1 ? Who is the singer?
1990 to 2009, Rob Dickinson toured the world as the lead singer of the British rock band Catherine Wheels, and later became a solo singer. Now, as the creative director and CEO of Singer Vehicle Design, it takes him a whole day to restore the customized Porsche 9 1 1.
After working in The Singer for so long, how much time do you have to play music?
Zero points.
As a musician, how hard does it take to create a perfect engine sound for 9 1 1?
-A lot. ...
Porsche 9 1 1 can be said to be the most classic and most concerned design in automobile history. Rob Dickinson is an extraordinary connoisseur of 9 1 1 and the soul of a singer. We decided to study how he views his life, stick to his passion and create beautiful things with capable people.
Before engaging in music, Rob Dickinson studied industrial design and worked in Lotus for a while. This experience has accumulated contacts and technical resources for him, and laid a solid foundation for his car studio in the future. Therefore, there is no myth that a rock singer turned into a Porsche 9 1 1 master. Every success in life has its necessary foundation behind it.
2 ? A good start.
Rob Dickinson's first upgraded work is Porsche 911e of 65438, which is called "Brown Bomber". He made it "Cafe racer 9 1 1, and I can drive around Los Angeles and drive to the track." The enthusiastic response to customized cars led to the birth of Singer.
Brown Bomber is a pioneering work of Singer.
Rob Dickinson bought Brown Bomber's original car from Hans Lapine, a very famous guy in the Porsche world. He is the head of the Volkswagen Advanced Design Studio in Santa Monica. His father is Tony Lapine, the design director of Porsche in 1970s and 1980s, who designed Porsche 964 and 928.
Hans Lapine left Volkswagen in 20 17 and took charge of Jens in Hyundai.
In 2002, Rob Dickinson lived in new york, saw this advertisement on the Internet, and then flew to California to meet Hans. But Robert Dickinson didn't know who the shopkeeper was until he met Hans. "But I don't think I'll like this color because it's yellow in the Bahamas. Of course, I also liked this color later. I know this is the perfect foundation for what I want to do, that is, to repair a 69-year-old car. " Rob Dickinson recalled the scene. "This is an early long-wheelbase car, basically the lightest long-wheelbase car that can be bought. After that, I added a lot of weight in the' 72 and' 73 versions. "
First, Rob Dickinson installed a three-liter engine for this 9 1 1E, and then spent a lot of time refitting the rear fender to keep the posture of the car correct with proper wheels and tires. Finally, the interior was rebuilt and the new body was painted with color.
3 ? Complete the process of being a singer
Each Porsche 9 1 1 modified by Singer was assembled by his own team, and there were about 30 people in the factory. The first three months of the process were completed by external partners, including the decomposition of the car, the removal of old paint, metal processing, the application of carbon fiber, repainting and preparation before painting, and then it took about four months to transport the car to Singh's modification factory. After that, there are still three months to assemble.
Before delivery, Singer will carry out basic vibration tests on the vehicle, the engine must be re-dynamometer tested and re-calibrated, and the suspension must be calibrated and aligned. Then carry out a road test of 800 to 1600 km to ensure the normal operation of the car. Each car will be tested on a full-speed full-performance track and street driving test on the street.
But at present, it takes at least three years to customize a singer, because at least 100 customers are waiting in front of you.
If the factory area is expanded five times, 300 workers are recruited and the production capacity is increased, it is entirely possible to deliver a Porsche 9 1 1 modified by Singer within six months. But in this way, the scarcity of brands and the hunger and thirst of consumers will be reduced. As the saying goes, "a good meal is not afraid of waiting" is the truth.
4 ? Singers and Porsche customers
The relationship between Singh and Porsche is positive. Porsche knows what they are doing and gives them some support. They have learned a lot about Porsche's love for customers and can provide some services. Singer's customers are more like an independent, pure and ultimate Porsche fan club. They only worship Porsche and don't worship any brand that covers or replaces the Porsche logo. Singh wants to present himself in a way that won't offend Porsche. In turn, Singh clearly supports the Porsche brand.
On official occasions, singers are forbidden to be called singers 9 1 1 or Porsche singers. They insisted on claiming that "the singer modified Porsche 9 1 1", and this situation has continued, which has always been the company's purpose. Singh did not use Porsche or surpass Porsche, but paid tribute to Porsche in his own way.
If Singh builds a museum for himself in the future, the brown bomber will be the treasure of the town museum.
"I wouldn't call it a rebel. I feel lucky because there are a group of people around me who can make me addicted to it, whether it's music or cars, I wouldn't call it' rebellion'. This is the motivation in my heart, this is a network of self-expression. If I make up my mind, I will find someone who can help me express myself. Of course, I am very lucky. "
5 ? A jewel-like machine
Singer's idea is to extract the basic elements of driving experience, so that cars can convey emotional connections both visually and dynamically. They follow the slogan "Everything is important". Therefore, Singh will make every effort to cooperate with customers and put forward detailed requirements. Singer provides customization beyond the mechanical object itself.
Singh called this experience "our plan" to provide customers with a customized experience around their cars. Any legend will be based on insisting that all elements are recognized and preserved, so that the truly attractive gem-like machine will last for a long time.
In Rob Dickinson's life, music comes and goes, but cars are always an eternal passion. For ordinary people, his resume seems to be the ultimate dream of childhood. The Norfolk native of England combined his two passions with his keen eye for details and his responsibility to provide high-quality products, and achieved success in both fields. Both areas need equal time, dedication, teamwork and love for the final product, so as to arouse consumers' expectations.
(To be continued)
About the author
/kloc-Li Man, born in 0/977, is an uncle who loves cars. As a senior automobile media person, he has worked in many automobile journals such as Famous Cars, Topgear Automobile Inspection Report and Automobile Guide. From 20 17, he switched to online media and worked as a European reporter for online auto market and luxury cars. In addition to a deep understanding and insight into cars, there are also inexplicable pursuits in cross-border fields such as digital products, classical music and cooking.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.