Tag Archives: Porsche

Restomod

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

News

FAT Ice Race 2026 Delivers the Ultimate Porsche Mash-Up

By the time the first Cayenne Electric slid sideways across a frozen airfield in Zell am See, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a typical Porsche press debut. Snow dust hung in the air, the Austrian Alps framed the scene, and a 1,156-horsepower electric SUV was drifting in front of a crowd more used to air-cooled 911s and rally legends. Welcome to the FAT Ice Race, where history and the future collide—sometimes literally.

The Ice Race has always been a glorious contradiction. It mixes priceless historic racers, rally cars, and weird one-off Porsche creations with a modern car-culture festival vibe. So the debut of the all-new Cayenne Electric here wasn’t just marketing—it was a statement. Porsche wasn’t politely introducing its next electric SUV. It was throwing it sideways on ice in front of some of the most demanding enthusiasts on the planet.

And the numbers suggest it had every right to be bold. The Cayenne Turbo Electric packs up to 850 kW (1,156 horsepower) and 1,500 Nm of torque, which means it delivers more twist than a GT3 Cup car multiplied several times over. On ice, that could easily become chaos. Instead, Porsche made it look controlled, playful, and oddly graceful.

Behind the wheel, Porsche test drivers and lucky passengers discovered what electric torque does when it’s filtered through serious chassis tuning. With instant response from the motors and a carefully calibrated off-road mode, the Cayenne Electric could meter out its power with surgical precision. Instead of spinning helplessly, it pivoted around its rear axle, carving clean arcs through snow and ice like a 2.5-ton drift missile.

Michael Schätzle, Porsche’s Vice President for the Cayenne line, was clearly enjoying the shock factor. After taxi laps, he described a car that feels balanced, sporty, and far more engaging than anyone expects from an electric luxury SUV. Watching it slide past a line of classic 356s and historic race cars, it was hard to argue.

Adding to the spectacle were Porsche legends Timo Bernhard and Jörg Bergmeister, hustling a resurrected 964-based buggy around the same course. One car ran on old-school internal combustion and mechanical grip. The other ran on electrons and software-controlled torque. Together, they told Porsche’s story better than any press release ever could.

The FAT Ice Race isn’t really about winning. Organizer Ferdi Porsche calls it “fun over speed,” and that philosophy shows. With about 8,500 fans, DJs, art installations, and food stands, the event feels more like a winter festival than a race meeting. But that’s exactly why it works. It keeps motorsport relevant to a generation raised on social media instead of pit lanes.

Porsche leaned into that idea with the debut of Porsche Youngsters, a new global community initiative designed to pull younger fans into the brand’s club culture. For them, watching a silent, sideways Cayenne Electric drift past a 1960s race car probably made more of an impression than any museum visit ever could.

And that’s the real point of the Cayenne Electric’s icy debut. It wasn’t about lap times or efficiency ratings. It was about proving that electrification doesn’t have to be sterile or boring. If a 1,156-horsepower SUV can drift on a frozen racetrack while surrounded by Porsche legends, then the future of performance might not just be electric—it might actually be fun.

Source: Porsche

News

Porsche Chooses Tobias Sühlmann to Shape Its Future

For more than 20 years, Porsche’s look has been guided by one steady hand. From the evolution of the 911’s timeless silhouette to the once-controversial but now indispensable Panamera, Michael Mauer didn’t just design cars—he defined what modern Porsche means. But starting February 1, 2026, that responsibility will pass to a new generation, as Tobias Sühlmann steps in as Porsche’s new Head of Design.

Sühlmann, 46, arrives from McLaren, where he’s been Chief Design Officer since 2023, and his résumé reads like a greatest-hits album of modern performance brands: Volkswagen, Bugatti, Aston Martin, Bentley, and now Porsche. If there’s a common thread in that lineup, it’s high-speed elegance—and that’s exactly what Stuttgart is betting on as it navigates an electrified, software-driven future.

The End of the Mauer Era

Michael Mauer, now 63, leaves behind one of the most influential design legacies in Porsche history. Since taking the job in 2004, he’s been the caretaker of one of the most recognizable shapes in the automotive world: the 911. Under his leadership, Porsche modernized without losing its soul, a balancing act that many legacy brands have fumbled.

Mauer also helped Porsche expand its design language beyond sports cars. The Panamera, launched in 2009, was a gamble—a four-door Porsche sounded like heresy at the time—but it became a cornerstone of the brand. Then came the 918 Spyder, which proved that electrification could coexist with exotic performance long before hybrids were cool.

More recently, Mauer led Porsche into the EV era, making sure the Taycan and future electric models still look unmistakably Porsche. His philosophy was simple but demanding: a Porsche should appeal to all the senses, not just the stopwatch.

And he’s not disappearing overnight. Mauer will stay on during a transition period, ensuring that Porsche’s design DNA doesn’t get lost in the handoff.

Enter Tobias Sühlmann

If Porsche wanted a safe, conservative pick, Sühlmann wouldn’t be it—and that’s the point.

He, like Mauer, studied at the legendary Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, but his career has taken him through some of the most daring design studios in the industry. From shaping Bugatti hypercars to refining Aston Martin’s elegance and helping craft Bentley’s ultra-exclusive Batur, Sühlmann has spent his career where luxury, performance, and bold styling collide.

His most recent stint at McLaren is especially telling. Woking isn’t known for nostalgia—it’s about aerodynamic aggression and futuristic surfaces. That influence could push Porsche’s design language into sharper, more expressive territory without abandoning its iconic roots.

Porsche CEO Michael Leiters has made it clear what he expects: Sühlmann is there to “sharpen Porsche’s profile.” In other words, this isn’t about reinvention—it’s about turning up the contrast.

What This Means for Future Porsches

This leadership change comes at a critical moment. Porsche is preparing for a future where electrification is the rule, not the exception. The next-generation 718 will be electric. More battery-powered models are coming. And design will have to do more than ever to preserve emotional appeal when engine noise fades away.

Sühlmann’s background in high-end sports and supercars makes him uniquely suited to that challenge. Expect Porsches that look more sculpted, more aggressive, and perhaps more experimental—especially as new EV platforms free designers from traditional packaging constraints.

But don’t expect the 911 to suddenly forget who it is. Porsche is famously cautious with its icons, and Mauer’s continued involvement during the transition will ensure continuity. The headlights will still look like Porsche headlights. The roofline will still whisper “911.” The soul will still be there.

A Generational Shift, Not a Revolution

Porsche isn’t ripping up its design rulebook—it’s passing it to a new author.

Michael Mauer wrote one of the longest and most successful chapters in the brand’s history, guiding Porsche through SUVs, sedans, hybrids, and EVs without losing its visual identity. Tobias Sühlmann now gets to write the next one, armed with experience from some of the world’s most exciting performance brands.

For Porsche fans, that’s not something to fear. It’s something to watch closely.

Source: Porsche