Porsche recently revealed it toyed with the idea of a Dakar-inspired version of the modern 911. Singer Vehicle Design actually built it.
Meet the Singer Vehicle Design All-Terrain Competition Study (ACS), a car that began life as a 964-generation Porsche 911 but is now its very own, unique machine. Part sports car, part rally car, part off-road buggy the ACS is the kind of car dreams are made of.
While it’s more synonymous with Le Mans, Porsche has an illustrious history in the Dakar Rally, winning the 1984 Paris-Dakar with its four-wheel drive 953 than helped spawn the iconic 959 than won the rally in 1986.
Now the idea of Porsche taking on the Dakar again doesn’t seem so far fetched, thanks to the customer who commissioned the creation of the ACS. But Singer, which has earned its reputation making some of the world’s most desirable resto-mod air-cooled 911s, turned to Porsche rally specialists, Tuthill Porsche in the UK to collaborate on this project.
The ACS has been designed to take on a variety of events, not just Dakar, with a range of upgrades to make it suitable for high-performance driving on most surfaces.
The suspension features dual five-way adjustable dampers at each corner, as well as significantly increased ride height to provide more ground clearance. It rides on 16-inch forged aluminium wheels fitted with BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres.
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Stopping power is provided by steel discs clamped by four-piston calipers, and naturally in true rally-style, there’s a hydraulic handbrake too.
Motivation is provided by an air-cooled 3.6-litre twin turbo flat-six that makes 335kW of power and 570Nm of torque. It’s paired to a five-speed transmission that the driver can swap cogs either via the sequential shift lever or the steering wheel-mounted paddles.
It sends that grunt to the wheels via a permanent all-wheel drive system that features three mechanical limited-slip differentials.
The bodywork is made of carbon fibre and has been restyled with wider wheel arches to accommodate the new suspension, but it retains the same glasshouse as the 911 to ensure the classic silhouette remains. However, in a nod to the 959 there’s a rear wing that runs across the back end, giving it a unique shape.
Other unique upgrades to make this Porsche ready for anything include a long-range fuel tank, an FIA-spec roll cage, GPS race navigation system and space for two spare wheels and tyres.
Remarkably, the client who has commissioned this gorgeous Parallax White ACS hasn’t just ordered one – he or she wants a pair. A second ACS is on the way, it will be finished in Corsica Red and configured for tarmac rally events so the lucky owner can take their pick depending on the event they want to tackle.
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