Porsche 911 Singer Vehicle Design DLS – 4.0L, 500 hp

Makers of reimagined, air-cooled Porsche 911s Singer Vehicle Design unveiled its Dynamics and Lightweighting Study (DLS) at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The DLS, according to Singer, is a “formation of technical partners in pursuit of the most advance air-cooled Porsche 911 in the world.” Like Singer products before, only more so.

The carbon-fibre-bodied car with 500 hp, 4.0 litre air-cooled and naturally-aspirated flat-six engine first came to light in November before the DLS got its name, and was commissioned by Porsche enthusiast and long-time client Scott Blatter, as well as collectors Jan Koum and Mark Evenstad.

The ‘weight-down’ study was conducted by Williams, focusing on improving torsional stiffness, mass efficiency and driver environment, and a redistribution of weight by moving the engine further forward and select components moved to the trunk in the front of the car. Every exterior body panel on the DLS is made from carbon-fibre and unique to this car.

Bodywork of the Singer DLS 911 is the result of reassessment from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, which offers elimination of front axle lift via a redesigned front oil cooler intake, venting and new front splitter, while the roof channel and roof/rear window spoiler works with the optimised ducktail spoiler for downforce on the rear axle.

Meanwhile, side window intakes and rear decklid venting aids in engine intake and cooling performance. Aerodynamics work included consultancy with Norbert Singer, who worked on past Porsche Le Mans racers.

The quad-cam engine is the product of the California-based firm’s collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering, which attains its 500 hp output at 9,000 rpm with dual-oil circuits, new cylinders and pistons with titanium con-rods, aluminium throttle bodies with carbon-fibre trumpets, new upper and lower injectors, a carbon-fibre air box, Inconel and titanium exhaust system and an enlarged engine cooling fan.

Engine output is sent to the driven rear wheels via a six-speed gearbox made by Hewland, with magnesium casings and hollow shafts for less rotating mass. This has also been shortened to aid the engine’s forward repositioning for optimal weight distribution, while motorsport-style tripod joints, centre-locking wheel carriers and modern materials are used, said Singer.

Driver aid electronics come courtesy of Bosch with ABS, traction control and stability control systems gaining bespoke calibration for the DLS. Switchable modes enable the option for traction and stability control to be switched off. Suspension work, once again is partnered with Williams, employing lightweight double wishbones in front and an aluminium trailing arm setup for the rear. Bespoke dampers feature remote adjustment.

Brakes are by Brembo, this time employing carbon-ceramic discs for road and track use, fitted with monobloc calipers developed for the DLS. These are housed in 18-inch, one-piece forged magnesium wheels developed by BBS Motorsport, each with a high strength aluminium and titanium centre-lock mechanism. These are fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres measuring 245/35R18 in front and 295/30R18 at rear.

The lightweight theme continues inside, where the carbon-fibre sports seats and carbon-fibre steering wheel are developed by Recaro and Momo, respectively. The manual gear shift features an exposed titanium and magnesium linkage, while shift lights are integrated into the tachometer, which is suitably British in its Spinal Tap reference.

Further along, pedals are made from drilled carbon-fibre and titanium, and the instrument gauges feature hand-applied characters, and all reside in a carbon-fibre instrument panel. A lightweight air-conditioning system is used here too, says Singer.

The Singer-developed DLS has previously been reported to be limited to a run of 75 units, and pricing is entirely dependent on how the client wishes to specify his or her car. Rest assured it will ask a considerable sum, beyond that commanded by the ‘standard’ versions powered by 3.6, 3.8 or 4.0 litre engines built by Ed Pink Racing. How would you specify yours, dear readers?

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