I'm a big fan of Singer Vehicle Design. Founder Rob Dickinson discovered his passion in the Porsche 911 and optimized it to perfection. It's the ultimate 911.
This would be easy to take if the Catherine Wheel were just any other band, but their music was SO profoundly beautiful and meant so much. It's amazing to see his success with Singer Vehicle Design, but also bittersweet knowing he won't return to music.
this is a true CEO... seating there with his t shirt and shorts . He has build a company that provides jobs and gives people a special item in return . Yes they are expensive cars but they are putting in the time and effort to make sure you get what you paid for . Rob Dickinson you rock keep it up ... inspiration to us all . Rock and roll man .
wow i’m a huge catherine wheel fan, and a 911 fan. talk about jaw drop hearing who was behind singer porsche. i actually have a picture of his band all autographed back from 1991!
I've listen to Catherine Wheel since 1995 on MTV. And Rob Dickinson is a brilliant businessman for creating unique cars, and building clientele. He found a right career path to fall back on. Beautiful unique cars the green Porsche is my favorite.
Industrial Design people who know enough about engineering like Mr Dickinson, tend to create masterpieces, because of their understanding of form following function. I like the way you design with respect to the original design elements from Porsche. When you are unable to tell if it is an original part on the car or something added, you know that you are doing a great job with the build. I have always thought the 911 was easy on the eyes, but hard to add aftermarket pieces and parts because of the quality form. You have done it and done it well thanks for the video.
Singer Porsches are a joy to behold, I am so glad they have succeeded. I especially like the modern air conditioning system and sound proofing efforts they put in place to make it truly practical as an every day car.
I got to ride in my uncles 67' 911 SC Targa as a teen, and have been completely smitten ever since. If I ever get the money, I plan on getting a Singer. Thank you.
Rob you said it your a designer and your vision for the 911 is spot on , you keep and hold the engineers in check never compromise what’s right to you and you will always be successful 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Robs , created a supreme Porsche , Credit to him , his passion comes through ' Had many back in the day , and now I want one again ' what goes around comes back again :)
I could've watched another 12 minutes 11 seconds of this. Great insight displayed here into this company. If I had a boatload of extra cash I would own one of these above almost anything else.
He's so entrenched in Singer, I wonder if it's even a remote possibility. I still play Catherine Wheel regularly. Super important music to me. Genius designer, genius musician. A real Renaissance man.
Outstanding a piece of motoring art and engineering masterpiece as soon as i win the lottery they will have my order worth every penny well done Rob brilliant
I think many people are missing the point of a Singer. Yes Porsche is responsible for the artistry of the body lines, style and overall charisma of the 964. However you can't just go down to Porsche of beverly hills and spec out a new air cooled 911, so you're left with having to sort through dozens of 30 year old cars in varying conditions, mileages and levels of disrepair. What Singer offers isn't just customization, albeit it is a large part of their business model, but the way I see it is they're offering a time machine. They're giving you the ability to walk in, and custom order a 964 as if you walked into the Porsche dealer, only their options list is a little different and they've adapted some things for the modern era. I think this is ingenious and they're not the only company to do this for a particular car.
Ardi Januar I suspect if theres a lack of supply with the 964 chassis or if there is an extreme demand for the 993 or others. But considering the extravagant cost of their models, they obviously won't be selling many
You're right. The business module behind offering a "time machine" service where you can effectively buy a brand new 964 in 2018. The best part is it doesn't have to meet the same ridiculous emission and safety testing because the parts are already in circulation. What people don't understand is these cars are a nut and bolt restoration and personal expression. The only shame is the cost - it's a playground for millionaires, not car enthusiasts, even Rob himself confessed he couldn't afford one of these. We need more independent businesses that offer services like this. It's the only way we'll ever get "the best of both worlds" of modern day tech but still feel analog. I'd much rather pay a business full of creative and skilled people to do a nut and bolt restoration on my NA Miata any day than buy a new Miata, and I doubt I'm alone. Every car enthusiast is passionate about a specific car. It's also the only way we're going to save the real talents of people who are able to make things like this. Practical skill sets like this are rare nowadays.
