The Porsche 911 is perhaps the most iconic sports car in the world, with a Teutonic heritage, classic design and unrivaled durability. So how can perfection be improved? Rob Dickinson has found a way. Since founding Singer Vehicle Design in 2008, Singer has delivered nine modified Porsche 911s – older models preferred by enthusiasts – but with carbon bodies, more powerful engines and modern features like GPS and outlets for iPods and laptops. It takes 3,800 man-hours to produce a Singer vehicle, with each car built from $250,000 worth of parts sourced from 120 suppliers in Los Angeles and Orange counties. And the finished product doesn’t come cheap. Branded as the Singer 911, the vehicles are for the wealthy who can afford the starting price of $400,000. “The volume is not big, the rewards are,” Dickinson said. “It’s a celebration of what we think is the greatest sports car in the world.” And it’s all done in a shop in an industrial neighborhood in Sun Valley, where Dickinson and five employees are united in a passion for their work: improving a car that has won at Le Mans but also can be driven to work or taken on vacation. Dickinson himself is in his second go-round in the auto industry. The first time was in vehicle design for high-end British sports and racing car manufacturer Lotus Cars. His goal for Singer is to produce eight cars a year by 2014 and then branch out the Singer brand to other lifestyle products. But already he has built a reputation – without a marketing budget and relying on word-of-mouth alone. “He has proven to be a tenacious son of a gun,” said Marco Gerace, a co-owner of TLG Auto, a Porsche restoration shop in North Hollywood. “He has made it work in a tough economy.” Childhood fascination The attention to detail that goes into each car is considerable, right down to their color. The first Singer 911 was a bright green; others were silver, white, and a gray similar to that found on the Mercedes Benz356. “He’ll (Dickinson) sit there for days on end coming up with the perfect color combination,” said Chad David, a Singer employee. It’s a fascination that dates from the British native’s childhood. He remembers seeing a 911 zip by during a family vacation. His interest in cars led to his going to Coventry University for vehicle design. But once working at Lotus he realized that vehicle design was not for him. So Dickinson turned to his next love – music – and fronted the band “Catherine Wheel” during the 1990s, releasing a series of hits. But the interest in the Porsche 911 didn’t wane. Dickinson came to the Los Angeles area in 2003 to continue with a solo music career. At the time he owned a bright orange 1969 Porsche 911 and while driving it would be asked by people where they could get a similar car or make outright offers to buy it. “It was the coolest car in Hollywood for five years,” Dickinson said, “and there were a lot of cool cars in Hollywood at the time.” From those inquiries, Dickinson realized there was a market for older model 911s outfitted with modern features the original cars did not have. With help from outside investors, Dickinson got Singer up and running. Unveiling plans for the reimagined and modified 911 at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, one of the premier high-end auto shows in the world, was key to receiving the first orders. The first car went to one of the investors. Singer Vehicle evokes the golden era of the 911, the years from 1964 to 1998 when the car was air cooled and before Porsche played around with the design. Free of adornments, the car has an enduring timelessness to it, Dickinson said. Having been around for more than 40 years, the 911 has touched many generations. Everyone seems to have a story about a family member, friend or passing acquaintance who owned a 911, said Gerace of TLG Auto. “That speaks to how transcendent the car is,” he said. So how does Porsche feel about what Dickinson is doing? Mark Porsche, the son of the late Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the designer of the 911, visited Singer’s operations in 2011. Dickinson said he was very complimentary. “It brings good things to the Porsche brand,” Dickinson added. State of art A Singer vehicle starts with the donor car, purchased by Singer and then sold to the client. These donor cars are typically Porsche 964 Carreras, the company’s designation for 911s from 1989 through 1994 model year. Usually they are found in Southern California, though for one client in Singapore, Dickinson found the donor vehicle from England so that the steering wheel was on the right side. The vehicle gets stripped down to the chassis, with the body, doors, and all the paint and undercoating removed. The bare frame is then sent to a metal fabricator for strengthening, which can take five weeks. The next step is to send the car to the Aria Group in Irvine where carbon fiber panels that mimic the 911 style are attached to the frame and painted. The owners can choose the body style for a particular model year. The full shell is then sent back to Singer in Sun Valley for final assembly. No expense is spared in putting the car together, which is the way that Dickinson wants it. Installations include a state-of the art gearbox, suspension, leather interiors and nickel plating on the headlights and the grill on the rear. The car is powered by one of three engine models capable of delivering from 300 horsepower to 400 horsepower. (The original engine by comparison reached 280 horsepower.) The engines are made at the Torrance facility of global engineering firm Cosworth Group, which also makes engines for Formula One racecars. Where there could be improvements made to the original Porsche construction it is done; otherwise it is left alone. “Every corner of the car is considered,” Dickinson said. Maximum potential While Porsche is Teutonic in origin, what Singer does for the 911 is pure Southern California. Dickinson believes Singer would not be able to thrive anywhere else but Los Angeles because the expertise in the supply chain is not found anywhere else. He notes that Aria never fails to supply its carbon fiber on time. “If you agree to a delivery date they will deliver,” Dickinson said. And so does Singer. Dickinson or another employee will personally pick up parts, check them over, take them to another supplier for plating, painting or powder coating, pick them up, check them over, and then finally bring them to Singer for assembly. While secretive about the future opportunities Singer will pursue, Dickinson is confident there are other iconic industrial designs in consumer products ripe for reviving for a new generation. “These products can have a second life,” Dickinson said. “We should be the company that can step up and execute those things.” And what about Dickinson’s orange Porsche 911? He still drives the car from time to time although not as much as when he lived in Hollywood. The attention the car gets remains high. “It still presses the buttons in people,” he said.