The Old 911 With F1 Tech

Williams helps create an air-cooled flat-six thats almost a match for the 911 GT3 RSs 383kW and 9000rpm

- Ben Miller

WHEN PORSCHE went liquid-cooled with the 996-generation 911’s flat-six, the ongoing evolution of the air-cooled engine was left wide open. Porsche had no choice but to move on, and did so convincingly. But great engines refuse to die, and in the hands of Californian restoration specialist Singer Vehicle Design, the aircooled 911 engine has undergone an astonishing evolutionary leap.

Thanks to its obsessive but sympathetic perfectionism, Singer’s now a global brand, with 100 rebuilt cars to its name. But the 964 911 you see here, a result of Singer’s Dynamic Lightweight Study (DLS), takes its work to another level. ‘Standard’ Singer projects cost around $600K in the US; each DLS-inspired restoration will cost at least $1.8 million.