Current Singers You like

[InLimbo]

Maybe it's the American in me, but I find these to be the epitome of tasteful endeavors, with the utmost class. I find the widebody and meaty tires to be extremely well done and proportionally fitting; none of the exposed rivets like you see a la RAUH-Welt and company. It's the 964 or whatever Porsche would name them, "reimagined" as if they were manufactured today. And I also think, and maybe in contrast to some of you guys, that the interior is superior in almost every way (though I'm not a fan of some of the vibrant examples that they've done).

That being said, I think it's different enough to not have to choose between this and a 964, they're totally different cars inside and out. And if there is a choice to be made, well the price of the Singer probably makes that choice a lot easier.

Regardless, those that aren't on the extreme with color choices I think are as beautiful as a car can possibly be.

[shadowplay]

^^^

That's all fair enough, compared to a lot of remanufactured cars they are almost tasteful. It's not really a fixed taste issue or an issue with Singers in particular, it's more that my taste is for demure street looking cars, even if they carry a big stick under their crinoline. For me personally I weep for the lack of 964's for ragged trousered enthusiasts (I'd be out the market for one now) and my personal taste in Porsches is old and stock looking, hence my Mrs having an absolute stock looking but double the go 356C (she daily drives a 996 TurboS) and me having my 964's bought when you could get a peach for ten grand. I drove a 1969 911S for over 15 years and the way I'm wired with Porsches is to run to the plainest of janes.

I'll also never see 50 again and while I'm not fat and still take care of myself, I feel a Singer is, much like mid engined cars, one for the under 40's.

I'm not even into the looks of Porches that much anyway, I mean I like them and appreciate how they look in a form and function sort of way but they don't pierce my heart and make me want to do crazy things to get them like something 50's or 60's and Italian does. The main appeal is the practicality which isn't far off a small shopping car. In a 911 its generally fast enough and satisfying to drive and you've got enough room for small kids and some shopping or luggage, you can park it easily and it doesn't draw a crowd.

I'd love a go in one but If I had Singer money I'd not buy one, there's two cars I still want to add to what I've got; a 6 cylinder Lancia Flaminia (either a Zagato if I was really lucky or a Touring GT to complement my 3500GT) and some sort of pre FIAT Ferrari (realistically a 330 GT 2+2 Series II or a 250 GTE)...oh and I dream of a Bentley Continental S2 coupe H J Mulliner, which is the most elegant British designed car IMO but that's another pipe dream. I could probably get Italians for Singer money if I was lucky but the reality would be more than unlikely without selling stuff I'd never sell. Sadly old Maseratis have until recently laid abandoned in garages but Ferrari's haven't.

There's also the question of the Alfaholics GTA 250 which is really desirable to me (though this one is a bit modern inside for me) and probably the remanufatured car I feel the least uncomfortable about. I was luky enough to fall into owning a similar bodied 1750 GTV with a lot of Alfaholics bits on it that cost the old owner a fortune and an original but tuned up Nord twin cam and I've developed it a bit further but I'd love a go in the full bhoona, especially one specified more along this road and i'd ask for bumpers too for maximum stealth.

D

[Maggieo]

Singer does make 60's and 70's narrow-bodied 911-types, FWIW.

OT: Margaret Glaspy (Tiny Desk concert) has a voice that is sweet when needed and growly when needed. Add her tasty guitar chops and I'm hooked.

Andrew Bird (Tiny Desk concert) is not just a charmer with his voice, he uses his violin and his whistle to bring something special to the party.

Yeah, I'm a fan of chamber pop.

[InLimbo]

That's all fair enough, compared to a lot of remanufactured cars they are almost tasteful. It's not really a fixed taste issue or an issue with Singers in particular, it's more that my taste is for demure street looking cars, even if they carry a big stick under their crinoline. For me personally I weep for the lack of 964's for ragged trousered enthusiasts (I'd be out the market for one now) and my personal taste in Porsches is old and stock looking, hence my Mrs having an absolute stock looking but double the go 356C (she daily drives a 996 TurboS) and me having my 964's bought when you could get a peach for ten grand. I drove a 1969 911S for over 15 years and the way I'm wired with Porsches is to run to the plainest of janes.

I'll also never see 50 again and while I'm not fat and still take care of myself, I feel a Singer is, much like mid engined cars, one for the under 40's.

I'm not even into the looks of Porches that much anyway, I mean I like them and appreciate how they look in a form and function sort of way but they don't pierce my heart and make me want to do crazy things to get them like something 50's or 60's and Italian does. The main appeal is the practicality which isn't far off a small shopping car. In a 911 its generally fast enough and satisfying to drive and you've got enough room for small kids and some shopping or luggage, you can park it easily and it doesn't draw a crowd.

I must say that having a 996 as a daily is well.... awesome, haha. Even though the 996 is my least favorite of the 911s, actually, of all Porsches (something about the awkward headlight shape and the swollen rear end just seems, well bloated feeling personally). But you know, I wouldn't scoff at driving one as a daily, that's for sure.

It's funny that you bring up the mid-engine thing - my first choice of any Porsche, or any performance focused car, at least of realistic attainability, is the Cayman. My dad has a new Boxster, which I've driven enough to understand the mindblowingness of it's design, quality, and just the sheer ability to put a smile on your face. While his is the turbo 4 with PDK (and it's actually faster), I'd go for a couple of year old Cayman S with the flat 6 and a regular gearbox. The roof line of the Cayman is far superior and I sunburn easy, so even the function of a convertible is lost on me.

