Kalmar 9X9
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The last time we visited Kalmar Automotive, the Danish coachbuilder was gunning its Rally Special-6 (RS-6), a rooster-tailing off-roader based on either a 993- or 996-series Porsche 911, through the mud. At The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, the company debuted its latest, the Kalmar 9X9. This is a mashup of ideas covering just about everything from the 959 to today’s 911 Turbo and GT3. A 993-series 911 lays the foundation, stripped and laid up with a hidden roll cage beneath CFD-honed carbon bodywork. The new panels and their 959-like rear end reportedly create 3,263 pounds of peak downforce. That’s 212 pounds above the coupe’s 3,051 claimed weight in its heaviest stock configuration.
There are three variants: 9X9, 9X9 Sport, and 9X9 Leichtbau (Lightweight). The 9X9 is the hi-po grand tourer, using the 3.8-liter flat-six from today’s 911 Turbo S. Instead of making the factory car’s 640 horsepower, the standard 9X9 makes 930 horses. Power goes to all four wheels through Porsche’s seven-speed double-clutch transmission. Rear-wheel drive also comes standard.
The 9X9 Sport turns down the power to turn up the focus. A turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-six contributed by the 911 GTS makes 650 hp, 172 ponies over a store-bought GTS. This comes with a seven-speed manual, the PDK an option, as is rear-wheel steering. “More direct suspension components,” less sound insulation, and the 2,866-pound curb weight should heighten the fury and the sound with this one.
The 9X9 Leichtbau goes with the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter from the GT3 making 530 horsepower, 28 hp above factory output. A rear-driver only, with a seven-speed manual for the purists, this one comes in at a claimed 2,811 pounds.
Every 9X9’s engine has been upgraded with items like a new intake system, beefier cooling, ceramic bearings in the turbos, and an Inconel exhaust. They all sit on active engine mounts, too. The drivetrain rolls on a custom double wishbone suspension working pushrod-style Tractive dampers in front, the work of Italy’s Danisi Engineering. Magnesium wheels on Michelin tires hide carbon ceramic rotors clamped by CarboBrake’s 3D-printed titanium calipers.
The interiors go heavy on lightweighting, with no radios and no central infotainment screens. A centrally located analog tach dominates the gauge cluster, flanked by two small screens that we’ll guess are used to display information from Bluetooth paired devices.
All three flavors are on sale now through U.S. distributor Canepa Group, first deliveries scheduled for July 2025. Prices weren’t mentioned, that fact and the debut location should let you know if you’re in the target audience.