Its a unicorn item thats on most enthusiasts bucket list, would love to see a model type metal or plastic kit up to 1/18th scale just to hold us over until we win the lottery..
Most of this footage is pre-2015. so it is quite different at Singer than this. I was head fabricator from Feb2015-May2018, and the growth starting in late 2016 has been exponential and not without massive hiccups. Super stoked to have been apart of DLS and Turbo before exiting, interesting to see what the future holds.
Very impressive but being selfish I wish you were still touring with Catherine Wheel. They were great days and you one of the best songwriters ever and very inspirational
Oh, so he used to be a singer. I always wondered where the name came from. I just assumed it was someone's last name. He seems a bit on the odd side (as most singers and designers seem to be), but man does he turn out beautiful cars. I've never even been a huge 911 fan over the years, but I'd love to have a Singer.
Trillions like and best comment for you because you are best on Earth and follower respect you,we need videos in Real 120fps or 240fps 4K,8K and Sound in FullHD Surrounded.
Rob my go to Pandora channel is "CatherineWheel", which I rock out to as I mow 5 acres of homestead knowing you are building awesome 911's while I suffer in a GTO Judge and a 2JZ Plymouth Scamp. So cool to see you making it big. Perhaps someday I can add a Singer to my car collection. ;)
A prime example of redirecting your career into something completely different. A "singer" of an alternative band re-invigorates his passion for design into re-building his own Porsche. After telling so many people "No, my car is not for sale" he gets the spark that there is a demand in the market for this, especially in So Cal. Anyone else have cool stories to share about Career 2.0 ?
Now I understand why the Singer vehicles look so good, he´s a designer... It´s a lesson to all that think design is easy, that you can skip it, do it yourself or under pay it because you think it´s not that important...
"... and on the 7th day God looked down from the heavens upon the masses of automotive mediocrity. None of what He saw pleased him; not Ferrari, Rolls Royce, not even a donkey.... so God stretched his arm down to Earth and touched the hand of Rob Dickinson. Alas, Singer Vehicle Design was born. Let there be light."
great video, appreciate a lot! Singer has something Porsche should have had. This meticulous way of creating the perfect Porsche is very distinct path that leads somewhere to the same direction only a few went.
Love your cars, hate what it’s done to their price! About 5 years ago you could get a half decent air cooled for £10k and now look at what’s happened. I’ll never ever sell my 3.2 Carerra!
I absolutely love the Singer designed Porsche. But watching him speak is difficult to do when he's always doped up. Never seen an interview with him when he wasn't twitching and speaking coherently.
Do you know the 911 - Corvair Connection? Corvairs were 6 cylinders in 1960, Porsche was only a 4 banger... Porsche couldn't get the cooling of the center cylinders right, until they hired the GM engineer. 1965, the NEW 6 cylinder Porsche 911 came out... (5 years after the Corvair, but still less horsepower)
having all albums from catherine wheel i wouldn´t have a discount in one of your singer´s porshe ,even a duet with tanya donelly from trowing muses i wouldn´t call a failed career as a musician or singer in one of the best bands of the 90´s
even billie eilish as a cover from" i want to touch you" when in the army i would let my self asleep listening to a cassette with the ferment album loud as it could ,the best headphones sony had more expensive then the whole walkman that came with headphones already, even later conected to a ipod everybody was amazed by this headphones i would assk to pu the bass at maximum level and the volume and normally all their earplugs and headphones fron seneiser couldn´t sound as mine ,portable ones not those huge ones made with a skin of a goat that only exist in the highest mountains of Africa (already not existing) and wood also from a tree that doesn´t exist anymore due to the number of huge but weightless headphones sold by 3.500€ in the late 80´s
One day.... To me a Singer 911 4.0 is more desireable than all other cars Including a 918,a Pagani or a McLaren (with the exeption of the F1). It`s perfection. The fact that they HAVEN`T gane for turbos and giizmos to make it as fast as humanly possible is a testament to that. A drink doesn`t necessarily get better just because theres 2x the amount of vodka in it. Bhp,Torque and weight all beautifully balanced in a car that needs input and work from the driver beats a 1200 bhp point and squirt car every time
love your expression "A drink doesn`t necessarily get better just because theres 2x the amount of vodka in it. " So true. I feel that about so many things. Jay Leno did a video with a Singer engineer, and talked about cars with 1000 horsepower, and the tach needle zipping all over the place. Many people with the means have the "bigger is better, more horsepower the better, most expensive is the most satisfying". Most learn after the fact that is not true. I would rather have a Singer 911 than a Bugatti. I want a car I can really drive to the grocery store, the beach, and the track....and these cars are just that. And very artful I might add.
