $395,000, the company is currently streamlining its services and expanding its facilities in order to keep up with growing demand.

The 2015 Pinehurst Concours d'Elegance will be held on the golf course of the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina on May 2 and 300 rare and classic cars and motorcycles will be on display.
Source: Relaxnews