It's hard to think of too many cars more beloved than the Porsche 911. Based on a rear-engine layout that some maintain is far from optimal for a sports car, the 911 has become a legend on the road as well as on the racetrack. They offer the practicality and everyday usability of their distant cousin, the Volkswagen. And they can give much more expensive Ferraris and Lamborghinis a serious run for their money, in many cases beating them.

More than 1,000,000 have been made, and countless thousands of them have been customized, raced, and presented at car shows. And now there is a small, California-based,  factory that has made it their mission to build the ultimate expression of the 911. In the opinion of many automotive critics, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that Singer Vehicle Design has done just that.

15 It Takes 4,000 Hours To Build One

Singer Porsche Factory
via total911

If you can drop off a fully legal Porsche 964 (1989-1994 911) to the Singer factory and are prepared to pay at least $400,000, Singer will strip that car down to its bare monocoque. This is the beginning of a process in which literally every component of the car is optimized for quality, craftsmanship, and performance. Their meticulous team will have your car ready to pick up in about 10 months.

14 You Get To Design Your Car With Singer

Singer Porsche Personalization
via motorward.com

Singer rebuilds your car to your chosen specifications. Pick from 75 retro-themed paint colors and countless interior customization options. Three different engine options and several suspension options allow you to choose how wild you want your car to be. Singer is willing to go "off the board" too, should you have further personalization you'd like to discuss.

13 It's A Brand New Classic Car

Singer Porsche Engine Bay
via reddit

What you get for your money is effectively a brand new, hand-built 911 that looks like a late '60s-early '70s 911. From the balanced and blueprinted engine to the modern-technology suspension and brakes, this is a car that you could conceivably drive every day.

Related: 10 Perfect Muscle Car Restomods (And 5 That Are Disasters)

12 It Goes Up To 11

Singer Tachometer
via singervehicledesign

Singer doesn't always take itself too seriously, which is refreshing. Anyone who has seen the cult-classic movie This Is Spinal Tap will recognize that if one wants to exceed what's possible on a scale of 1-10, you simply go to 11. The tachometer in their 911s serves as a representation of Singer's goal to go beyond.

11 It Will Always Be Rare And Exclusive

New 911s At A Car Meet
via digitaldtour.com

The level of customization and personalization available to the Singer client pretty much ensures that you will never see another car just like it. At present, Singer has built barely 100 cars. And there are another 150 or so anxious folks on the waiting list for one. There's just no way that you are ever going to see a lot of these cars.

Related: 15 Rarest And Most Exclusive Lambos Ever Made

10 Most Of The Body Is Carbon Fiber

Bare Carbon Fiber Body
via rennlist

Other than the doors, every body panel on Singer's 911 is replaced with lightweight Carbon Fiber, accounting for over 350 lbs in weight savings. Additionally, master body technicians spend weeks test-fitting, shaping, and aligning every panel to fit perfectly. The result is panel gaps to rival any Rolls Royce or Bentley you'll ever see.

9 It's Really Fast!

Sideways Singer Porsche
via road and track

With the 390 hp engine and a weight of only 2,700 lbs, 0-60 takes only 3.3 seconds. That's in a 2-wheel-drive car without launch control. It lapped Laguna Seca quicker than a Ferrari 458 Italia. We're talking about Supercar territory here, and a car that's way more engaging than a modern supercar.

Related: Cars With The Fastest 0-60 Time, Ranked

8 It Sounds Incredible

Singer Engine And Exhaust
via inmygarage.com

Part of what makes a car fun to drive is the way it sounds, so plenty of attention was focused here by the folks at Singer. Few cars sound as intoxicating as a free-breathing air-cooled Flat 6 that revs to over 7,000 RPMs. This car provides a legitimate race car soundtrack.

7 The Interior Is Absolutely Insane

Singer Porsche Interior
via pinterest

As beautiful as the exterior of a Singer car is, the interior is where they tend to get really special. Here again, every element is open to personalization, with many cars featuring a truly striking basket-weave leather upholstery. One owner actually decided that they wanted their seats patterned after a photograph of a sunset. The result was a weave of a dozen different colors.

6 They Partnered With A Formula 1 Team

The Singer Williams Car
via singer vehicle design

When Singer decided to develop a 911 with the Williams F1 team, this was the result. Williams tweaked the aerodynamics, squeezed 500 horsepower from the engine, and somehow trimmed another 500 lbs (down to 2,200). If Singer built the ultimate 911, Williams has built the ultimate Singer. This legitimate hypercar costs 1.8 million dollars, but all 75 of them are already sold.

5 Purists Aren't Crazy About The Modern 911s

Old And New 911s
via driventowrite.com

911 owners can be a peculiar bunch. To many of them, the real 911 ceased production in 1998, the last year of the air-cooled engine. Additionally, the car has also gotten much bigger and heavier over the years. To be able to buy a technologically modern 911 with the layout, size, and feel of a classic 911 must be very tempting.

4 Each Individual Singer Car Has Its Own Name

via reddit

One fun fact about the Singer cars is their internal designation. On their website you can find a photo gallery of all completed cars, with each car "named' by the location of their owner. It's a unique way to keep track of the cars, and quickly identify yours as "Alabama" or "Singapore", for example.

3 You Will Likely Never See One With An Automatic Transmission

Singer Porsches at Laguna Seca
via motor1.com uk

In this day and age, the manual transmission sadly seems to be a dying breed. Modern semi-automated gearboxes do make for a quicker car, it cannot be denied. An overwhelming majority of new 911s are sold this way. However, since Singer strives to make the ultimate drivers car, it's safe to assume that they will stick to the formula of the classic 911. And that means three pedals, and shifting your own gears.

2 Everything Is Important

Singer Factory Motto
via formtrends.com

These cars often end up costing upwards of $600,000. For that cost, Singer commits to maximizing literally every piece of the car they're restoring. Rob Dickinson, the founder of Singer Vehicle Design, adores the Porsche 911 and his goal is to distill this legendary car down to its purest form. He inadvertently created the company motto out of frustration one late night when he spray-painted "Everything is Important" on the wall of the shop.

1 It's The 911 That 911 Fanatics Have To Have

Singer Porsche On The Road
via singer vehicle design

People who love the 911 REALLY love it. Undoubtedly, countless 911 fanatics have fantasized about having their own "perfect'' car. Chances are, they end up envisioning a mix of modern technology and speed combined with a pure analog driving experience and classic looks. That's what Singer has achieved here....in the words of James May, the Porsche 911 restored and reimagined by Singer is "a love letter to a car."

Sources: Road and Track, Top Gear, L.A. Times, Car and Driver

Next: Watch As These Vintage Porsches Duke It Out On The Track