Latest news with #CatherineWheel
Forbes
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Singer Vehicle Design: Successfully Keeping Everything Important
All-new Porsche 911 Carrera Coupes reimagined by Singer, on track ©2025 Singer Vehicle Design If you had interviewed Rob Dickinson 25 years ago and asked him where he would be today, it's hard to imagine he could have predicted it. At that time, he was the lead Singer of the alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, which had just released its final album and was breaking up. Dickinson planned to focus on a solo music career, but an upcoming side passion project—a 1969 Porsche 911E restoration—was soon going to change his life. The attention and enthusiasm generated by Dickinson's personal reimagined Porsche—a unique café racer he dubbed the "Brown Bomber"—convinced him there was a broader market for his vision. Guided by this belief, he directed the creation of a second handcrafted car, which was first shown on the Monterey Peninsula during the renowned Car Week, the industry's premier event. The debut was a resounding success. Singer Vehicle Design was launched in 2009 as a boutique Southern California restoration shop focused on "reimagining" classic 964 Porsche 911 models. " Everything is Important " was graffitied on the warehouse wall with a spray can—reminding the handful of employees about Dickinson's obsession with detail. One-of-a-kind restored Porsche 911 models, visually exquisite, mechanically flawless, and impeccably executed, trickled out of the shop to discerning clientele. Singer's US headquarters facility in Los Angeles (Torrance, CA) ©2025 Singer Automotive Design Most startup companies lose direction, falter, and stumble—90% fail. But Dickinson stayed focused, made strategic shifts, and refused to compromise. He brought in Maz Fawaz (still with the company as chief strategy officer) and assembled a passionate team committed to excellence and focused on perfection. It paid off. By the early 2010s, Singer Vehicle Design had attracted worldwide recognition and an impressive resume of enthusiastic clientele. In an industry saturated with competitors obsessed solely with horsepower and often lacking professionalism, Singer had distinguished itself and risen to the top. While driving enthusiasts embraced the mechanical precision of the handcrafted flat-6 engines and the meticulously honed driving dynamics, the impeccable build quality and craftsmanship demanded that each restored 911 model be celebrated as a work of art—each a uniquely named one-of-a-kind "commission." Today, Singer has more than 600 teammates, and the company has delivered more than 500 bespoke commissions to more than 30 countries. The team, now under the guidance of CEO Raj Nair, reimagines classic Porsche 911 models out of a stunning state-of-the-art facility in Torrance, just minutes from the Pacific Ocean. I toured the company's new facility, which was followed by a spin in the "Fuji Commission," a breathtaking showcase of Singer's Classic Turbo services. Afterward, I asked Dickinson some questions to gain insight into the company's continued success. I was curious if his original philosophy of "Everything is Important" has evolved since 2009. "I think the philosophy is the same," he explained. "It's central to what we do and how we look at the world: obsess over every detail and see how close you can get to perfection." Unique "commissions" under restoration at Singer's US headquarters facility in Los Angeles (Torrance, CA) ©2025 Singer Automotive Design The continuous obsession with detail and the business savvy to evolve have pushed Singer to innovate continuously. During the tour, I was surprised to see a leather artisan working on seat upholstery—he was edge coating burnished leather seams by hand, a technique usually reserved for premium luxury handbags, not automobiles. I asked Dickinson about it. "We're always pushing to give owners more choice. So, for the Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Reimagined by Singer, we've incorporated stitched and burnished leather seams in the interior of the car— adding this special artisan leather-working skill to our repertoire. All these elements are part of that philosophy." Reimagining hundreds of vehicles, which are sold globally, brings additional challenges in terms of restoration, testing, and client support. "As Singer has grown up, that's led us in certain directions. It's important that our team has the space to operate and to do what they do best, so we now have modern, world-class facilities in both the US and the UK," added Dickinson. The company recently announced that it had collaborated to acquire Willow Springs Raceway, just outside of Los Angeles, for vehicle development and use as a private owner's club, while privateers will remain having track access. Expansion to outside markets has also forced Singer to ensure its product is road-legal on a global scale. "We've seen demand for our services grow in new markets around the world, and that means we need to be thinking about TÜV standards in Germany, or the equivalent in Switzerland and Australia, for example," acknowledges Dickinson. "So, we have rigorous testing programs that take the engineering teams to some of the most famous proving grounds in the world: the Nürburgring, Nardo, Arjeplog, and Millbrook, for example." While detail, innovation, and carefully managed growth remain essential to the company's ongoing success, Dickinson, now Singer's founder and executive chairman, emphasizes that the primary focus is on building relationships with its customers. "It's been about collaboration with the owners from the start," he affirmed. "So, we're always looking for ways to respond to that. When we started, there was only the Classic restoration approach—so naturally aspirated cars. Since then, we've developed Classic Turbo and DLS Turbo services, which allow owners who love forced induction to incorporate that type of performance. And we've built a fantastic Client Experience and Specifications team who are there every step of the way with the owners, figuring out exactly what personalization they're looking for to make their car unique." Today's Singer leadership team, Maz Fawaz (Chief Strategy Officer), Rob Dickinson (Founder, Executive Chairman), Raj Nair (CEO), and the team at their Torrance, CA, headquarters. ©2025 Singer Vehicle Design Singer Vehicle Design's success is fundamentally due to its talented management team, which has skillfully scaled the company from a handful of employees to hundreds. However, the company's true lifeblood remains its exceptional product—a result of founder Rob Dickinson's automotive passion, creativity, artistic sensibility, persistent pursuit of excellence, and his unwavering commitment to his decades-old philosophy that "everything is important."
