Here’s what you get when you take your 911 to Singer and ask them to make it tough enough for the Dakar Rally, meet the Singer All-terrain Competition Study.
Porsche has a rich rallying heritage and don’t forget the 959 Safari won Dakar back when it was the proper Paris-Dakar Rally in the 1980s. Fast forward to now and 911 rallyist Richard Tuthill who’d been involved with Prodrive in the ‘80s making body shells for the Rothmans 911 SC/RSs, wanted his own Safari-spec Porsche.
And he wanted Singer to build it. “This collaboration brings together the best of innovation, cutting-edge technology and decades of real rallying experience into one, amazingly capable, all-terrain off-road racing vehicle,” he said.
The thinking behind the project, according to Singer and Tuthill, was to take a 911 and transform it into something capable of competing at the Dakar Rally or the Baja 1000 and “demonstrate extensive all-terrain exploration capabilities”.
So that he’s got a pair, Tuthill’s had Singer build him a 911 for track work too. And Singer reckons it’s been given the nod to build these things for anyone who wants one but hasn’t given an idea of pricing because of the high level of personalisation that goes into them.
This thing starts out with a 964 911 and running an “evolution” of the regular 3.6L flat-six. With twin symmetrical turbochargers and fly-by-wire individual throttle bodies, Singer said the engine can be tuned up or down depending on the competition and owner preference.
A toughened chassis wrapped in a bespoke carbon-fibre body has been designed to give easy access to the mechanicals for roadside repairs and better breathing and cooling for the powertrain. The use of carbon fibre has helped make the car lighter and offset the extra weight of the roll-cage.
The interior is simple and, again, can be customised to suit the buyer. This one’s intended for off-road racing so runs FIA specification seats and harnesses within a full roll cage. It boasts a race GPS navigation system while both driver and navigator have access to in-seat rehydration systems, because slapping through the desert at warp speed is thirsty work.
Singer All-Terrain Competition Study Technical Specifications
1990 Type 964 Porsche 911 – Core strengthening to monocoque for heavy-duty off-road use, carbon fibre body panels and off-road race modifications.
• Specialised long-travel suspension with twin, 5-way adjustable dampers per corner (8 dampers total);
• Forged aluminium 8×16-inch wheels with BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres;
• 4-piston, monobloc steel disc brakes with hydraulic handbrake;
• 3.6L twin turbo-charged, air-cooled, Porsche flat-six;
• Water-to-air intercoolers, with individual-bank charge coolers housed within the plenum and cooled by clamshell-mounted radiator;
• Tuned for the demands of each event, power starts at 450hp and 420lb ft torque;
• Five-speed sequential dog-box enabling flat-shifting. Manual and paddle-shift capable;
• Permanent AWD;
• Front, centre and rear, mechanical, plated limited-slip differentials; and
Additional Specialised Equipment:
• Long-range fuel tank;
• 2 x full-size spare race wheels and tyres in front trunk area and rear storage area;
• Full FIA specification roll cage;
• Bespoke competition seats with FIA certification;
• Rehydration system for driver and navigator; and
• State-of-the-art GPS race navigation system.
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