Singer's Crazy ACS Off-Roader Is In Hot Water With Porsche

Some things in this world are just beyond question. Water is wet. Fact. Grass is green. Fact. Toupees look terrible on politicians. Fact. Singer makes the most beautiful Porsche 911 restomods on the planet. Fact. All of its cars are absolutely gorgeous, whether we're talking about a "regular" commission, the special Dynamics and Lightweighting Study (DLS), or its most recent internet-breaker, the 911 All-terrain Competition Study (ACS). Unfortunately, this last model is not sitting well with the brand that created the 911 in the first place, Porsche. According to CarScoops, the German automaker isn't too happy with the way its name appears on the ACS, and Singer has removed the vehicle from its site as a result.

The report states that Porsche's legal department asked Singer to pull all media of the car from its public outlets until some resolution is found. Of course, Singer's beautiful builds do wonders for the public image of both brands, highlighting not only Singer's exquisitely honed expertise but also Porsche's classic design and its cars' potential as a base for both restoration and enhancement.

But at the same time, Porsche is a company that still needs to protect its interests and its brand, and with the ACS featuring loads of large 'Porsche' lettering without official permission, leaving Singer to do as it pleases sets a precedent and opens the door for others to exploit Porsche's brand.

A Porsche representative had this to say when asked about the situation: "We are glad to have a growing community of Porsche enthusiasts. They help us to ensure that so many Porsche cars originally built decades ago remain on the road and are still being enjoyed. At the same time, we have a responsibility to our customers to ensure that Porsche products - designed and engineered by us - can be clearly and easily identified. This can range from an individual component or piece of clothing using our name through to whole cars. We do this by allowing only products created or directly licensed by us to carry the Porsche name."

Singer was unavailable for comment. But why is this happening now? After all, past Singer builds have featured the Porsche script and logo, so what's the big deal with the ACS? Well, some might say that Singer's regular commissions are still original Porsches, so retaining the badging is acceptable. While the ACS is technically based on a 1990 964, the bodywork and chassis have undergone so much redevelopment and restyling that one could almost suggest it's an entirely new design merely inspired by the Porsche rally cars of yore.

Alternatively, it could be due to the fact that the ACS features an embossed Porsche script on an actual body panel, rather than just a sticker or decal. This molding thus may be thought of by observers as a genuine Porsche component, and although Singer's quality is never in question, the part is still not manufactured by Porsche itself. Doubtless, there will be more clarity on this once Singer comments on the situation.