Singer ACS Did the Porsche 911 Off-Roader First

Porsche dropped images of its almost-too-good-to-be-true 911 Dakar on Wednesday, and while I’m borderline freaking out about seeing it in the metal next week, it reminded me of the time last year when Singer and Tuthill got together to make their own Dakar-ready 911. So, since Porsche is keeping mum about the Dakar for now, let’s watch a 450-hp air-cooled 911 absolutely destroy all kinds of terrain.

This video from Top Speed is my favorite because it just shuts up and lets the sound of the twin-turbo 3.6-liter flat-six do the talking. I’ve never driven a Singer personally, though I hope to rectify that one day, but I’ve been up close with a few, and this ACS Prototype is a whole other animal.

In case you’re curious, aside from the previously mentioned engine, this car has a five-speed sequential gearbox, which drives all four wheels. Each corner of the car gets dual dampers which are multi-way adjustable and capable of nearly a foot of travel. The car’s wild, all-carbon bodywork hides dual spare wheels and tires and the interior is fully-FIA-spec for rally. The Singer ACS is ready to race.

This other video from Top Gear does a great job of going over all the car’s particulars in detail with Tuthill’s boss, Richard Tuthill.

Of course, while the ACS is a super wild, bespoke off-road racer and likely costs as much as the GDP of Luxembourg, the odds of me driving it are slim to none. Conversely, the 911 Dakar – if it goes into series production, fingers crossed – stands a good chance of landing in my driveway at some point and that’s pretty freaking exciting.

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Keep an eye on Jalopnik next week for coverage of the 911 Dakar and the LA Auto Show.