Category Archives: Restomod

This Twin-Turbo Porsche 964 Restomod Packs Supercar Punch

Few names in the Porsche restomod universe carry the mythic weight of Singer Vehicle Design. But from a discreet workshop in Friedrichshafen, Germany, another outfit is building a compelling argument that the air-cooled 911 aftermarket has room for more than one king.

Meet the PR964, a carbon-bodied, twin-turbocharged reinterpretation of the Porsche 964 from Pogea Racing and its boutique heritage division, Pogea.classics. And while Singer leans heavily into California-cool nostalgia, the Germans approach the same formula with the precision—and occasional excess—of a high-end engineering exercise.

At its core, the PR964 starts life as a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 from the 964 generation, though “starts life” might be generous considering how little of the original car survives untouched. Pogea strips the donor chassis to its final bolt before rebuilding it with reinforced structure, modern corrosion protection, and a level of finish likely superior to what rolled out of Stuttgart in the early 1990s.

Then comes the transformation.

The redesigned body panels are handcrafted entirely from carbon fiber, giving the 964 a sharper, more muscular stance without turning it into caricature. The widened rear decklid borrows visual cues from the original 930 Turbo and even the legendary Porsche 959, creating a silhouette that feels familiar until you notice how tightly everything has been modernized.

Underneath that retro-futuristic skin sits a trio of powertrain options, all derived from Porsche’s air-cooled 3.6-liter M64 flat-six. Purists can choose a naturally aspirated version with improved throttle response and a thoroughly refreshed internals package. But restraint clearly wasn’t the primary goal here.

Step up to the single-turbo setup and output jumps from the original 250 horsepower to roughly 400 hp. And for buyers who think subtlety is overrated, Pogea offers a 4.0-liter twin-turbo configuration producing more than 500 horsepower and over 600 Nm of torque, all routed to all four wheels through a manual gearbox.

In other words, this thing likely accelerates with the kind of violence the original 964 engineers never intended.

The hardware supporting those numbers is equally serious. Every PR964 receives adjustable KW Clubsport suspension, revised stabilizers, and a massive carbon-ceramic brake package featuring 400-mm front discs paired with aluminum-titanium calipers. The original 964 already felt compact and communicative by modern standards; with less weight and substantially more power, the Pogea creation sounds like it operates somewhere between vintage sports car and barely civilized race machine.

Inside, Pogea avoids the temptation to over-style the cabin. Leather, Alcantara, and exposed carbon fiber dominate the interior, while deeply bolstered Recaro seats and a classic Momo Prototipo steering wheel deliver the expected restomod visual cues. There’s even a subwoofer mounted behind the seats—a reminder that despite the obsessive engineering, this is still intended to be driven, loudly and often.

Like Singer, Pogea.classics insists no two builds are identical. Buyers can personalize nearly every surface, material, and finish, including the multilayer matte-gray paint developed with Glasurit. That level of customization—and the labor-intensive process behind it—means pricing lands firmly in the territory occupied by exotic supercars and limited-production hypercars.

Which is precisely the point.

The PR964 isn’t merely a restored Porsche. It’s a statement aimed directly at the established hierarchy of the restomod world: proof that Germany has no intention of letting California monopolize the art of reinventing the air-cooled 911.

Source: Pogea.classics

Evoluto F355 Is Light, Loud, and Almost Sold Out

There’s a fine line between preservation and provocation in the restomod world. Coventry-based Evoluto Automobili has decided to ignore that line entirely and redraw it in carbon fibre.

Its latest creation—the 355 by Evoluto—is what happens when you take a mid-’90s Ferrari icon, subject it to 12 months of engineering scrutiny, 5000 miles of track abuse, and then hand the styling pen to Ian Callum. The result is a 420bhp, 1250kg love letter to the analog era, sharpened for 2026.

A Shape You Know, A Surface You Don’t

At a glance, you’ll recognize the donor car: the sublime Ferrari F355 GTS. But linger for a second and the differences stack up.

