Los Angeles based bespoke Porsche creators Singer, have unveiled the stunning new 911 All-terrain Competition Study. This exciting new venture is the result of a special partnership with 911 Rally and Motorsport Specialist Richard Tuthill. It is Singer’s first restoration to be developed to a client’s motorsport specification.
The end result which has been dubbed the All-terrain Competition Study (ACS), has created a Turbo-charged, AWD, all-terrain capable 911 that harks back to the golden era of Porsche rallying in the 1980s, and to the legends of Stuttgart such as the 911 SC/RS and 959.
Richard Tuthill’s brief to Singer was to modify 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, Tuthill 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.
As with all Singer’s restoration services for owners of the Porsche 911, the car takes the Type 964 generation of air-cooled cars as its starting point. At the heart of the machine is an evolution of the “Mezger” air-cooled flat-six, here in 3.6L form, with twin symmetrical turbochargers and fly-by-wire individual throttle bodies. The performance characteristics of the engine can be tuned depending on the demands of competition and the owner.
A bespoke carbon fiber body is optimized to allow easy access to mechanical components at service stops and to enable effective breathing and cooling for the powertrain. The use of carbon fiber allows Singer to reduce overall mass and, for this car, to offset the extra weight of the roll-cage.
The All-terrain Competition Study draws on Richard Tuthill’s extensive knowledge of the demands of both on and off-road racing. The bespoke suspension and damping, together with AWD configuration is designed to enable effective deployment of the car’s power off-road. The strength designed into the car’s structure and components is a response to the forces encountered during high-speed, off-road endurance events and pathfinding.
Inside, the All-terrain Competition Study reflects the demands of off-road racing. FIA specification seats and harnesses sit within a full roll cage. The car is equipped with a race GPS navigation system while both driver and navigator have access to in-seat rehydration systems.
Speaking about the unveiling of the new 911 All-terrain Competition Study, Rob Dickinson, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Singer Group stated “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.”
“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.”
Project partner and commssioner of the All-terrain Competition Study Richard Tuthill had this to say – “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.”
Both parties have agreed that the results of the All-terrain Competition Study will be available to others who wish to equip their cars with this off-road capability. Which opens up a whole range of exciting modification opportunites for owners of 911’s wanting to embark on endurance motorsport adventures.
Below is a list of the modifications and specification of the 911 Reimagined by Singer All-terrain Competition Study.
All-terrain Competition Study includes:
- 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.