25 January 2024 – KALMAR Automotive, enhancer and restorer of bespoke sports cars and special purpose-built adventure vehicles, has revealed its first water-cooled ‘Adventure Range’ 911. The KALMAR RS-6 is its latest rugged all-terrain 911 engineered to challenge perceptions of what a classic sports car can do. After customers fell in love with the KALMAR cars they drove on adventures, it has offered to build them one to take home, first in air-cooled and now, for the first time, in water-cooled variants.
Inspired by the original KALMAR RS – short for ‘Rally Special’ – the RS-6 is based on a 996-generation Porsche 911. With 964 and 993 prices still rising, the RS-6 offers a lower price entry point into ‘go anywhere’ overland ability whilst retaining the same high levels of practicality, usability and rewarding driving dynamics as its original air-cooled relations. Following 12 months of testing, the RS-6 made its debut at KALMAR Beyond Adventure’s Spirit of Speed events in January where customers were encouraged to test drive it on snow, ice and the frozen lakes of Lapland in temperatures that reached -35°C.
Despite its formidable off-road abilities, the lightweight (1,440kg) KALMAR RS-6 has been created to remain a very capable sports car, equally at home on the ice as it is traversing tricky mountain passes and arid deserts, or negotiating fast, sweeping road routes that feature on KALMAR’s Beyond Adventure calendar of events.
Ready for anything
Each RS-6 conversion is bespoke, limited only by the imagination of each individual customer. At its heart sits an original, characterful and well-proven Mezger water-cooled Porsche flat-six engine. The KALMAR RS-6 can be based on the 996-generation Carrera 2, Carrera 4 or Turbo platforms, and available in left- or right-hand-drive, with six-speed manual or Tiptronic gearbox options. It starts with a healthy power output of at least 300bhp as standard, with a menu of tuning options available to hike power to well over 500bhp. A bespoke limited-slip differential, for added traction, is standard.
Equipped to deal with whatever lies ahead, the KALMAR RS-6 features a unique, robust suspension arrangement including “inverted” front shock absorbers for improved reliability alongside an 80mm higher ride height, resulting in total ground clearance of 210mm – equivalent to that of an E2 generation Porsche Cayenne. KALMAR Automotive’s bespoke adjustable shock absorbers, custom spring set, roll centre adjusting subframe kit, engineered top mounts, bushes, upgraded driveshafts and a strut brace – to better distribute loads across the front axle – combine to cope with the higher pitch and yaw exerted. At each corner are lightweight, narrow 6×16” alloy wheels paired with all-terrain or World Rally Championship-style spiked Michelin winter tyres.
For those who want to take things one stage further, KALMAR offers an optional adaptive shock absorber upgrade where valving is continuously monitored and adjusted according to surface and pitch, with body roll being controlled electronically. Further options include hydraulic lift shock absorbers, enabling the ride height to be lowered by 50mm for on-road driving at the press of a button, turning the RS-6 from capable off-roader to low-slung sports car in seconds.
Equipping those seeking more extreme expeditions are a roof-mounted survival kit comprising jerry cans and spare wheels carrier and a high output auxiliary LED light bar, included as standard. All aspects can be tailored to specific tastes, as can the exterior aesthetic, with a bespoke livery designed in collaboration with the customer available, ensuring that each RS-6 is unique.
Unmistakable style, unrivalled functionality
The functional and purposeful design alterations enable the KALMAR RS-6 to reach places other 911s would struggle and stand out from the crowd. The standard package includes complete 5-8mm thick underbody protection, with additional shielding for its front-mounted water-cooled systems. A stiffened cross towbar doubles up as a stronger towing point.
Inside, the distinctive nature of the RS-6 continues, while also staying true to the ethos of being lightweight and durable. All non-essential items such as trim and sound deadening material are removed, replaced with purposeful upgrades. A pair of cosseting Recaro sports or race bucket seats, as found in previous RS conversions, and rear roll cage, add safety. Competition-specific equipment such as a full roll cage, fly-off handbrake and trip-master timing system are available as options, enabling owners to build an RS-6 to their exacting needs.
Speaking at the Spirit of Speed event where the car made its debut, Jan Kalmar, founder and owner of KALMAR Automotive, said, “RS-6 is designed and built to challenge your perception of where a 911 can take you. Thanks to the higher 996 production volumes, donor cars are readily available at a lower cost. Now, we can open up the thrill and fun of adventure driving in a Porsche to a new audience.”
