The first water-cooled 'Adventure Range' 911 from KALMAR Automotive has been unveiled. The company specialises in restoring and improving custom sports cars and adventure vehicles. Redefining the capabilities of a vintage sports car, the KALMAR RS-6 is the company's most recent tough all-terrain 911. It has offered to construct one for the buyer to take home in air-cooled and, more recently, water-cooled variations after customers fell in love with the KALMAR vehicles they drove on excursions.

Taking design cues from the legendary KALMAR RS (an acronym for "Rally Special"), the RS-6 is a 996-generation Porsche 911 chassis. As the price of the 964 and 993 continues to rise, the RS-6 provides a more affordable way to experience the 'go anywhere' overland capability that its air-cooled predecessors were known for, all while maintaining the same excellent levels of practicality, usability, and enjoyable driving characteristics. After a year of testing, the RS-6 was unveiled in January during KALMAR Beyond Adventure's Spirit of Speed events. There, customers were invited to take the vehicle for a spin on snow, ice, and the icy lakes of Lapland, where temperatures dropped as low as -35°C.

The 1,440-kilogram KALMAR RS-6 may be formidable off-road, but it's still a highly competent sports car that can handle ice, difficult mountain passes, dry deserts, and the fast, winding road courses seen in KALMAR's Beyond Adventure events.

The only thing limiting an RS-6 conversion is the customer's creativity. An authentic, unique, and tried-and-true Mezger water-cooled flat-six engine from Porsche powers it all. Whether you want left-or right-hand drive, a six-speed manual or Tiptronic transmission, and a chassis based on the 996-generation Carrera 2, Turbo, or Carrera 4 are all possibilities for the KALMAR RS-6. It comes with a respectable minimum power output of 300 bhp and has a menu of tuning options that can increase power to more than 500 horsepower. For enhanced traction, a custom limited-slip differential is included as standard equipment.

Ready for anything, the KALMAR RS-6 has an 80 mm higher ride height and 210 mm of ground clearance (the same as an E2 generation Porsche Cayenne) thanks to its distinctive and sturdy suspension setup, which includes "inverted" front shock absorbers for enhanced reliability. The designed top mounts, bushes, improved driveshafts, strut brace (to better distribute stresses across the front axle), custom spring set, roll centre adjusting subframe kit, and customised adjustable shock absorbers from KALMAR Automotive work together to handle the increased pitch and yaw. Lightweight, thin 6x16" alloy wheels mounted with spiked Michelin winter tyres in the style of the World Rally Championship or all-terrain vehicles are shown at each corner.

For individuals seeking an advanced level of performance, KALMAR provides an optional adaptive shock absorber upgrade. This upgrade allows for electronic control of body roll in addition to continuous monitoring and adjustment of valving based on surface and pitch. Another available option is hydraulic lift shock absorbers, which allow the RS-6 to change from a capable off-roader to a low-slung sports car in a matter of seconds by lowering the ride height by 50 mm for on-road driving at the touch of a button. Included as standard equipment is a roof-mounted survival pack with jerry cans, a spare wheel carrier and a high power auxiliary LED light bar, which is perfect for individuals who are looking to go on more adventurous journeys. Each RS-6 is one-of-a-kind since it can be customised to suit individual tastes in every way, including the outside look, which may be customised with a custom livery created in tandem with the client.

Because of its distinctive and practical design changes, the KALMAR RS-6 can go where other 911s can't and still turn heads. Complete underbody protection, measuring 5-8 mm thick, is part of the standard package. The front-mounted water-cooled systems also receive extra shielding. For added strength, you might use a cross towbar that has been strengthened.

On the inside, the RS-6 maintains its signature style while remaining faithful to its lightweight and long-lasting principles. We took off all the unnecessary parts, including the trim and the soundproofing, and put in new, better ones. As with other RS conversions, this one comes equipped with a rear roll cage and two supportive Recaro sports or racing bucket seats for further protection. Any RS-6 may be customised to the owner's specifications with the availability of optional competition-specific equipment including a full roll cage, fly-off handbrake, and trip-master timing system.

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.”

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