Rob Dickinson
The shoegaze frontman traded guitar pedals for piston rings, building a second career crafting million-dollar classic cars.
Born 1965 (age 61)·British musician·Birthday: July 23·Generation X
Biography
Rob Dickinson's voice, a soaring and melancholy instrument, was the heart of Catherine Wheel, the British band that helped define the shoegaze and alternative rock sound of the 1990s. After the band dissolved, he pursued a solo career, but his lifelong passion for Porsche automobiles steered him toward an unexpected second act. In 2009, he founded Singer Vehicle Design in Los Angeles, a company that performs ground-up restorations and re-imaginings of classic air-cooled Porsches. These are not mere repairs; they are bespoke works of automotive art, fusing vintage aesthetics with modern performance, and commanding prices well into seven figures. Dickinson successfully bridged two distinct worlds of craftsmanship, proving that the same obsessive attention to detail that creates a perfect guitar tone can also build a perfect driving machine.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Rob was born in 1965, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1965
#1 Movie
The Sound of Music
Best Picture
The Sound of Music
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Rob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1965Born
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1970Started school
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1978Became a teenager
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Could drive
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1983Could vote
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Turned 21
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1995Turned 30
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 40
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 50
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 60
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 61 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Fronted the influential alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, whose 1993 album 'Chrome' is considered a landmark of the shoegaze genre.
- Founded Singer Vehicle Design, a company that revolutionized the classic Porsche restoration market with its 'reimagined' approach.
- Released a well-received solo album, 'Fresh Wine for the Horses,' in 2005.
Did You Know?
He is the first cousin of Bruce Dickinson, the lead singer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden.
He worked as a car designer for Lotus Cars in the UK before Catherine Wheel found success.
The name 'Singer Vehicle Design' is a nod to the Porsche 911 'Singer' model, not his own surname.
He wrote the Catherine Wheel song 'Black Metallic' about a girlfriend's car.
“A great guitar tone is a physical thing; it hits you in the chest.”
