Kalmar can turn your 911 into a rally car

The Kalmar 7-97 is available in several forms, each taking either a 964 or 993 911 as a base, and transforming it into a bespoke new entity. But there is one Kalmar creation in particular that catches the eye more than any other Porsche restomod.

An oft-forgotten chapter of Porsche’s illustrious motorsport history is the marque’s success in rallying. The 911 was a prolific challenger on rally stages around the world, it won the European Rally Championship five times, and triumphed in the International Championship for Manufacturers, the predecessor to the World Rally Championship, in 1970.

Continued competition throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s saw the 911 achieve two WRC wins at Monte-Carlo in 1978 and the Tour de Corse in 1980 before Porsche’s participation in rallying peaked with two victories in the Paris-Dakar Rally, first with the 953 in 1984, then with the 959 in ’86.

It’s that rallying history that Kalmar has tapped into with its rather bonkers 7-97 RS-R. Standing for ‘Rally Special-Radical’, it offers anyone with a 964 or 993 the chance to transform their classic 911 into something that resembles a 1980s rally car.

The RS-R’s tagline is ‘more than you dare’, which suggests the bravery of the driver will dictate the limit, rather than the car’s capability. Judging by the way this thing is put together, you have to say that’s probably true.

We had a chance to experience the RS-R in action in the kind of harsh environment it was built for. The bitter ice flats of Lapland are far from welcoming, yet Kalmar’s rally creation transformed a pretty uninviting landscape into a playground.

Kalmar 7-97 RS-R: An out-and-out and rally car

You’d better be certain you’re ready to part with your old 911 before agreeing to let Kalmar get their mitts on it, because there won’t be much of it left when they’re done transforming it into a 7-97. The RS-R treatment is substantial, and incorporates complete swaps of the engine, electronics, suspension, bodywork and interior.

This is not just for show either. Kalmar’s specification for the RS-R suggests it has every intention of sending these cars off into the wilderness.

The entire underside is lifted, reinforced with seam welding, and plated in Kevlar. The majority of the bodywork: bumpers, bonnet, engine cover, rear panels and front fenders, are also manufactured from Kevlar. You can get the doors and bonnet made out of the stuff too, which basically means you can turn your entire RS-R into a 911-shaped tank.

Despite that, the thing only weighs 1,125kg at its lightest, some additional options can bring that number up slightly, but even so it’s lighter than 99 per cent of new cars on the road today. Much of that weight loss comes from the stripping of the interior. In standard RS-R specification the rear bench is removed and replaced with a roll cage, while the front seats are swapped for Recaro sports seats upholstered with sustainably sourced leather.

Kalmar 7-97 RS-R: Engines with no compromise

There are two engine options for the RS-R. The ‘base’ spec is a 3.8-litre flat-six producing 355PS (261kW) and 410Nm (302lb ft) of torque which, in a car that weighs just a little more than a tonne, is plenty.

The second option is an even more potent 4.0-litre flat-six delivering 401PS (295kW) and 450Nm (332lb ft) for an even more astonishing dose of performance. On anything other than a perfectly dry road, with that engine slung out over the rear axle you’re going to be engaged in a constant state of opposite lock.

In either case, drive is by wire, and supplemented by Kalmar’s own intake setup, a sports exhaust, augmented cooling via a repositioned radiator, and a bespoke ECU. It’s a package that aims to improve performance first and foremost, but also help the engine to run in optimum conditions, aiding reliability.

There aren’t any official performance figures for the RS-R, but if you need them, you’re getting it all wrong. If you’re not already sold on this idea, no amount of evidence is going to sway you. The RS-R will wallop you in the face with a bucket full of charisma and wheelspin.

Kalmar 7-97 RS-R: Ready for Dakar?

We haven’t even mentioned the best thing about the RS-R yet. There’s no other word for it, Kalmar’s self-proclaimed ‘nerds’ have performed actual magic on the suspension. They’d never be accepted into the Magic Circle though, because they’ve revealed all their secrets.

It’s a fully-independent hydraulic TracTive system with the rear anti-roll bar removed, and the results are stark. Two-way shock absorbers take over control of body movement, but do so with far more nuance than an anti-roll bar.

You can also use this system to raise or lower the front and rear ride heights for overall ground clearance in excess of 250mm, a further enabler to those who want to take the RS-R far from the beaten path.

Additionally, those who pass up their 993s for this conversion will benefit from the addition of a limited-slip differential for some additional control of the RS-R’s power delivery on low-grip surfaces.

As with all Kalmar creations however, this is all just the blank slate. No car is built without bespoke consultation with the customer, so anyone keen to transform their classic 911 into a state-of-the-art rally car will be able to do so according to their own tastes and ambitions.

Jan Kalmar’s wish that his company be considered something greater than a purveyor of restomods becomes increasingly credible with each and every new creation, and the 7-97 RS-R continues the theme. This isn’t just an engine swap or a fresh interior, it’s a whole new car that can do extraordinary things.