Partners Rev Up Vintage Porsche 911 Engine

California-based restoration shop Singer Vehicle Design has teamed up with Formula One’s Williams Advanced Engineering to build a lightweight, high-output version of Porsche AG's 1990-era flat-six engine.

The partners restored and modified an air-cooled 3.6-liter mill, boring it out to 4.0 liters and more than doubling its output from 247 hp to 500 hp—equaling that of the latest 911 GT3 model. The makeover also resulted in an F1-like rev limit of more than 9,000 rpm, a significant jump over the original engine’s 6,700 rpm limit.

The revised engine, which will be installed in a refurbished 1990 model 911 commissioned by a long-time Singer client, has four valves per cylinder head, dual oil circuits, titanium connecting rods and aluminum throttle bodies. Other goodies include F1-spec parts such as the nickel-chromium/titanium exhaust, carbon fiber intake trumpets, a carbon fiber airbox with a resonator chamber and ram-air induction intakes built into the vehicle's rear quarter windows.

Hans Mezger, who designed Porsche’s first flat-six engines in the 1960s and many of its motorsports powertrains, consulted on the project. Singer and Williams say they are evaluating future engineering collaborations.