Is Porsche really suing Singer Vehicle Design? Regular contributor and classic car fundi, Winston Mace takes a closer look at Porsche’s legal battle with Singer and its impact on the wider restomod industry.

Porsche, renowned for its iconic sports cars, has recently found itself embroiled in a legal dispute with Singer Vehicle Design. The latter is a US company that is celebrated for its meticulously crafted restomod versions of classic Porsche 911s. The suit was filed in February by Porsche Cars of North America with Porsche A.G named as co-plaintiff against Singer Vehicle Design. The lawsuit, filed in February, alleges that Singer made unauthorised use of several Porsche trademarks – these include the 911 moniker, stylised logo, crest and the Porsche name.

History between Porsche and Singer

In 2012, Porsche and Singer engaged in discussions to avoid litigation and ensure Singer would not continue to infringe on Porsche’s intellectual property rights. The result of the discussions was what Singer could and could not do when modifying Porsche vehicles. In 2021, Singer removed its ACS off-road 911 from its official website and Facebook page after Porsche complained about the large ‘Porsche’ script on the privately commissioned car.

Click here to learn more about the wild ACS.

Why did Porsche sue Singer in 2024?

At the heart of Porsche’s lawsuit against Singer lies the tension between preserving the integrity of the brand’s heritage and allowing for creative reinterpretations of its classic designs. Porsche essentially sued Singer over its DLS and DLS Turbo and its use of Porsche’s associated trademarks. According to Porsche, Singer took a Porsche shell and created a car using its existing Porsche VIN and essentially marketed it as a Porsche product despite Porsche never offering a DLS or DLS Turbo in its line-up.

Ripple Effects on the Restomod Industry

The Porsche restomod industry is one of the most popular. Well over two dozen companies offer their own interpretation of what a Porsche could be. Brands such as Gunther Werks, RWB and Theon have all made names for themselves offering precision built Porsche-based vehicles.

Ruf, one of the oldest brands associated with Porsche, is registered as a manufacturer. It receives its bodies-in-white directly from Porsche. It, too, has begun to offer a restomod. In 2020, it launched the Ruf RCT EVO, a 964 based model similar to what Singer offers its clients. Unlike Singer, Ruf does not use any Porsche logos or trademarks on any of its cars and never will as its an independent manufacturer with its own brand that happens to use Porsche as the base for all its products.

The broader industry has seen manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW buy companies that have built modified versions of their products. Mercedes acquired 100 percent of AMG in 1999. BMW, despite already having its own M Division, just recently bought Alpina (as you can read here). 

Does an opportunity exist for Porsche to invest in a company such as Gunther Werks or Singer? From my point of view it would make sense for them to do so. I say this considering the popularity these cars are enjoying among enthusiasts around the world. It would give Porsche the opportunity to add a layer of coolness to the brand. Aston Martin has done so with its continuation projects and Bentley with its Mulliner Speed 6 continuation series.

An Agreement

Porsche withdrew its lawsuit against Singer on March 22. It seems the latter agreed to adhere to the previous settlement from 2012. And it made significant changes to wording on its website which now reads as follows: 

Singer Group, Inc (Singer) restores and reimagines 1989 to 1994 Porsche 911s, based on the 964 chassis at the direction of its clients. Singer does not manufacture or sell automobiles. Important change there: “at the direction of its clients.”

Singer is not sponsored, associated, approved, endorsed nor, in any way, affiliated with Porsche Cars North America, Inc., or Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche, AG. The Porsche® name and crest, 911® and TARGA® are trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG, and any other products mentioned are the trademarks of their respective holders. Any mention of trademarked names or other marks is for purpose of reference only.

The product of Singer’s painstaking effort is a Porsche 911 restored and reimagined by Singer. Out of respect for Porsche, and to respect Porsche’s trademark rights, this incredible machine should never under any circumstances be referred to or described as a “Singer,” “Singer 911,” “Singer Porsche 911” or a “Porsche Singer 911,” or in any other manner that suggests that it is anything but a Porsche 911 that has been restored and reimagined by Singer.

Conclusion

The restomod industry has grown over the past decade or so. Several companies companies offer products from Lancia, Ferrari, Lamborghini and even Volvo whose P1800 is rebuilt by Cyan Racing. You can check out all the restomods we’ve covered at this link.

Click here to read our driving review of the MAT Stratos.

Trademark property rights and protection are the hallmark of any company. This is particularly so in the motor industry where companies such as Singer need to respect those rights unreservedly. For the broader restomod industry, this latest lawsuit  should serve as a reminder that while they may want to ride of the back of another brand’s success, it is vital for them to stay on the right side of the law and develop their own brand.