Singer and Williams wow Porsche fans with ‘re-imagined’ 964

With its distinctive green and orange colour theme and seriously enhanced styling, it’s clear from the outset that this is no ordinary Porsche – and once you start digging, the upgrades come thick and fast.

This very special 964 – which heralds a run of up to 75 cars to be built in Oxfordshire – is the result of a partnership between Porsche ‘re-imaginer’ Singer and Williams Advanced Engineering, in collaboration with Porsche Le Mans project genius Norbert Singer. It sports a body made of carbon fibre, magnesium, aluminium and titanium, and special features include a channelled roof and rear window inlets that feed air to the powerplant’s carbon fibre intakes.

However, it’s what’s beneath the oh-so-impressive skin that really takes the breath away. The Singer-Williams-developed engine is a modern version of Porsche’s classic 911 air-cooled flat-six. Making extensive use of titanium and magnesium, the 4.0-litre quad-cam 24v unit can now rev to more than 9000rpm, while power is up to an awesome 500bhp from the original 3.6’s 247bhp. It’s mated to a Hewland magnesium six-speed gearbox.

EXE-TC custom dampers feature in the lightweight suspension set-up, and 18-inch BBS forged magnesium centre-locking rims are shod in bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. The brakes feature Brembo calipers and carbon-composite discs. All that attention to detail and more – there are no door cards or carpets to stifle the fabulous flat-six howl – results in the 964 weighing less than 990kg. Marino Franchitti, brother of Dario, and Top Gear’s Chris Harris have carried out the driving development work.

Porsche collector Scott Blattner has taken delivery of this particular Absinthe and Blood Orange model, but up to 75 examples will be built at the ‘Singer at Grove’ facility on the Williams campus in Oxfordshire. There’s no hard information on price as of yet, but we’re guessing you won’t get a lot of change from $2 million (US); even secondhand Singers have sold for over half a million pounds in the UK in the past. The three-year waiting list will give you plenty of time to save up...