I'm a big fan of Singer Vehicle Design. Founder Rob Dickinson discovered his passion in the Porsche 911 and optimized it to perfection. It's the ultimate 911.
Any car is only original once... all the rest is custom but then again " De gustibus non est disputandum "
Right, there is nothing left to be said. The 964 is the best Platform to make your own personal statement without changing the original.
Instablaster.
This would be easy to take if the Catherine Wheel were just any other band, but their music was SO profoundly beautiful and meant so much. It's amazing to see his success with Singer Vehicle Design, but also bittersweet knowing he won't return to music.
One more car on my top 10 list!
I think that list is up to 150 by now. Yeah, I'm 66 years old! Dont stop Rob Dickinson....💥💥💥
Catherine Wheel is a hell of a band as well.
Yes they were
this is a true CEO... seating there with his t shirt and shorts . He has build a company that provides jobs and gives people a special item in return . Yes they are expensive cars but they are putting in the time and effort to make sure you get what you paid for . Rob Dickinson you rock keep it up ... inspiration to us all . Rock and roll man .
Coventry University...then I see the color of the car....well played. Go Sky BLUES! Coventry native here.
wow i’m a huge catherine wheel fan, and a 911 fan. talk about jaw drop hearing who was behind singer porsche. i actually have a picture of his band all autographed back from 1991!
That’s awesome! Rob is a top guy.
The proportions of these are perfectly balanced, I could stare hours at this car ...
I can watch this video any number of times.
Fascinating. It's always inspiring to see someone doing something in exactly the way they want it to be done with no compromises. Impressive.
I've listen to Catherine Wheel since 1995 on MTV. And Rob Dickinson is a brilliant businessman for creating unique cars, and building clientele. He found a right career path to fall back on. Beautiful unique cars the green Porsche is my favorite.
Met him years ago when he was still the singer for Catherine Wheel. Loved the band. Great guy.
Rob your band was incredible, come back please
Rob is such an inspiration.
Industrial Design people who know enough about engineering like Mr Dickinson, tend to create masterpieces, because of their understanding of form following function. I like the way you design with respect to the original design elements from Porsche. When you are unable to tell if it is an original part on the car or something added, you know that you are doing a great job with the build. I have always thought the 911 was easy on the eyes, but hard to add aftermarket pieces and parts because of the quality form. You have done it and done it well thanks for the video.
Singer Porsches are a joy to behold, I am so glad they have succeeded. I especially like the modern air conditioning system and sound proofing efforts they put in place to make it truly practical as an every day car.
Met Rob 13 ish (?) years ago now. Sweet guy genius with everything he touches. Those vehicles are beautiful
Singer is like a time machine. Taking the best classic Porsche designs and forwarding them to the future.
I got to ride in my uncles 67' 911 SC Targa as a teen, and have been completely smitten ever since. If I ever get the money, I plan on getting a Singer. Thank you.
Respect. Everyman's Porsche is his Singer....My 1983 SC will have to do.
Black Metallic, one of the best songs ever!!!
