The Ugly Truth Behind Singer’s DLS
The Ugly Duckling

There was one car on display at Luft GB that wasn’t like the others.

It seemed out of place. In fact, were it not for a little insider knowledge, or an eye for the several intriguing clues littered around the patchy and mismatched bodywork, you would be forgiven for thinking that someone had parked their half-completed project Porsche in the wrong place.

Appearances aside (although I think it looks cool in a Mad Max kind of fashion), make no mistake – this is a very special and very capable 911.

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What you’re looking at is Singer’s test mule for the recently revealed Williams-Singer Dynamics and Lightweighting Study (DLS) that we brought you from Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this month.

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Very much a car designed to perform above all else, if you like all go and no show, then this is for you.

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Look closely and the clues are there. Clues like the various temperature indicator labels stuck to different parts of the car’s bodywork, or remnants of them left on the exhaust tips.

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There’s the biggest clue; the unique rear three-quarter window intakes seen on the finished DLS, but here made from composite and painted in matte black so as not to give away their purpose when the car was being tested.

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Or the fact that the mule wears the exact same Fuchs-style 18-inch forged magnesium BBS centre-lock wheels, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres as the polished DLS.

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Or the odd sensor taped down, or holes left exposed in the bonnet. These were both likely from when the car’s Bosch ESP system was being tested on a frozen lake in Sweden – at one point the mule had a light bar installed on the bonnet.

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The stone-peppered rear fenders are different to the finished version, and peering through the intakes at the front there’s an oil cooler clearly visible. Obviously Singer felt that the cutout wasn’t required on the finished product.

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However that distinctive ducktail spoiler is almost exactly the same as on the DLS.

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And the crude holes at the rear edges of the front bumper line up almost exactly with where the sculpted carbon fibre front lip surrounds a similar opening on the finished product.

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Then there are unexplained and curious modifications, including the additional panel that’s been tack-welded and bonded onto the existing roof. Maybe the mule was a less desired sunroof model and this panel gives it the rigidity of the solid roof?

Inside, a pair of Recaro seats and OMP steering wheel are surrounded by wires and unlabelled buttons. Various management systems are fixed behind the front seats, hidden on the perfected DLS by the lavish interior.

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The bonnet was completely locked off, however a sneaky peek underneath revealed part of that Williams engine and drivetrain, looking much more polished than the exterior. A pair of blanket-encased turbos cats and the same white ceramic-coated exhaust system as the DLS are all that you can see from here.

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Is it just me that is fascinated and loves this kind of thing? It’s a car so purely functional, and completely lacking in any of the design-conscious Singer touches that the brand is best known for.

Jordan Butters
Instagram: jordanbutters
jordan@speedhunters.com

Cutting Room Floor
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26 comments

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1

I love this type of test mules. Thank you for taking the time to feature it.

2

is it just me or do the rsr flares look way better than the end-result widebody??? i would take this over the finished dls any day just for that

3
Christopher Anderson

Wait, why are there turbos? The DLS is naturally aspirated...

Author4

Yeah they’re cats. I think I’m over tired/worked.

5

In fact, they can be clearly seen on the engine they had on display at Goodwood

6

I assume they're cats, not turbos, based on the concept renders of the engine that did the rounds a while back.

7

Wait.. I'm confused.... why would there be turbo blankets on the test mule? Isn't the DLS naturally aspirated?

8

I think Jordan might have got too wet and shorted something out. We'll put him in a big container of rice and hopefully he dries back out to normal, the poor thing.

Author9

You think I was ever normal?

10

I was optimistic at first.

11

love it , if i had the money this is just how id spec my singer and id kick the crap out her everyday

12

Great write up. Thanks for sharing.

13

Why would you say sunroof model as being less desirable? I would love one with a sunroof.

14

Added weight.

15

plus limited headroom and a tad less rigidity

16

I always love test mule, my favourite test mule are Enzo test mule which has 348 front while 355 rear... maybe I've always into modified car & somewhat mix-match crazy customisation, so it allows me to love this kind of contraption?

Oh, also let's not forget TWR-Jaguar's XJ220 engine test bed!

17

don't forget the 918 Spyder testmule, that's equally cool - i also love testmules, they radiate zero frills utility

Author18

Just had some fun on Google exploring that Ferrari – it looks very cool.

19
Mārtiņš Ēlerts

This is why I check in with speedhunters every morning!
Thank You for this article!!!

20

Prefer to the completed car. Looks so cool.

21

I guess this would be the definition of the perfect sleeper. Looking not that great on the outside but when its go-time you will be left in the smoke.

22

Its incredibly interesting because you see the finished dls and you just see an untouchable car but then you see this and you just see so much brute purpose and character.

23

This car is probably worth at least 3 times more than any finished product to leave Singer's shop floor.

24

I guess you werent there when they started it up and gave it about 5 mins of revs.

25

Thanks for explaining this test mule with the speedhuntwrs fam

26

I can't wait to read that one comment:

"Why does no one flip out when Williams Design puts fenders on a car, but everyone freaks out when Nakai does it."

aaaaahahaha.

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