At the request of a long-term client, Singer has looked to a golden era of Porsche rallying in the 1980s, and to automotive heroes including the 911 SC/RS and 959, to reimagine his air-cooled 911s as World Rally Championship-inspired, all-terrain competition machines.

Singer’s latest creation will enable their clients to go off-road racing, with a Porsche 911 (964 donor)  modified by Singer for all-terrain use.

The All-terrain Competition Study has been undertaken by Singer, in partnership with renowned 911 rally specialist Richard Tuthill, in response to the request from their client for modifications to his air-cooled Porsche 911 that would enable the car to compete in off-road racing and to demonstrate extensive all-terrain exploration capabilities. To highlight the broad repertoire of the ACS, the client has commissioned two machines, one – in Singer’s iconic Parallax White – focused on high-speed desert rallying and a second – in Corsica Red – configured for high-speed, high-grip tarmac events and disciplines.

Porsche 911s prepared by UK-based off-road competition specialist Richard Tuthill have dominated rally events for decades, with recent victory in the 2019 East African Safari Classic marking a remarkable 4th win in the grueling 5000km event across Kenya and Tanzania. These successes sit alongside deep expertise from the world of WRC competition and events such as the Paris-Dakar.

SBB -Editor: We love this kind of innovation and all out development, it is what makes our job so exciting – love the result. Since, I know the other Porsche anoraks will want the technical spec, I haven’t deleted it, so here it is… 

All-terrain Competition Study include:

• Off-road competition capability, conceived with events such as the Baja 1000 and Dakar Rally in mind, but suitable for a range of surfaces
• Dramatically increased ride height, suspension travel and overall strength
• Carbon fiber body panels suited to quick replacement and easy underbody access
• Permanent AWD
• A twin-turbocharged, 3.6L, air-cooled flat-six with power starting at 450hp.
• Sequential racing transmission with front, centre and rear limited-slip differentials.

Summary Technical Specifications

• 1990 Type 964 Porsche 911
• Core strengthening to monocoque for heavy duty off-road use, carbon fiber body panels and off-road race modifications including:

Suspension, wheels and brakes

• Specialised long-travel suspension with twin, 5-way adjustable dampers per corner
• (8 dampers total).
• Forged aluminium 8×16” wheels with BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres.
• 4-piston, monobloc steel disc brakes with hydraulic handbrake.

Engine

• 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
• 5-speed sequential dog-box enabling flat-shifting. Manual and paddle-shift capable.
• Permanent AWD.
• Front, centre and rear, mechanical, plated limited-slip differentials.

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
• State-of-the-art GPS race navigation system. 

Richard Tuthill commented “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. In the 1980s we partnered with Prodrive to prepare bodyshells for the Rothmans 911 SC/RS that was part of the inspiration for ACS. I am delighted to have now partnered with Rob and the team at Singer to bring this incredible machine to life and look forward to working with them in the future. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved.”

Notes Rob Dickinson, Founder and Executive Chairman, Singer Group Inc.

“So much of what we’ve done for the last decade has been inspired by Porsche’s competition success and the All-terrain Competition Study provides us the opportunity to showcase that idea literally and vividly.

We at Singer are motorsport nerds in our hearts and demonstrating our understanding of the discipline required our off-road vision to display deeply legitimate competition credentials from the structural engineering, to the bodywork ethos, to the mechanical package.

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.

As is our habit we chose to tackle our subject thoroughly and we are proud to have found the best in the world – always our ambition – to help us reach our goals. Like Williams Advanced Engineering before them with the Dynamics & Lightweighting Study, Richard Tuthill and his incredible team have allowed us to bring our vision for the All-terrain Competition Study to life in the most spectacular way.

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 – all of which will support our ongoing mission. This pursuit of focused competition studies is something you will see more of from us in the future.”