Yes! I imagine he has produced a couple of Porsche's in "Black Metallic"
Rob you said it your a designer and your vision for the 911 is spot on , you keep and hold the engineers in check never compromise what’s right to you and you will always be successful 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Effortless & utterly unique! Both the man and the car!!! RESPECT
Art on wheels. I'd die to be able to afford one. Absolute dream car.
Forget the Car… do another Catherine Wheel album already! Lol🥳☝️❤️
Great work Rob , your cars are beautiful, love the air cooled 380 to 400 hp is perfect for these cars , 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 love the stances of the cars
Robs , created a supreme Porsche ,
Credit to him , his passion comes through '
Had many back in the day , and now I want one again ' what goes around comes back again :)
I could've watched another 12 minutes 11 seconds of this. Great insight displayed here into this company. If I had a boatload of extra cash I would own one of these above almost anything else.
Glad you liked it!
how much would it cost do you think?
Rob, your designs are beautiful, but I will give you anything to reform Catherine Wheel. You're one of my favorite artists of all time.
agree. miss Catherine Wheel.
He's so entrenched in Singer, I wonder if it's even a remote possibility. I still play Catherine Wheel regularly. Super important music to me. Genius designer, genius musician. A real Renaissance man.
I imagine I'd be more into Singer if I could afford a Porsche.
His genius spills over here as well.
This! If even for just a few short gigs.
Outstanding a piece of motoring art and engineering masterpiece as soon as i win the lottery they will have my order worth
every penny well done Rob brilliant
The Best builder of all time
i love the interior, i drive by the shop everyday
I want one of these so much.
Such a elegant tribute to 1 of the best cars ever made. Can you make perfection better? Singer can.
WOW, BEAUTIFUL ! CONGRATULATIONS !!
Never before have I wished that I could afford something so badly
I would love to do business with this man in the future when I have more money.
Wow I finally found the right Guy for the works.
Singer prices are so out of reality, great company :)
He is my personal hero and I love the passion he has for Porsche. I would like to know a bit more about his cooperation with Porsche. Is there any?
There is no official cooperation with Porsche, as far I as I know.
I think many people are missing the point of a Singer. Yes Porsche is responsible for the artistry of the body lines, style and overall charisma of the 964. However you can't just go down to Porsche of beverly hills and spec out a new air cooled 911, so you're left with having to sort through dozens of 30 year old cars in varying conditions, mileages and levels of disrepair. What Singer offers isn't just customization, albeit it is a large part of their business model, but the way I see it is they're offering a time machine. They're giving you the ability to walk in, and custom order a 964 as if you walked into the Porsche dealer, only their options list is a little different and they've adapted some things for the modern era. I think this is ingenious and they're not the only company to do this for a particular car.
Audi_ophile i wonder if singer will do other aircooled models like 930 or 993
Ardi Januar I suspect if theres a lack of supply with the 964 chassis or if there is an extreme demand for the 993 or others. But considering the extravagant cost of their models, they obviously won't be selling many
Audi_ophile sold over 100 isn’t bad.
You're right. The business module behind offering a "time machine" service where you can effectively buy a brand new 964 in 2018. The best part is it doesn't have to meet the same ridiculous emission and safety testing because the parts are already in circulation. What people don't understand is these cars are a nut and bolt restoration and personal expression. The only shame is the cost - it's a playground for millionaires, not car enthusiasts, even Rob himself confessed he couldn't afford one of these.
We need more independent businesses that offer services like this. It's the only way we'll ever get "the best of both worlds" of modern day tech but still feel analog. I'd much rather pay a business full of creative and skilled people to do a nut and bolt restoration on my NA Miata any day than buy a new Miata, and I doubt I'm alone. Every car enthusiast is passionate about a specific car. It's also the only way we're going to save the real talents of people who are able to make things like this. Practical skill sets like this are rare nowadays.
It's true. The whole concept is brilliant. I imagine the same concept could be put into many luxury cars from decades earlier.
Thanks Rob! Now please go make something I can afford, like another album!
LOL!
I never imagined anything as beautiful as woman until Singer.
