Singer’s 700-hp DLS Turbo nods to ’70s Porsche enduro car

The 1991–94 911 Turbo is the latest 964-generation Porsche to be reimagined by the specialists at Singer. Inspiration for the DLS (Dynamic & Lightweight Study) Turbo comes from the Porsche 934/5 endurance racers, from a decade and a half prior, which annihilated the opposition in the 1977 SCCA Trans Am series. Porsche won six out of the eight rounds and sealed the championship, dramatically impacting a youngster named Rob Dickinson.

“I was 12 when my father’s friend showed us his Super 8 film of the 1977 Watkins Glen 6 Hours,” says Dickinson, founder of Singer Vehicle Design. “As the familiar face of a Porsche 911 morphed into impossibly boxed hips, gaping intakes, and a giant double-planed rear wing, I can still remember the shock and the realization that this was the other life of the 911—the racing car.

“Since Singer began, I’ve wanted to return to that moment, collaborate with our clients and celebrate that car—the 934/5.”

Now, Singer customers supplying a 1989–94 Porsche 911 can have it transformed into a tribute to Dickinson’s childhood hero. The process begins with all-new carbon-fiber bodywork to cut weight and increase stiffness. Designed with the aid of computational fluid dynamics, the new body also cuts a cleaner path through the air, with added intakes and NACA ducts optimizing cooling and turbocharger breathing.

Two aero options are available: a road-centered version (above) with a small ducktail rear spoiler and drag-reducing front fascia or a track-ready spec (top and below) with an adjustable high-downforce rear wing and a ground-hugging front splitter. Either option is wildly wide and far more flamboyant than the company’s DLS or Classics models.

The engine is completely stripped and rebuilt into the most powerful unit Singer has ever produced. Unlike the Williams Advanced Engineering–fettled DLS motor, the flat-six in the Turbo remains at 3.8 liters capacity. However, with four valves per cylinder and twin turbochargers featuring electric wastegates and air-to-water intercooling, it is boosted to 700 horsepower at 9000 rpm.

A six-speed manual transmission handles gear changes, there are carbon ceramic disc brakes at each corner, and forged center-lock magnesium wheels wear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 or Cup 2R tires. Customers can specify a track-focused suspension system with bespoke dampers and remote adjustment.

Like all Singer-modified Porsches, each DLS Turbo will be built in close collaboration with its owner, based on an almost unlimited choice of exterior and interior finishes.

As for price, well, if you need to ask, you likely can’t afford it, but you can at least look at one in August at Monterey Car Week.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.