Louis Vuitton and Singer have turned the idea of a luxury road trip into something far more elaborate than a beautifully restored Porsche. The two houses have joined forces to create a pair of bespoke Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer commissions, bringing together Singer’s engineering and restoration expertise with Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking, leatherwork, trunk-making and fashion savoir-faire.
Unveiled during Monterey Car Week, the two cars take completely different approaches to the same idea. The first is a saffron and cobalt blue Type 964 coupe created through Singer’s Classic services, while the second is a Calcaire Lutétien white Classic Turbo cabriolet conceived with Louis Vuitton Artistic Director Nicolas Ghesquière. Both are accompanied by extensive collections of bespoke luggage, clothing and travel accessories.
From a Tambour clock to an entire automobile
The collaboration began with something surprisingly small. Louis Vuitton was initially asked to create a dashboard clock for a Singer Porsche. La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton developed a detachable mechanical timepiece inspired by the Tambour, complete with its distinctive case profile and 12 polished and engraved letters around the bezel.
Once the clock entered the cockpit, however, the original instrumentation no longer looked right. Louis Vuitton and Singer subsequently redesigned the speedometer, rev counter and gauges around Tambour design codes, a process that took an entire year. Cobalt blue dials, bright orange lettering and watch-inspired hands transformed what would normally be purely functional components into miniature pieces of horological design.
That attention spread throughout the cars. Adjustment knobs, switches, locks, pull-tabs and air vents were recreated in metal, predominantly rhodium-plated, and individually finished using polishing and satin-finishing techniques associated with fine watchmaking. Louis Vuitton artisans from leather goods, trunk making, fashion, footwear and watchmaking all contributed to the project.
The Classic is the clearest expression of the House’s Art of Travel. Its carbon-fiber body wears saffron and cobalt blue – colors tied to Louis Vuitton’s packaging heritage and historic automotive trunks. A roof rack can carry a fitted trunk, surfboard or skis, while distinctive cobalt blue demonstration tires reference the handles and ribbons of Louis Vuitton packaging.
Inside, natural leather inspired by the House’s VVT leather is combined with yellow saddle stitching, diamond-pattern embossing inspired by trunk malletage and Monogram Flower details. Beneath the craftsmanship sits a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated air-cooled flat-six, six-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive and carbon-ceramic brakes.
Two cars, two interpretations of travel
The Classic’s accompanying collection includes a Millésime-leather racing jacket, denim, driving shoes, gloves, a carbon-and-glass-fiber helmet, Bisten and Keepall luggage, fitted front-trunk bags, a Monogram marquetry surfboard in blond oak and walnut, and skis made in the French Alps.
The Classic Turbo takes a more nautical route. Its Calcaire Lutétien white bodywork, gold accents, leather, and extensive wood evoke a sophisticated classic runabout. Wood appears on the bumpers, luggage areas and engine compartment, while the rear compartment opens onto a deck-inspired wooden surface. Its center-console Tambour clock has a dial matching the exterior, accompanied by warm gold gauges and a matching ignition key.
The Turbo uses a Type 964 cabriolet chassis, lightweight carbon-fiber bodywork, a twin-turbocharged flat-six with air-to-water intercooling, a six-speed manual transmission, selectable drive modes, rear-wheel drive and carbon-ceramic brakes.
Ghesquière’s accompanying collection includes a 40 mm ceramic and yellow-gold Tambour Automatic, a made-to-measure parachute-silk suit, braided leather gloves, LV Sneakerinas, sunglasses, a bespoke helmet and a suite of Alma, Express, Noé, Cruiser, Petite Malle and Keepall luggage.
The result is far more than a co-branded Porsche. It is a rolling expression of Louis Vuitton’s Art of Travel, with Singer’s mechanical purity underneath and the French house’s craftsmanship extending from the dashboard clock to the luggage, clothing, sporting equipment and keys.
While Louis Vuitton and Singer have not officially disclosed pricing for either commission, each bespoke 911 is believed to be worth more than £2.5 million (around $3.4 million), according to The Times, putting these extraordinary creations firmly in the realm of the world’s most exclusive collector cars.