The nose now wears a larger grille and a pronounced carbonfibre splitter. The pop-up headlights—once a defining ’90s flourish—are gone, replaced by fixed LED units. Around back, a proper diffuser anchors the tail, flanked by ring-shaped LED brake lights that echo the original’s quad-round theme without lapsing into retro pastiche.

Every external panel is now carbonfibre. That alone slashes kerb weight from the F355 GTS’s 1422kg to a target of 1250kg, depending on how indulgent a buyer gets with their spec sheet. It’s a dramatic cut, and one that transforms the car’s fundamental character before you even twist the key.

Stiffer, Lighter, Sharper

Underneath, Evoluto hasn’t simply refreshed the chassis—it’s reengineered it. The structure is now spot-welded and reinforced with carbonfibre bracing, boosting torsional stiffness by 23 percent. Reinforcements cluster around suspension hardpoints, precisely where a 1990s Ferrari would most benefit from modern thinking.

The suspension geometry has been reworked with a wider track, while braking is handled by modern slotted Brembo discs. For those who see kerbs as apexes rather than warnings, carbon-ceramic discs are optional.

Yet Evoluto resists the temptation to sanitize the experience. The car rides on 19-inch wheels wrapped in road-biased Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber, chosen specifically to allow a degree of rear slip. This isn’t about crushing lap times with clinical efficiency; it’s about letting the chassis breathe and move beneath you.

A V8, Reconsidered

The 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 remains, but only in the same way a cathedral remains after restoration: spiritually intact, structurally transformed.

A new ignition system sharpens timing and throttle response. The cylinder heads are ported for improved airflow, and bespoke camshafts enhance high-rev stability. The notorious quill shaft—long regarded as a weak link in the original drivetrain—has been replaced with a strengthened Evoluto-designed component to reduce vibration and improve reliability.

There’s also a full-length titanium exhaust with equal-length headers, promising what Evoluto calls an “emotional” soundtrack. Given the F355’s reputation as one of the best-sounding V8s ever fitted to a road car, that’s a bold claim.

Output climbs to 420bhp—40bhp more than the factory-rated 380bhp the F355 boasted in 1994, when it had the highest specific output of any production engine on sale. Combined with the weight loss, power-to-weight improves by 69bhp per tonne. The numbers matter less than what they imply: urgency.

Crucially, drive is still sent through a six-speed manual gearbox. It’s been modified for improved shift feel, but the gated romance remains. No paddles. No dual-clutch. No apologies.

Tested, Not Just Tuned

Before a single customer car rolls out in March, the 355 by Evoluto has endured a 12-month development programme, including 5000 miles of track driving. High-speed aerodynamic and noise testing took place in Northamptonshire’s Catesby Tunnel—a proving ground more often associated with OEM validation than boutique restomods.

Backing that up is a 20,000-mile, two-year warranty—an unusual commitment in a sector where craftsmanship sometimes outpaces durability.

Only 55 Chances

Production is capped at 55 cars. Each buyer can commission bespoke paint finishes, tailor-made interior upholstery, and presumably a spec sheet limited only by taste and budget.

The original F355 was often described as the moment Ferrari rediscovered its edge in the 1990s. The 355 by Evoluto feels like a similar inflection point for the restomod world: less nostalgia trip, more engineering reset.

In a market crowded with carbon-clad classics chasing concours glamour, Evoluto’s Ferrari doesn’t want to sit still under soft lights. It wants to be driven—hard, often, and preferably sideways.

Source: Evoluto

The Singer 911 Carrera Cabriolet Is the Ultimate Open-Top Porsche Restomod

There are two ways to revive a classic: freeze it in amber, or set it free. Singer Vehicle Design has never been interested in preservation for preservation’s sake. Its cars don’t merely look backward—they reinterpret. And with the newly revealed 911 Carrera Cabriolet, Singer has applied that same obsessive, no-compromises philosophy to the open-air Porsche formula, producing what might be the most technically serious “classic” convertible ever built.

