The 911 has always been the kind of sports car you can use every day, and the high-riding Dakar version introduced last year only improved on those 24-7 strengths. Trouble is, the Dakar costs US$ 222,000, or at least that’s Porsche says because, well, good luck finding one at MSRP, which doesn’t make it the most expensive 911 in the lineup, but puts it out of the reach of all but the wealthiest enthusiasts. Enter Denmark’s Kalmar and its new RS-6. The firm’s menu already includes enhanced off-road options for the Cayenne and safari-style air-cooled 911s, but those older 911s aren’t cheap, meaning you need to be Dakar rich to buy one and have someone modify it. So for the RS-6 Kalamar turned its attention to the more affordable 996, its first water-cooled 911.
The RS-6 – “Rally Special” in this case,
not “Rennsport” – conversion costs from € 45,000 (US$ 49k), but the advantage is
that a donor 996 costs a fraction of what you’d pay for an air-cooled 911 to
use as a project base. Customers can start with pretty much any configuration
of manual or Tiptronic 996 coupe, from a simple Carrera 2 to an all-wheel drive
Turbo. The base spec sticks with the stock 296 hp flat-six of the
pre-facelift cars, but that can be boosted to 493 hp, which ought to
really make use of the standard limited slip differential.
Kalmar’s stock suspension kit includes
bespoke adjustable dampers, custom springs, heavy duty driveshafts and narrow
6×16-inch wheels shod with all-terrain rubber or WRC-style spiked Michelins.
There’s 210 mm of ride height in that spec – as much as in a
second-generation Porsche Cayenne and 80 mm more than in a
regular 996 – but buyers can option a hydraulic suspension kit that lets you
drop the ride height by 50 mm at the push of a button.
The final spec is down to the customer’s
choice and the size of his wallet, but roof mounted fuel cans, spare wheel and
an auxiliary light bar are standard, as are thick underbody protective panels –
particularly important in water-cooled cars with. The interior is pared back to
the minimum, and loses most of the sound proofing but gains either Recaro
sports seats or full racing buckets. Again, though, we imagine Kalmar will
build the car to suit your taste.
