I had the opportunity to test drive Singer Vehicle Design's Turbo Study.

The miracle of being able to drive the Turbo Study Porsche, reimagined by Singer

A while ago, Singer Vehicle DesignI participated in the presentation of DLS Turbo and Turbo Study.,theI participated in a test drive event (passenger seat)I have done that before.

I had such a valuable experience, and last week I suddenly went to Osaka.

In Osaka... have you heard of Kinryu Ramen?

The dragon's tail at this ramen restaurant in Dotonbori was cut off because it was "extending over into the building next door" (the dragon is crying after having its tail cut off ↓).

That cut tail...

In fact, there was a local Osaka news story about how the crab at the crab shop (?) diagonally opposite was set to have been chopped off (with a dragon's tail in the crab's claws)... and that's what I went to Osaka to see.

...Of course not (lol). My visit to Dotonbori was merely a side trip. In fact, I had to suddenly go to Osaka for work for a business meeting, including a presentation.

However, the meetings are held from 10:30 in the morning until around 12:00.

After that, I had another appointment in the Kyoto area in the evening, but I still had some free time between 12 noon and the evening.

So, although it was quite sudden, the night before I was going to Osaka I contacted a friend there and said, "I'll be in Osaka tomorrow from noon until the evening, so would you like to go for lunch?"

Then.

Well, there are a lot of prerequisites that I need to write about, but while this friend is a friend, by coincidence he is also a sales person for Cornes...so the conversation went, "Oh, by any chance can you come to Osaka tomorrow? If so, if that's okay..."

Before I knew it, I had arrived at Cornes' amazing lounge trailer after my morning meeting.

The trailer lounge owned by Cornes is incredibly luxurious.

And before that, what on earth am I doing all of a sudden in Osaka?

Yes, that's it.

"Are you coming to Osaka tomorrow at lunchtime? If so, would you like to come to a test drive of Singer Vehicle Design?" he asked.

No no no, is there really such a miracle?

I had to go to Osaka on business at short notice, and since I had some free time at lunchtime, I contacted a friend to say, "Let's go eat okonomiyaki," but the reply I got back was, "Would you like to drive the Porsche reimagined by Singer Vehicle Design?"

Something's wrong (lol).

But.

It was true.

I was only able to get a test drive at around 10pm the night before the test drive event. What a miracle.

And from 10pm the night before my flight to Osaka, when it was already decided that I would be able to take part in the test drive, I started to think, "Wait, the Porsche that Singer reimagined is a manual, right?? What if I can't even start it? What if I do something and break it?! What if I crash it?!" and my heart was pounding.

My original purpose for the trip, which was to give a presentation the next day, was completely forgotten (lol), and my trip to Osaka ended up being entirely for Singer Vehicle Design.

Well, the presentation in Osaka was also a direct greeting to the president of a major company, so it was a pretty serious one, but in my opinion Singer Vehicle Design won!

Well, after somehow finishing the morning greetings and presentations, I arrived at the Singer Vehicle Design test drive venue and the first thing waiting for me was this DLS Turbo design.

This car has an amazing wing so you wouldn't recognize it at first glance, but it is the same DLS Turbo Study as the gold car I saw in Shibuya and Magarigawa the other day.

Wow, the feathers are just too magnificent...

When I came across a gold-colored DLS Turbo Study previously, the engine wasn't even visible, so I assumed it was just a prototype that couldn't be driven. However, this car, although a prototype, can actually be driven.

This vehicle was also seen running in Magarigawa just a few days ago.

This time, the DLS Turbo was not included in the test drive event that I was able to participate in at short notice, but I was able to sit in the car so I was able to take a look around.

Just sitting in the driver's seat of a Porsche reimagined by Singer Vehicle Design makes me nervous.

Every single part in the open area underneath this shifter is so beautiful and meticulously crafted that it makes you wonder if they are all works of art.

First, I was able to sit in the driver's seat of the DLS Turbo Study and enjoy the interior of the car, which was an incredibly happy experience in itself.

But.

That's not the experience I had today.

This is the Turbo Study located at the back of the DLS Turbo Study.

Here it is.

This day was a miraculous experience for me as I was able to test drive this Turbo Study.

As you can see, the place where we could test drive the car was a huge, bare space that had been rented out exclusively by Cornes.

That's amazing.

This turbo study.

This is a Porsche that Singer reimagined from the Porsche 911 (964 model).

No, um, wait a minute.

I've never driven a 964 Porsche.

In fact, I have never driven an air-cooled Porsche (although this car is actually air-water cooled).

No, I've never driven a classic Porsche in any case!!!

And so, I suddenly got to drive my first air-cooled (or water-air-cooled) classic Porsche, a Porsche based on the 964 911...well, since it's no ordinary Porsche, it's a Porsche reimagined by Singer, a Singer Vehicle Design Turbo Study.

This event was too miraculous.

Standing in front of this car with someone from Singer Vehicle Design next to me, it really feels so surreal that it's easy to wonder, "Is this reality and not a dream? Or is it even a dream?"

Why is Singer Vehicle Design so expensive?

By the way, when I asked why Singer Vehicle Design's cars are so expensive, I was told that the biggest reason is that they develop their engines in collaboration with F1 teams, and have everything else (such as Brembo) developed specially for Singer Vehicle Design, so they spend a lot of money on "development costs."

At first, I thought, "Huh, it's so expensive because a single screw costs tens of thousands of yen or something like that?", but no, it's basically the "development costs."

It's bound to be expensive, as various professionals and companies around the world develop parts and other items exclusively for Singer Vehicle Design for a limited number of vehicles.

So that's it.

We were also shown the engine room for this turbo study, and it was beautiful.