Its a unicorn item thats on most enthusiasts bucket list, would love to see a model type metal or plastic kit up to 1/18th scale just to hold us over until we win the lottery..
Wonderful execution 👌🏾
Great work, amazing cars...definitely an art form...!
Most of this footage is pre-2015. so it is quite different at Singer than this. I was head fabricator from Feb2015-May2018, and the growth starting in late 2016 has been exponential and not without massive hiccups. Super stoked to have been apart of DLS and Turbo before exiting, interesting to see what the future holds.
What changed in your opinion? I'm interested in the perspective of someone that worked there!! Do you still work on porsches?
@@AlessandroVieri-c5v Too much for a reply here lol Yes, I do. My specialty is the VAG group.
Very impressive but being selfish I wish you were still touring with Catherine Wheel. They were great days and you one of the best songwriters ever and very inspirational
Oh, so he used to be a singer. I always wondered where the name came from. I just assumed it was someone's last name. He seems a bit on the odd side (as most singers and designers seem to be), but man does he turn out beautiful cars. I've never even been a huge 911 fan over the years, but I'd love to have a Singer.
it does not come from his singing...comes from Norbert
Yeah Porsche engineer Norbert Singer...
I really want one. Preferably an early one with a Cosworth motor.
It’s so funny cuz RWB is the OG
Didn’t realize he worked with Peter Stevens and Julian Thompson at Lotus. That explains a lot.
Craig Yirush Alright, I’m curious. What does it explain?
The fact that he has a background in car design explains how well styled the Singer is.
And it’s lightness and attention to detail🇬🇧
Craig Yirush Yes, fair points!
Great Interview 👍
Frank D'Amelio Thank you!
A very informative video - thank you
You're welcome! :)
Trillions like and best comment for you because you are best on Earth and follower respect you,we need videos in Real 120fps or 240fps 4K,8K and Sound in FullHD Surrounded.
Sounds great! Shall I send you a list of the gear I'm looking at? Thank you for your generosity!
Rob my go to Pandora channel is "CatherineWheel", which I rock out to as I mow 5 acres of homestead knowing you are building awesome 911's while I suffer in a GTO Judge and a 2JZ Plymouth Scamp. So cool to see you making it big. Perhaps someday I can add a Singer to my car collection. ;)
A prime example of redirecting your career into something completely different. A "singer" of an alternative band re-invigorates his passion for design into re-building his own Porsche. After telling so many people "No, my car is not for sale" he gets the spark that there is a demand in the market for this, especially in So Cal. Anyone else have cool stories to share about Career 2.0 ?
I'd literally work for free & live in a shelter or my car just to be able to be able to build these bad boys.
Now I understand why the Singer vehicles look so good, he´s a designer...
It´s a lesson to all that think design is easy, that you can skip it, do it yourself or under pay it because you think it´s not that important...
He makes the best looking 911's
Sono cresciuto con le canzoni dei Catherine Wheel, peccato non abbiano avuto il successo che meritavano.... saluti da un fan italiano 🖐🖐🖐
A fabulous explication.
I love your products. Any chance of doing a 968 or 928 GTS?
These are not Porches, these are works of art!
Gorgeous!
I used to jump around my room, listening to this dude sing. What happened?
"... and on the 7th day God looked down from the heavens upon the masses of automotive mediocrity. None of what He saw pleased him; not Ferrari, Rolls Royce, not even a donkey.... so God stretched his arm down to Earth and touched the hand of Rob Dickinson. Alas, Singer Vehicle Design was born. Let there be light."
davidhunternyc 😂😂 Love it!
great video, appreciate a lot! Singer has something Porsche should have had. This meticulous way of creating the perfect Porsche is very distinct path that leads somewhere to the same direction only a few went.
Thanks Adonis! Glad you like it!
I would take one of these over ANY OTHER CAR
Beautiful car
I love everything about these cars , apart from those god awefull alloy wheel that look like a flower pattern
Paul Jones those are the legendary Fuchs wheels recreation.
