Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer - the Dynamics and Lightweighting Study review

Let us put it this way: the driving experience starts way before you even get behind the wheel. Because you can’t walk up to the DLS and just get in. You stand there, captivated by the perfection of the stance, of those broad arches, the way the wheels are revealed at the back, the ducktail. It fires you up. The door is heavier than you expect, the gorgeous Momo steering wheel doesn’t adjust, the one piece seat only slides forwards and back. But you’re fine. The whole sense of anticipation dominates. 

You turn the key, the needles flick, there’s electronic ticking and a mechanical click or two from behind. Another twist and an angry, vocal bark of revs, settling into a tight growl. The pedals have more weight than you expect, the steering too, but once up and running they ease and that ceases to be a concern. The gearlever, raised up on a plinth to reveal the workings beneath also moves quickly, easily and neatly through the gate. It’s the tactility and texture of these controls that makes simply operating the DLS a delight. 

Is it calm enough to cruise?

Drive without intent and it’s perfectly tolerable. The 4.0 is settled, there’s no hiccups or histrionics at low revs, you just maybe need to raise your voice a little to overcome it. It pulls cleanly. A hifi is available. It’ll need to be astounding for you ever to bother with it. Open the taps and you won’t be able to speak. Not just a physical thing, but your emotional response to what’s happening will stop all noise bar a curdled ‘gnrrr’ escaping your lips. You’ll do the yelping and hollering when you lift off, giddy at what’s just happened. I know this because that’s what happened to everyone who travelled with me in it. Grizzled film and photography guys, used to modern stuff, were dazzled by it.   

Does it have driving modes?

There’s a mode dial between the seats, which defaults to ‘Key Up’ when you start. Singer-speak for Normal. One click clockwise takes you to Sport, a longer hold to Track. You need Sport. The Bosch-developed traction and stability is quite active, but in Sport gives you some margin. It’s a little crude and sudden compared to the systems in most big manufacturer’s fast kit, but then they’re paying tens of millions for development. In Track everything is off bar the ABS. I didn’t expect to use Track that much. Ended up using it almost all the time. 

Is that because it’s approachable to drive?

It’s remarkable how usable and friendly the DLS is, and those dampers have a lot to do with it. Watch our film of it (we had the four-way adjustments in a middling set-up) and you can see the car move, absorb kerbs effortlessly, soak up punishment and regain control without the car’s balance being disturbed at all. Big shout out for the ramped up chassis stiffness here, which gives the suspension a far more solid platform to work from. 

There’s a bit of roll and movement, and that’s such a nice thing to have. It gives you that fraction of a second to feel the car transition, makes it less snatchy, more progressive. But behind that cushion the DLS is so well supported. I never hit the bumpstops, not hard on the brakes and turning in over a kerb or giving it the berries out of a tight corner. The brakes, incidentally, are sensational. I sometimes find Brembo’s brakes a bit wooden to use, but once into their travel these are fabulous. 

Any criticisms?

It’s difficult, because what you’re dealing with here is an old Porsche that isn’t seeking to measure itself against anything else, just be the best it can be. It’s not as smooth into corners or as slicingly effortless around them as the latest from Ferrari, McLaren or even Porsche themselves, but frankly that’s not the point. It wants to act and behave like an old 911, because a) that’s what it is and b) that’s why people love them. It’s idiosyncratic, different, communicates the sensations of speed and the joy of driving better than anything else I’ve ever driven.  

Those criticisms, for what they’re worth then. The traction is a bit sudden, but quite frankly the fact it has any electronic stability management on it at all is astonishing. And as a real nitpick the steering isn’t quite as nuanced, talkative and alert as a Lotus’ – although it steers more naturally and informatively than any modern supercar I can think of. 

Singer’s intention was for the DLS to be all round usable, to not lose the bandwidth the 911 is rightly famous for. I think you could argue that for anyone used to modern supercars, the engine maybe comes across as a little raucous and high strung for a road trip. But would you change it? We wouldn’t – it’s the star of the show.