This is the “Lautrec Commission”, it’s a Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer that’s powered by a fire-breathing, hand-built 4.0 liter flat-six producing 390 bhp and 315 lb ft of torque.
Remarkably, this Singer has just 3 miles on the odometer. It was ordered by the current owner (now seller) in 2019 to a high specification – it can do the 0-60 mph dash in just 3.3 seconds and 0-100 in a touch over 8 seconds. More than enough to wax the floor with many supercars.
Fast Facts – The “Lautrec Commission” Porsche 911
- Singer Vehicle Design was founded by the former lead singer of British rock band “Catherine Wheel” in 2009 specifically to restore and reimagine Porsche 911s. In the years since the company has become a global phenomenon, and they’ve restored 450+ 911s with no two being quite the same.
- The car you see here is called the “Lautrec Commission” after French Impressionist painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The rebuild was commissioned in 2019 and remarkably, the car has accumulated just 3 miles on the odometer since.
- The Lautrec Commission was built on a Porsche 964 foundation with a hand-built 4.0 liter flat six-which produces 390 bhp and 315 lb ft of torque from Porsche specialists at Ed Pink Racing Engines of Van Nuys, California. Power is sent back through a 5-speed G50-transmission to the rear wheels.
- The car is now due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s in Monterey, California on the 18th of August with a price guide of $950,000 – $1,250,000 USD.
Singer Vehicle Design
Singer Vehicle Design was founded by Rob Dickinson in 2009 – before launching into the world of high-end car restoration, Dickinson was the frontman for the British rock band Catherine Wheel.
The Porsche 911 as reimagined by Singer is almost like a greatest hots album of Porsche 911 design, from the 1960s to the present day.
Catherine Wheel was an English alt rock band that enjoyed considerable success through their active years from 1990 to the year 2000. They released five full length albums and a slew of top 100 hits including Black Metallic, I Want to Touch You, Crank, 30 Century Man, and more. Interestingly, Rob Dickinson is also the cousin of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson.
Dickinson had long been a Porsche enthusiast, he restored his 1969 911 to his own specification and dubbed it the “Brown Bomber.” Though he didn’t know it at the time, this project would fundamentally change the direction of his life – when out driving his rebuilt 911 in California he was frequently approached by people who wanted to buy it from him on the spot.
Given the popularity of the Brown Bomber, Dickinson quickly realized that there was significant pent up demand for reimagined Porsche 911s, and so he founded Singer Vehicle Design to meet it. The name “Singer” was chosen at an homage to legendary Porsche engineer Norbert Singer, and as a reference to Dickinson’s own early life as a rock star.
Singer Vehicle Design has now restored (or reimagined) 450 Porsche 911s with no two ever being made to the same exact specification. The company is now working hand-in-hand with Porsche Motorsport North America who are building their engines for them.
Singer rebuilds aren’t just focussed on engines and performance, they also have immaculately designed interiors that are designed to be perfectly well suited to being used daily if the owner decides to.
The “Lautrec Commission” 911 Reimagined by Singer
The project to build the “Lautrec Commission” was started in 2019, it was named after French Impressionist painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and it was powered by one of the most impressive engines ever offered by Singer – the 4.0 liter Porsche 964 based flat-six built by the specialists at Ed Pink Racing Engines of Van Nuys, California.
This build started life as a Porsche 964 coupe, which was stripped back to bare metal before the shell was strengthened, the rebuild then began in earnest. A series of carbon fiber body panels were then added to the unibody, significantly reducing curb weight.
The car was finished in a PTS Magnetic Silver and given a bespoke hand-woven Cinnamon leather which includes the seats, dashboard trim panel, and door cards. The transmission tunnel and interior doorsills are finished in square weave Oatmeal carpeting, and the car has black anodized kick panels, a matching pedal set, a perforated black vinyl headliner, and a black leather dashboard.
The interior was then finished off with a series of tasteful small details, including a mahogany 917-style gearshift knob and classic gauge suite with Magnetic Silver dials and with cream markers.
The car now rides on Satin Black-finished Fuchs wheels and it has a number of discrete modern additions to make it daily-drivable if the new owner should wish, including a modern air conditioning system and Singer’s premium Dynaudio sound system package with an Audison amplifier.
With 390 bhp and 315 lb ft of torque this 4.0 liter flat-six is now more powerful than the original turbocharged 964 motor. It was rebuilt by the specialists at Ed Pink Racing Engines of Van Nuys, California and it sends power to the rear wheels via a Porsche G50 5-speed transmission.
As with any 911 rebuilt by Singer, this jewel of this car is its engine. As noted above it’s a 4.0 liter flat-six that’s been completely upgraded over stock, it now has a slew of bespoke parts including the pistons, cylinders, and cylinder heads, crankshaft, camshafts, connecting rods, oil pump, throttle bodies, and intake systems.
In its current state of tune it’s capable of 390 bhp and 315 lb ft of torque, more power than was offered by the turbocharged version of the original Porsche 964, and this engine does it all without forced induction.
Power is sent back to the rear wheels through the highly-regarded Porsche G50 5-speed transmission, and the car can do the 60 mph run from a standstill in less than 3.3 seconds, and onto 100 mph in just 8.2 seconds.
It’s now due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s on the 18th of August in Monterey, California with a price guide of $950,000 – $1,250,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images: Drew Phillips for Singer ©2023 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