Love your cars, hate what it’s done to their price! About 5 years ago you could get a half decent air cooled for £10k and now look at what’s happened. I’ll never ever sell my 3.2 Carerra!
📢 long live the Catherine Wheel!🙅♂️
Mulholland 911 RSR is the best looking 911 I've ever seen.
If I ever meet Rob, I'm going to ask him, "What's it like being Bruce's cousin..?"
Wow nice.
Love your cars so much. However they may not shout look at me, but they certainly say it :)
Quality !!
Love these cars. Where does the name Singer come from?
Rob used to be the frontman for Catherine Wheel. Hence the name
@@FormTrends Thanks!
@@FormTrends I thought it was a tribute to Porsche engineer Norbert Singer.
7:43 Redline is at 7 or 8000 rpm but the tach goes to 11,000
The Best!
Perfection
Gorgeous
One off the few that pronounces Porsche the correct way, “PorschE”!
I absolutely love the Singer designed Porsche. But watching him speak is difficult to do when he's always doped up. Never seen an interview with him when he wasn't twitching and speaking coherently.
Well, they are officially FOOKED aren't they? *If* Porsche does the Singer cars...
porsche already does what they do...........they wont do singer....but RUF is something u should research
I want to show my design. Can you help me make this design
Does it come in black metallic?
it comes in whatever you spec....$$$$$$$$$
Only the skin. Here comes the rush again, let me down easy. A chrome protection. I love gasoline.
of course it does.
I see what you did there.
Ironic that the ultimate Porsche is designed by a Brit!! Love it...
The perfect 911
Do you know the 911 - Corvair Connection? Corvairs were 6 cylinders in 1960, Porsche was only a 4 banger... Porsche couldn't get the cooling of the center cylinders right, until they hired the GM engineer. 1965, the NEW 6 cylinder Porsche 911 came out... (5 years after the Corvair, but still less horsepower)
Keeper of
The 911 Genie 🧞♂️✨
I pretty much hate what RWB does to Porsche bodies. I do like what you guys do though.
Can you refresh an old chassis?
- "Money isn't an object".
- Oh.
having all albums from catherine wheel i wouldn´t have a discount in one of your singer´s porshe ,even a duet with tanya donelly from trowing muses i wouldn´t call a failed career as a musician or singer in one of the best bands of the 90´s
even billie eilish as a cover from" i want to touch you" when in the army i would let my self asleep listening to a cassette with the ferment album loud as it could ,the best headphones sony had more expensive then the whole walkman that came with headphones already, even later conected to a ipod everybody was amazed by this headphones i would assk to pu the bass at maximum level and the volume and normally all their earplugs and headphones fron seneiser couldn´t sound as mine ,portable ones not those huge ones made with a skin of a goat that only exist in the highest mountains of Africa (already not existing) and wood also from a tree that doesn´t exist anymore due to the number of huge but weightless headphones sold by 3.500€ in the late 80´s
One day.... To me a Singer 911 4.0 is more desireable than all other cars Including a 918,a Pagani or a McLaren (with the exeption of the F1). It`s perfection. The fact that they HAVEN`T gane for turbos and giizmos to make it as fast as humanly possible is a testament to that. A drink doesn`t necessarily get better just because theres 2x the amount of vodka in it. Bhp,Torque and weight all beautifully balanced in a car that needs input and work from the driver beats a 1200 bhp point and squirt car every time
love your expression "A drink doesn`t necessarily get better just because theres 2x the amount of vodka in it. " So true.
I feel that about so many things. Jay Leno did a video with a Singer engineer, and talked about cars with 1000 horsepower, and the tach needle zipping all over the place. Many people with the means have the "bigger is better, more horsepower the better, most expensive is the most satisfying". Most learn after the fact that is not true. I would rather have a Singer 911 than a Bugatti. I want a car I can really drive to the grocery store, the beach, and the track....and these cars are just that. And very artful I might add.
SIT STILL!
Not exactly a fashion statement that Rob... His creations however are another matter.
Singer is keeping the Beetles alive.