Rob Dickinson, former singer and guitarist for the ’90s British rock band Catherine Wheel, founded Singer Vehicle Design in 2009 after his upgraded 1969 Porsche 911E “Brown Bomber” caused a stir in Los Angeles. The outfit has exploded in both popularity and prestige in the time since, with its air-cooled, carbon-bodied German restomods selling for seven figures on the aftermarket well before they’re even a decade old.
But perhaps the greatest marker of Singer’s success is their new project with Louis Vuitton, a storied brand that signifies luxury perhaps more than any other. The genesis of their partnership started organically with a request for a clock in a Singer commission, which burgeoned into a year-long transformation that saw the French fashion house inform “every detail” of the vehicle in question. The result is LV and Singer’s first co-branded automotive item featuring a dizzying amount of customization.
All functional and formative elements of the coupe in question were touched by LV in some way. The car’s saffron-yellow paint draws from a shade that has been in the Louis Vuitton archive for more than 150 years and has appeared on the brand’s packaging for more than two decades. The color also echoes “Bahama Yellow,” a hue historically tied to Singer’s earliest builds. Cobalt blue demonstration tires provide eye-popping contrast, and the rear engine air intake grille’s geometric LV motif further ensures the car’s one-of-one status. Even the fuel and oil caps were attended to, with typography drawn from Louis Vuitton’s watch components.
Inside, the cabin is upholstered in leather with a natural tone based on VVT leather, a material Louis Vuitton uses widely on its luggage. Door handle edges are finished using the same edge-dyeing technique applied to Louis Vuitton bags, and the stitching is done in yellow thread. The seats, front boot trim, and rear engine compartment feature a diamond-pattern embossing modeled on the distinct malletage diamond pattern found inside Louis Vuitton trunks. The seats include ventilation eyelets finished by hand with a Monogram Flower motif, a design repeated on the sun visor and headrests.
Interior fittings that are typically molded from plastic—adjustment knobs, control switches, locks, pull-tabs and air vents—were instead hand-crafted not in aluminum or stainless steel, but in rhodium, using techniques adapted from watchmaking. Colors on those components were achieved through anodizing or electroplating.
Being an LV collab, there’s an innate need for a sartorial component. A driver’s capsule wardrobe was made from Millésime leather to match the car’s upholstery. It includes a racing jacket in grained leather with a perforated zip closure, three Monogram Flower eyelets on the chest, and a silk lining embroidered with the flower motif. It is paired with straight-cut jeans made from a cotton-and-silk denim blend with a washed finish, contrast topstitching, an aged-gold engraved button, and a Louis Vuitton x Singer tab at the rear waist. Two footwear options are offered: the LV Rally, a car shoe with LV initials and a rubber-pad sole, and the LV Remix Derby, a lifestyle shoe with a blue key bell detail and Monogram Flower eyelets. Driving gloves are perforated and available in natural or cobalt blue. A jet-style helmet made of carbon and glass fiber, trimmed in calfskin with a riveted peak, completes the set.
LV luggage pieces were built to fit the car directly. A helmet bag, based on a 1950s design, has hardware finished to match the fuel cap’s color. A Bisten suitcase, a style Louis Vuitton has offered since 1892, includes a blue handle and a name tag. A Keepall bag, a Louis Vuitton style dating to 1930, and a pair of front-trunk bags shaped to fit the car’s nose round out the set. A roof rack built to the car’s shape carries additional gear, including a surfboard made with a blond oak and walnut Monogram marquetry pattern and a pair of skis made in the French Alps from wood, titanium, and steel.
After what was surely a laborious and time-consuming build, Singer and LV elected to do another entirely unique car, just one based on a twin-turbocharged cabriolet. Its bodywork is finished in ivory white with brown accents. The car has a large rear spoiler, typical of turbocharged models, while the rear-opening luggage compartment includes a teak-style wooden deck. The color scheme includes a white tone referencing Calcaire Lutétien limestone, gold accents, and natural leather and wood tones in place of brightwork. Wood elements extend to the bumpers, the rear engine compartment and the front boot area.
The interior combines leather and wood, with a dashboard clock positioned at the center of the console rather than behind the steering wheel. The clock is upholstered in natural leather and features golden gauges, a dial matching the exterior paint color, and a matching gold ignition key. The dashboard carries the Louis Vuitton signature, which is repeated in the tail lamps. A leather patch appears on the steering wheel, and the gearshift trim is wrapped in a natural leather drawstring styled after the Noé bag.
Behind the seats, which are leather over a wooden shell, is a luggage compartment made of yacht-inspired varnished wood that can accommodate both fitted luggage and the car’s lightweight soft top. The front boot houses a three-piece trunk that fits together to form separate storage compartments. Leather straps with pin buckles secure the front and rear hoods.
The accompanying capsule collection includes a Tambour Automatic watch, a 40mm piece in ceramic and yellow gold with a seamless bracelet. Two Coffret Tresor cases—a design Louis Vuitton first made in 1896—hold the wristwatch and the dashboard clock respectively when not in use, and a smaller dual-flap case with a magnetic snap can carry the watch alone.
Like the coupe, the cabriolet is accompanied by wardrobe and luggage, including an LV sneaker and driver’s suit made of parachute silk with raised V-shaped seams and engraved zip pulls. A helmet is made of carbon and glass fiber with a varnished cream finish and a tan visor. Accessories include a garment bag with a hanger and name tag, an Alma bag, an Express bag with a malletage-pattern lining, a Noé bag, and a Cruiser bag sized for gloves and sunglasses, and a Petite Malle case made from wood matched to the car’s interior.
“What makes projects like this one particularly exciting is precisely the opportunity to challenge these constraints and explore new approaches to aesthetics, identity and craftsmanship within the realm of automotive engineering,” explained Singer lead designer Octave Chany. “Projects of this scale and exclusivity allow for a level of attention to detail that is unusual in the automotive world. Every transition between materials, every metallic reflection, every knurled surface, every mechanical interaction and every graphic element has been meticulously considered, often at an almost microscopic level.”
There’s no word on pricing yet, but if these ever get resold, don’t be surprised to see either one crack $2 million at auction.