Then it would be a 928. Gorgeous car, plain an simple with a giant V8 to boot (again, my Americanness is showing). Or even a 944.

I think because of the flamboyancy associate with American car culture, there's something about the understatement of Porsches that I find extremely welcoming. Full of class, full of fun, but as you state, there's room for practicality. Aesthetic meets function meets aesthetic in a sublime way.

I think because of this, I've never been attracted to the Italian design of anything save maybe the Miura, but that's even a shallow lust. There's something about Italian cars being fancy pants, snobbish, or something that turns me away from them, not unlike American cars. I'll freely admit that this is my own personal problem, not of the cars themselves. I'm sure they're exceptional cars and a heavenly experience to drive. The Lancia Integrales seems like quite fun and more down to earth, but not even close to something worth messing with in the States. Though, your new Maserati is a seriously beautiful car.

By the way, total de-rail of the thread with something that I meant as a joke more than anything.

Is Bat for Lashes still considered current? I've always liked her (I think she may have been mentioned a couple of times in other threads before. While not necessarily "current" (good lord, looking it up, this album is over a decade old!) Fur and Gold is an astounding masterpiece. For feel of a pop ballad, it's hard to ever come close yet alone beat Sad Eyes. Unfortunately I've not really kept up much with her and it looks like she's released a new album since the last time I looked into her.

[shadowplay]

^^^

I like Cayman's at least the ones with a 6. We had a standard manual Mrk1 for a bit and Mrs S had a mrk 2 Yellow Cayman S for a bit too but she couldn't live with the colour and I replaced it with a black late 997 Cabrio C4S. For me the first two generations of Cayman were closer to the spirit of the original 911 than most new 911's.

I was personally not that into 996's right up until I bought one. My first one was a C4 which I sold to a friend, which she still has. Mrs S says her silver Turbo S is the best everyday car she's ever had, it's just ridiculously fast, stable and free of nonsense. I only bought it because of the deal but I'm glad I did and they are becoming really sought after and worth three times what I paid for it or even a bit more. When these were new all the mags said they weren't very involving but that's not really true, at least with this S, it's true it's no more demanding than a Polo on a trip to the shops but it's got a real animal character when you fancy.

It's got to the stage that while she does relatively few miles and it's been pretty pampered with services and interim fettling, I've decided to go at it a bit and make sure it's fit for a long life. So we've been through it, changed mounts and had it Dinitrol treated which involved the optional removal of some panels and liners and at the same time did a full cleaning, inspection and replacement of some rubber parts and had the guy that painted the Ghibli check the paint was holding up and fix a few chips. I removed the full interior, treated and properly cleaned the seats and all the trim and it's now looking as close to a new car as it could. Ah...romance...I handed it back on Valentines Day.

Anyway back to singers....great shout on Natasha Khan, she got a stunning voice and if you've never seen her live try and get out to see her. I've not seen many singers that accomplished live, she just does it perfectly and fills the place with charisma.

I was totally sickened when friends got to the SEXWITCH gig, it was a couple of years ago but if you've not been following her carefully you might be in for a treat. It's all covers of Persian, Thai, Moroccan and Anatolian pop songs played with members of Toy.

SEXWITCH album stream

D

[NickD]

I must say that having a 996 as a daily is well.... awesome, haha. Even though the 996 is my least favorite of the 911s, actually, of all Porsches (something about the awkward headlight shape and the swollen rear end just seems, well bloated feeling personally). But you know, I wouldn't scoff at driving one as a daily, that's for sure.

It wasn't until I had mine at the top of the driveway instead of our daily, but 996s are actually tiny, by modern standards at least - short and not all that wide. The Turbo is a bit wider, but not by a huge amount. The lights are love them or hate them, I know that, but I don't get tired of looking at mine.

Back to Natasha Khan.

I love her Bat for Lashes albums, but thought Sexwitch was the best she had done. Sadly I missed the boat on getting the physical format so I only have it on digital, unless I want to pay the Discogs scalpers seventy fucking quid.

[shadowplay]

I must say that having a 996 as a daily is well.... awesome, haha. Even though the 996 is my least favorite of the 911s, actually, of all Porsches (something about the awkward headlight shape and the swollen rear end just seems, well bloated feeling personally). But you know, I wouldn't scoff at driving one as a daily, that's for sure.

It wasn't until I had mine at the top of the driveway instead of our daily, but 996s are actually tiny, by modern standards at least - short and not all that wide. The Turbo is a bit wider, but not by a huge amount. The lights are love them or hate them, I know that, but I don't get tired of looking at mine.

Yeah they are small and good to drive too and you've got the bonus of two styles of lights to choose between or two styles of lights to dislike equally! InLimbo mentioned 928's and while I'd consider myself a 928 fan and you might remember the Horizon blue S4 manual one I had, they are much more a personal coupe/cruiser than any sort of sports car and I'd take a 996 over most 928's as a drivers car. The GTS is a different kettle of fish (and IMO the facelifting ruined it a wee bit as a classic prospect IMO) but you could probably get a 456 for the money some folk are asking and only a daftie would pick a GTS over a 456.

D