Daily Mail
07-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Hotel guest who was bitten 30 times by bed bugs in infested room tells how she woke up to see them 'crawling on the bed'
A woman was left with more than 30 red and itchy bites on her body after staying in a hotel room infested with bed bugs. Sharon Aggarwal, 53, shut herself in the bathroom for two hours after she woke up in the middle of the night 'scratching' at a three-star hotel in Henley-on-Thames. The IT worker, who frequently travels to the picturesque town in Oxfordshire for work, said she pulled back the sheet and could see several bugs 'crawling on the bed'. Mrs Aggarwal said she squashed a large one on the pillow and was horrified to see blood spurt out of it. The 53-year-old from the Midlands was staying at The Catherine Wheel last month - a historic 12th century pub and guesthouse that is now owned by JD Wetherspoon. Mrs Aggarwal told MailOnline: 'I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night - all itchy. 'I pulled the sheet back and all I could see were these things crawling on the bed. It was pretty gross. I squished on of them and blood spurted out onto me. 'After seeing them all over the news a couple of years ago, I was like oh no, I know what this is. 'I looked at my hand and I could see these bites. Then there was this quite big one on the pillow. I was like "oh God that was right by my head". 'At this point, I just went into the bathroom and shut the door. It was around 3am in the middle of the night. I just stayed there until 5am until the sun started to come up. 'I was covered in bites. I had like two on my face, three or four on my neck and another three around the waistband of my pyjamas. 'Then about ten on one hand and around seven or eight on the other.' Mrs Aggarwal said the bites were unlike anything that she had experienced before - and the itching only started to subside when she went to the pharmacist. 'I've been bitten by mosquitos in the past but these were the most itchy things. 'They came up like big welts on my face so I also went to the pharmacist to take some antihistamines. 'I had to take them every six hours.' Mrs Aggarwal said she managed to trap one of the bed bugs under a pint glass and showed it to the night porter at The Catherine Wheel. She said she also called the JD Wetherspoon customer service line to complain and left a note at reception when she checked out. 'I did not hear back from the Catherine Wheel for ages. It's not exactly the Ritz but I would expect it to be clean,' she said. 'This is a popular hotel and they have a busy summer period coming up. Obviously they have the Henley Regatta and Festival. 'The hotel did get back to me and admitted they did have bed bugs in the room but could not find them. 'I said sleep in the bed and you'll find them. I heard that environmental health are investigating as well and will eradicate the bugs. 'I've since heard back from Wetherspoons and they have offered to reimburse me for the night and the room.' A spokesman for Wetherspoons confirmed the presence of bed bugs in the room and said it had been 'immediately taken out of use'. He said: 'We were informed by a guest staying in the hotel on May 6 of the suspected presence of bed bugs in her room. 'This was confirmed after her departure and the room was immediately taken out of use. 'We are liaising directly with the guest concerned to address her concerns. Like all hotel operators, Wetherspoons has procedures in place to minimise this problem. 'These include daily checks by trained staff when servicing hotel rooms and regular preventative visits by qualified contracts, which means episodes such as this are rare.'
BBC News
08-04-2025
- BBC News
Norwich pub apologises for drink that shared date-rape drug name
A pub has apologised after naming one of its cocktails after date-rape drug Rohypnol. The Catherine Wheel pub on St Augustines Street, Norwich, posted a picture of the drink "Rolyhypnol" on Instagram on Friday to promote it as the establishment's "cocktail of the month" for April. DrinkAware said Rohypnol was one of the most commonly known date-rape drugs used by perpetrators to incapacitate a person in order to commit a physical and sexual attack. In a statement, the pub said: "It was a customer suggestion based on the name Roly, and never intended as a serious acceptance or approval of a drug." Rohypnol is odourless, colourless and tasteless. The pub's drink, which contains Tequila and Peach Snapps, remains on the menu and has been renamed the Lil' Mexican Peach. 'Apologise for offence' The pub has faced backlash on social media since posting the drink's name and said it did not intend to cause offence. "The cocktail has been renamed as a result of the online backlash," it said. "The Catherine Wheel apologise for any offence caused." Dawn Dines, chief executive of the charity Stamp Out Spiking, said: "It is very disappointing to read of this cocktail being named after the date rape drug, Rohyphol. It was obviously meant as a joke, but it is in rather poor taste. "This is why we believe urgent training is needed across the hospitality sector, to educate on the severity and seriousness of these cowardly crimes."We are also very pleased to read that they have now changed the name."Norfolk Police said it was not investigating the incident. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
