The favourite supercar of Formula 1 drivers

Times

25-07-2025

Unlike the glitzier Swiss mountain resorts of St Moritz and Gstaad, the village of Adelboden, west of the Bernese Oberland, is rarely troubled by the peace-shattering roar of Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
No, Adelboden is the sort of Alpine retreat where groceries come from the Co-op, shops sell walking boots and alpenstocks rather than Cartier and Brunello Cucinelli — and the most popular thing to get drunk on is the spectacular view of the surrounding snow-capped peaks.
Few would think of looking inside Adelboden's former fire station in search of 17 of the world's most coveted supercars, with a combined value of $50 million.
But that's what was hidden behind the building's large steel doors last month as preparations were being made for the first global gathering of owners of cars restored by the California-based Singer Vehicle Design.
If you're unfamiliar with Singer, it has become the world's premier builder of Porsche 911 'restomods' — a portmanteau word describing 'restoring' and 'modifying' in order to combine the appeal of a traditional classic with the latest and best of engineering to create cars that blend old-school character and charm with new-school usability and performance.
Singer Vehicle Design was founded in 2009 by Rob Dickinson, the former vocalist, songwriter and guitarist with the defunct British rock band Catherine Wheel, and his mantra from day one has been 'a relentless pursuit of excellence'.
Focusing solely on 964 series Porsche 911s built between 1989 and 1994, the firm takes original donor cars and strips them to their bare bones before putting them back together after virtually every component has been improved, redesigned and recrafted to create what many enthusiasts regard as the ultimate in air-cooled 911s.
But never call them a Porsche, for goodness sake.
Although the cars origins are instantly recognisable, closer inspection reveals myriad upgrades — so many, in fact, that Porsche's legal team have questioned Singer Vehicle Design's right to use any Porsche branding whatsoever, and insists Singer makes clear that it is in no way affiliated with the marque.
Bodywork can be almost entirely replicated in carbon fibre. Engines are remade to provide significant increases in power and durability (some by famous racing firms such as Williams Engineering and Cosworth) and interiors combine retro-look, high-tech instruments with bespoke upholstery in woven leather and fine fabrics.
Such excellence doesn't come cheap: at its outset 16 years ago, a Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer (as the cars must legally be called) would have set you back about $250,000.
But, as engineering techniques have evolved, specifications have improved and demand has outstripped supply, so prices have increased to the point that the current most expensive creation from Singer Vehicle Design — the Dynamics and Lightweight Services or DLS Turbo — has a base price of about $2.7m/£2.2m.
Bespoke additions can bring the cost of the typical DLS Turbo to about $3.1m/£2.2m — partly because the car features engineering solutions drawn directly from the world of Formula 1, such as engine components made from magnesium, titanium and Inconel and aerodynamic improvements calculated using computational fluid dynamics.
At least ten past and present F1 drivers — including Jenson Button and Alex Albon — either own a Singer or have one on order. During a recent visit to Singer Vehicle Design's large but entirely anonymous UK satellite factory in Woodford Halse, Northamptonshire, I spotted more than 35 of the cars 'in build'.
So how did 17 Singers come to be locked up in an old fire station in an obscure Alpine village?
The answer is that Adelboden is the part-time home to one of the firm's most enthusiastic patrons, who reasoned that there are few places on earth better suited to putting a Singer through its paces than the serpentine roads of the multiple mountain passes that surround it.
The Welshman Grant Maunder first discovered the place in 1977, when he travelled there with his mother and father — not in a Porsche but in the family Ford Escort — to stay in a Salvation Army chalet.
'My parents were involved with the Salvation Army and a woman called Maya Schraegler came to stay with us in Penarth as part of a sort of 'exchange of ministers' programme, which is how we ended up going to her home village of Adelboden for a holiday.'
Maunder, now 57, instantly fell in love with the place and continued to visit as an adult. 'I used to go skiing there with friends during the 1980s, and we slept in a nuclear fallout shelter because that's the only place we could afford. I remember looking up at the 72-room Grand Hotel Regina, the glitziest place in town, and thinking, one day I'll be able to afford to stay there.'
Fast-forward to 2009, and Maunder could stay there for as long as he liked without worrying about the rack rate — because, following an aborted attempt to become a Royal Marines bandsman at the age of 17, he had fallen into a career as a financial adviser, achieving such success that he was able to buy the entire hotel and rename it The Cambrian.
Exactly a year ago Maunder and his brother, Craig — who describe themselves as 'accidental hoteliers' — also opened the exquisite Brecon hotel half a mile up the road on the edge of the village. This 18-room, four-suite 'adults only' establishment really does give guests the feeling of being welcome visitors in someone's much loved home.
'It is partly a result of being in the hotel game that drew me to want to own a Singer,' says Maunder, who ordered his first, a Classic, in 2017 and now has two more cars in build — a Classic Turbo and an example of the recently launched Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Reimagined by Singer.
'I soon discovered that meticulous attention to detail really does matter, and that's the attitude they take at Singer. So much so that it took five years from ordering my first car for it to be delivered, during which time I got to know Rob well enough to suggest holding the first global gathering of owners in Adelboden.'
The 40 or so people who turned up (owners plus partners or friends) proved the perfect number to fill the Brecon, which served as the base for three days driving their Singers on some of the most exciting and challenging roads Europe has to offer.
Although their VIP status precluded me joining the main event, I did enjoy the privilege of driving three different Singer creations on the same roads during the two days prior — and quickly discovered why having to wait five years for his original Classic didn't deter Maunder from going back for more.
As the owner of a regular 1980s Porsche 911 for the past 20 years, I continue to be surprised by how exciting and rewarding it is to drive — while simultaneously feeling solidly built, dependable and unique in character. Singer has succeeded in retaining that character while magnifying every aspect of the 911 experience in each different version. The original Classic feels, well, classic — while being smoother, easier to drive and far quicker than a standard car. The Classic Turbo delivers effortless high-speed touring with refined power. And the DLS comes across as a true racer for the road, with a screaming, ultra high-revving engine, ultra sharp handling and giant brakes that seemed to enable it to defy physics as we blasted up the mountain passes.
'They are extremely expensive, but they're definitely worth the money,' Maunder says, 'and I've been told my Classic, which cost me around $600,000, is now worth around $1m because only 450 were scheduled to be made and they have all been sold.'
Which gives me good grounds to suggest to Mrs de Burton that, instead of buying a new Skoda and watching it depreciate, we should borrow a couple of mill, buy a Singer DLS Turbo and go to live in Adelboden while our investment grows.
After all, what could possibly go wrong?
singervehicledesign.com; thebrecon.com