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Porsche 911 made into extreme all-terrain rally off-roader

[All photos credit: Singer Vehicle Design]

 

 

Some days you just want to see what's out there -- something fun and wild. Take, for example, the All-terrain Competition Study (ACS), in which Singer Vehicle Design, a high-end restoration house, turned a 1990 Type 964 Porsche 911 into an off-road desert racing beast. From its dramatically increased ride height, suspension travel, and overall strength to its carbon fiber body and 450-hp twin turbo, it's a real showstopper that's made to impress and compete.

Singer Vehicle Design (Singer) based in Los Angeles, CA, restores and modifies existing Porsche automobiles for its high-end customers. It does not manufacture or sell automobiles. For the All-terrain Competition Study, the company partnered with renowned 911 rally specialist Richard Tuthill in the UK to create a World Rally Championship-inspired all-terrain machine. The commission came from a long-term client of Singer.

What's extra sweet (if you have the piles of cash and the inclination), is the commissioning owner has agreed that the design and plans for the All-terrain Competition Study will be available to others who want to equip their cars with this off-road capability through Singer -- so future customers don't have to start from scratch.

According to Singer, "Porsche 911s prepared by UK-based off-road competition specialist Richard Tuthill have dominated rally events for decades, with the recent victory in the 2019 East African Safari Classic marking a remarkable 4th win in the grueling 5,000-km event across Kenya and Tanzania. These successes sit alongside deep expertise from the world of WRC competition and events such as the Paris-Dakar." So Tuthill was a natural fit for the project.

"We've taken particular inspiration from the iconic Rothmans-sponsored 911 SC/RSs and 959s that conquered events like the Qatar International Rally and Paris-Dakar in the mid-'80s and, at the request of our client, have reimagined these all-terrain 911's in their honor while utilizing fresh perspectives and state-of-the-art know-how," said Rob Dickinson, founder and executive chairman, Singer Group Inc. "We feel confident this machine can appeal to off-roading enthusiasm of all kinds, whether it be in the pursuit of professional competition at the highest level or adventure and exploration. ACS advances Singer's capabilities in forced-induction, all-wheel drive, off-road ability and dynamic response."

VIDEO: The All-Terrain Competition Study (ACS) which has been developed by Singer and Tuthill Porsches. [Credit: Singer Vehicle Design]

Painted an ultra-clean Parallax White, the All-Terrain Competition Study takes the Type 964 generation of air-cooled cars as its starting point. At the heart of the machine is "an evolution of the 'Mezger' air-cooled flat-six in 3.6L form, complete with twin symmetrical turbochargers and fly-by-wire individual throttle bodies." The performance characteristics of the engine can be tuned depending on the demands of competition and the owner.

The 450-hp power plant with 420 lb-ft of torque also features water-to-air intercoolers, with individual-bank charge coolers housed within the plenum and cooled by a clamshell-mounted radiator. The car has a 5-speed sequential dog-box enabling flat-shifting and is manual and paddle-shift capable. It has permanent all-wheel drive and front, center, and rear limited-slip differentials.

It also boasts a specialized long-travel suspension with twin, 5-way adjustable dampers per corner (8 dampers total); forged aluminum 8 x 16-in. wheels with BF Goodrich All-Terrain tires, and 4-piston, monobloc steel disc brakes with a hydraulic handbrake.

A key focus of the project was on core strengthening of the monocoque for heavy-duty off-road use. The bespoke carbon fiber body was optimized to allow easy access to mechanical components at service stops and to enable effective breathing and cooling for the powertrain. The use of carbon fiber allowed Singer to reduce overall mass and, for this car, to offset the extra weight of the roll-cage. Carbon fiber body panels also aid in quick replacement and easy underbody access.

Additional specialized equipment includes a long-range fuel tank, two full-size spare race wheels and tires that fit in the front trunk area and rear storage area, a full FIA-specification roll cage, bespoke competition seats with FIA certification, a rehydration system for the driver and the navigator, and a state-of-the-art GPS race-navigation system.

What could be cooler than that? Well, we're going to tell you. ...

The commissioning owner actually ordered two versions of the car. Yup. Two.

Version 2 is done in Corsica Red and is configured specifically for "high-speed, high-grip tarmac events and disciplines." What a lucky owner.

As for costs, well, each Singer creation/restoration is a bespoke endeavor. You know what they say, "If you have to ask ...." (We think you better be a multi-millionaire.)

Learn more about Singer Vehicle Design at singervehicledesign.com.

Source: Singer Vehicle Design

Published February 2021

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