In a bid to increase the rigidity of its restomods, Singer has turned to the F1 expertise of Red Bull Advanced Technologies.
The British-based spin-off from the 14-time F1 World Championship-winning race team was brought in by Singer specifically to focus on Targa and Cabriolet versions of the classic Porsche 964.
“The challenge from Singer was to increase the stiffness of the open-roof Type 964, giving it the same dynamic performance as the coupe whilst minimizing additional weight,” explains Rob Gray, Technical Director of Red Bull Advanced Technologies. “The careful balancing of performance against weight is extremely familiar to us and we’re delighted to have been able to support Singer and their clients with this solution.”
Red Bull began the process by digitally scanning and manually measuring the 964 chassis. The eggheads then used Finite Element Analysis software to calculate the torsional stiffness of the coupe and roofless 911. The math determined that there were 13 key areas that needed stiffening, and Red Bull designed a series of carbon fiber structures which are then bonded to the original monocoque chassis.
Singer
The net result is that the Red Bull stiffened Targas and Cabrios are a full 175 percent more rigid than before. Singer says that the improvements mean that its open-topped cars can now match the handling, braking and refinement levels of the 964 coupe.
“We work only with the best,” insists Mazen Fawaz, Chief Strategy Officer at Singer. “And our search for expertise in this area led us to Red Bull Advanced Technologies. Since 2009 our approach has brought heritage together with cutting edge engineering, and Red Bull’s mastery of advanced materials, simulation and structural analysis perfectly exemplifies this approach. The results underline the extraordinary lengths we go to in our relentless pursuit of excellence.”
Singer