If last year’s Singer 911 Coupe was a greatest-hits album of air-cooled Porsche engineering, this new Cabriolet is the unplugged acoustic set—still ferocious, just more intimate.

Wide-Body Nostalgia, Carbon-Fiber Reality

Singer’s latest creation draws inspiration from the swollen-hipped 911s of the 1980s, particularly the competition-bred wide-body cars that made even parked Porsches look like they were doing 150 mph. That visual DNA is clear here, from the exaggerated fender flares to the pop-up auxiliary lights sunk into the hood like something lifted from a Group B fever dream.

Two distinct personalities are offered. The Pacific Blue Touring version is elegant, riding on white 18-inch center-locking wheels and capped with an active rear spoiler and subtle front splitter. The Guards Red Sport car goes for blood: massive intakes, a deeper splitter, and a fixed whale-tail wing that could probably generate downforce on a coffee table.

Both bodies are formed entirely from carbon fiber, which means the visual drama isn’t weighed down by vintage metal. It’s retro styling executed with modern aerospace materials—and that’s Singer’s signature move.

A Cabin That Feels Mechanical, Not Digital

Inside, the Cabriolet avoids the temptation to look like a smartphone showroom. Instead, it feels like a cockpit built by people who love machinery. Ink-colored leather and red accents dominate one example, while the other pairs Tangerine hides with sport seats that look ready for a Nürburgring qualifying lap. Hand-stitched seams and hand-built details remind you that this is craftsmanship, not manufacturing.

The dashboard and instruments are new, but they could have come straight out of a high-end 1980s concept car. The three-spoke steering wheel feels era-correct, yet nothing here feels trapped in the past. There’s modern climate control, navigation, and Apple CarPlay—because even purists need Google Maps.

Singer also redesigned the roof. The lightweight Z-folding fabric top tucks away cleanly, keeping the car’s silhouette sleek whether it’s raised or lowered—no awkward tent-back shapes here.

Cosworth Power, Air-Cooled Soul

Under that long rear decklid lives the reason this car exists. The 4.0-liter flat-six was developed with Cosworth, and it’s one of the most exotic air-cooled engines ever made for a road car. It produces 426 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque, revs past 8,000 rpm, and blends old-school cooling with modern tech like variable valve timing, water-cooled cylinder heads, and an electronically controlled fan.

In other words, it’s a mechanical anachronism perfected by modern science.

Power goes to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, which can be ordered with its shifting mechanism left gloriously exposed. The titanium exhaust exits through dual pipes and ensures the soundtrack is as intense as the engineering suggests.

Reinforced Roots, Modern Handling

Every Singer starts with a Porsche Type 964 chassis, but calling this car “based on” an old 911 is misleading. The monocoque is reinforced with steel and composite materials, dramatically increasing torsional rigidity—an especially big deal for a convertible.

Suspension comes via four-way electronically adjustable dampers, paired with a nose-lift system for urban survival. Buyers can spec carbon-ceramic brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport tires, while five drive modes—Road, Sport, Track, Off, and Weather—tailor the traction and stability systems to whatever insanity you’re planning.

Yes, it’s a classic 911. No, it will not behave like one.

A Million-Dollar Convertible? Easily.

Singer will build just 75 of these Cabriolets, each tailored to its owner and priced accordingly. Official figures remain secret, but let’s not kid ourselves—seven figures is the opening bid.

And that’s kind of the point. This isn’t a restomod. It’s a philosophical argument made from carbon fiber, titanium, and 8,000-rpm fury. Singer’s 911 Carrera Cabriolet proves that going topless doesn’t mean going soft—and that the golden age of air-cooled Porsches might actually be happening right now.

If you’re chasing authenticity, buy a museum piece.
If you want the past, perfected, Singer has a very expensive key waiting for you.

Source: Singer