While it is based on the 964 model, which is normally air-cooled, this reimagined Porsche is air-water cooled.

I was so excited to be driving a classic Porsche-based car for the first time, and it was air-water cooled.

Turbo Study's expression is incredibly cute.

The interior features a green-based tartan check pattern.

There's also the Singer Reimagined logo.

Finally, Singer's reimagined Porsche, Turbo Study test drive

Now, the most tense moment has come. It's time to get in the driver's seat.

I got on, but, well, um, nooooo!!!

I want to run away!!

It's an incredibly rare opportunity, but I'm really nervous now that I've come this far.

After all, until just half a day ago, I never even dreamed that I would be able to drive a Singer Vehicle Design turbo study car.

It was supposed to just be a business trip to Osaka, right?

I've come this far with momentum and now for some reason I'm in the driver's seat.

Having come this far, it would be a shame to give up on such an opportunity.

Differences between organ-style and suspended pedals

However, it is.

This is my first time driving a Singer Vehicle Design turbo study.

First, I pressed the clutch and it was not the clutch I knew.

What was different was that when I tried to press the clutch, I thought "Hmm? What's that?" because I couldn't press it with the upper half of my palm (my fingers).

Hmm?

Even when I pressed the clutch, I couldn't press it with the upper half of my foot, and I wondered what was going on.

When I asked Cornes about this later, he said, "Oh, that must be because the pedals on this car are organ-style."

Ahhh, I see.

Indeed, the clutches in these turbo studies are organ type.

I had only ever experienced suspended pedals, so it was only at this point that I realized I had gotten into the habit of pressing the clutch with the upper half of my palm.

By the way, this is the Carrera T's suspended pedal. Doesn't this really make you feel like you're putting pressure on the upper part of your foot?

This was my first time using an organ-style pedal, and I had the experience of "having to press it with the lower half of my palm"...and the clutch just felt so strange...and yes, I was so nervous at first that it stalled on the very first try (lol).

No no, this organ style really is completely different!!! The feeling!!!

...I somehow managed to pull myself together and restarted the engine (but luckily I was also given some tips on how to start an engine from Singer Vehicle Design ^^), and made the restart.

From the second time onwards, I was able to start without any problems.

It doesn't bother me much once I start moving forward, but for me the organ-style pedal felt extremely strange only at the start.

During my first turbo study, the first lap was a very poor drive.

I drove slowly to get used to the car and the course. Since I was on a straight line, I shifted up to third gear.

And now we're on to the second lap.

From here onwards, I stepped on the gas at full throttle on all the straights.

In this photo, I think I just entered a straight line and started to pedal flat out.

My impression after driving it was that it was clear that the Turbo Study is not a car designed to be fun to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h. I realized that it is a car that is designed to be fun to drive not only on straight lines, but also on winding roads and track courses.

Not only does it perform at full throttle in a straight line, but it also handles the corners that follow with great ease, and although I was a little intimidated, it seemed like a car that could go much further, perhaps 50 times further than I did, without any problems.

The sound it makes when driving at full throttle is fun, it turns sharp corners with no problems at all, and above all, it's a car that makes you feel like, "I don't really know what's going on when I drive it, but it's just so much fun!"

This time I was so nervous that I hesitated a lot, but if this was my car, I would have wanted to drive it forever and have fun.

The person from Singer Vehicle Design who gave us the explanation that day showed us some photos and said, "We can make anything you want, like a convertible, a targa, or even wingless."

Singer Vehicle Design cars are designed with attention to detail, with engines developed by F1 teams and other parts developed specially for Singer Vehicle Design.

I believe this is a car with a charm and value that cannot be judged just by looking at it and asking the price.

For me, this is a car that would be too good to even be allowed to test drive, and I would like these reimagined Porsches by Singer Vehicle Design to be driven by people who love Porsche in the first place, and who can understand the greatness, attention to detail, and love that Singer Vehicle Design has for Porsche.

This day was truly an experience beyond compare for me. I would like to thank Singer Vehicle Design and Cornes Motors. Thank you very much!

By the way, Singer Vehicle Design has announced a partnership with Cornes Motors in Japan, so if you are interested, please contact your nearest Cornes Motors office.

After that, I finished my business in Kyoto and bought some curls at Kyoto Station, which I hadn't seen in a while, and I felt even happier (the thing I feel happy about is so small all of a sudden (lol)) ^^

I wonder if it was a connection that started with the 997 GT3.

I had never driven a Porsche older than the 997 generation, let alone an air-cooled Porsche, so it was such a miracle that the first air-cooled (air-water-cooled) Porsche I drove was a Turbo Study, a reimagined Porsche by Singer Vehicle Design, and I am truly grateful for this.

To reach this miracleI wonder if there was a purchase of 997 GT3I even found myself thinking something like that.

In fact, if I hadn't been used to the manual 997 GT3, I think I would have been too nervous to suddenly drive a Singer Vehicle Design car and would have turned it down.

I would like to continue to cherish this connection, as I don't know what it will lead to or when.

I'm also very grateful to Singer Vehicle Design, who told me to contact them when I come to LA. They're all really nice people.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the Cornes sales representative in Osaka who invited me to this test drive of the Singer Vehicle Design, which was an almost impossible coincidence. Thank you very much!

Next time, I'll treat you to some okonomiyaki as a thank you (← that's a really small thank you (lol)).

Related article:
◆Singer Vehicle Design Announces Partnership with Cornes Motors
◆Singer Vehicle Design DLS Test Drive @ Magarigawa Club: With Chris Harris
◆The 997 Porsche 911 GT3 has been delivered
◆Drive 1,100 km in a Porsche 911 GT3 (997.1)