Kamm 912c Carbon | UK Review

Weary of backdated Porsches already? Try one that weighs 700kg

Appreciating a great restomod has never been tremendously hard. After all, the whole point of them is to combine what's lovely about the old school with what's best about being new - and who wouldn’t want that in a car? The automotive equivalent of a Georgian townhouse with underfloor heating and a nice Smeg, it’s easy to see why backdating has become so popular.

So much so, it might be argued, that some reimaginations transcend the accepted restomod definition and become, well, a bit too contemporary for their own good. The joy was always in a usefully modernised classic package; once super sticky tyres, monster engines and lap times enter the fray, it feels like we’re losing sight of what these things should be. Or perhaps we're just not wealthy enough to get it.

Into that equation, the carbon-bodied Kamm 912 feels like a breath of fresh air. Of course, it’s still an awful lot of money, and carbon fibre is very much a modern phenomenon, yet the vitals could well be considered modest - and all the better sounding for it. Kamm claims 699kg for the car before the driver is in, an astonishing figure really, meaning that 180hp or so is easily ample. There are no ludicrously pumped-up arches or steamroller-spec tyres, either, just a beautifully reassembled, tiny old Porsche that promises to be a joy to drive.

Probably the most significant change since last driving a Kamm Manufaktur car has been in the background; staff have been recruited from Aston Martin, Koenigsegg and Dallara, with investment for an in-house autoclave to create their own carbon parts, of which there are more than 150 in this car. The involvement of folk from larger companies has ensured some useful steps forward in terms of perceived quality; everything about this 912 is just that bit nicer than it used to be, from upholstery to under the bonnet. Every fixture and fitting feels improved. Little touches like new digital Smiths dials to Kamm’s design and extra insulation around the door frame are not ones that will be shouted about, perhaps - but promise a useful benefit to customers. Stuff like the hand-painted gold accents, and an engine bay festooned with carbon, bring the required restomod glitz. There’s proper air con now as well, with customers in Singapore, Brisbane and Miami understandably quite keen on it.

To experience anything of this era is a reminder of just how intimate driving used to be, every control so close and proper progress requiring actual effort. That being said, this Kamm is accommodating (trademark offset pedals notwithstanding) and certainly more user-friendly than earlier iterations of the 912c. The manual still requires a firm hand and the unservoed brakes a decent shove, though no longer do they feel quite so aggressive. Perhaps some of it is relative familiarity. Whatever the case, the legwork (literal, in some instances) required to get the Kamm going even at modest speed does feel in keeping with the overall vibe. Something that looks this racy should require some concentration.

This particular car features a slightly strange spec, as per the owner’s request, with the superlight body but touring gears, rear seats for storage and a beautifully trimmed interior. The 912T ought to be right up their street. There is unlikely to be another like it, that’s for certain, the freedom to express very personal tastes definitely still part of the appeal. It’s not a 699kg Kamm, either, though it’s still going to be slender by any standards. And even with the gold accents, passers-by nod in appreciation at a nice classic rather than gawp like it’s million-dollar exotica. That’s quite welcome.

Not that you’ll be paying pedestrians much attention, really - you’ll be too wrapped up in the experience of it. To drive something so small and so light is to have the roads of Britain transformed, with space opened up, bumps subdued and speed limits (almost) embraced. The Kamm is plenty fast enough, with performance really ramping up beyond 4,000rpm as the throttle bodies furiously gargle air and fuel, but it’s never overwhelming. You can romp along in a few gears, get to the snortiest sound, and not be travelling at a preposterous speed. The experience is so effervescent that it doesn’t require a triple-digit velocity to excite. Fifth even works as an acceptable cruising ratio. If these cars are intended to be driven and not merely collected, the Kamm’s approach feels just about spot on; less can be more when it comes to enjoying a car on the road. A dog leg makes total sense when second and third sit opposite each other, too, as you flash the lever through playing Vic Elford.

As before, there’s Tractive suspension, adjustable on the move through five settings. Again, it benefits from so little mass to contain, never lazy in its softest setting nor jarring in its firmest. The Kamm glides its way through the very worst a British B road can offer, its origins only really exposed on the kind of surface that would usually constitute a rally stage. And not a good one. It never feels as vague or as loose as a ‘true’ classic might, nor as overly sophisticated and synthetic as something new could.

The real joy is in how willing this little car is. There’s simply no inertia, delay or hesitation to its cornering, the Kamm seemingly never happier than when faced with consecutive direction changes - flitting this way and that like it’s the easiest thing in the world. With less weight over the back axle than usually found in cars that look like this, there’s never any sense of being overtaken by the mass, only the very best traits amplified. Cornering line can be tweaked with both a surfeit of power and by an absence of it, the Kamm fun and friendly even when it does begin to move around. It’s a glorious reminder of how driving should be.

Admittedly, there is a slight mismatch between the delicate, almost dainty way it goes down a road and the heft required by the controls, but that’s true for all manner of classics. And you soon get accustomed to it, every major control accurate and reliable rather than just weighty for the sake of it. A rhythm in the Kamm, with shifts sorted and steering inputs not requiring correction, isn’t easily achieved, but is immensely satisfying and well worth the effort.

Whether that will be enough to convince those in the market for a lovingly redone old Porsche that they can go without six horizontally opposed cylinders remains to be seen. The flat-four in this 912 is a real gem, snarling its way to 7,000rpm with abandon, but there must be plenty who feel that a rear-engined Porsche must have half a dozen pistons back there. Particularly if they’re paying hundreds of thousands for the privilege. But a flat-six would be a heavier engine, and more power would need bigger brakes, larger wheels and tyres - the thrill of so few kilos would soon be lost. Kamm’s approach is laudable, because light has never felt quite so right as in a carbon-bodied 912. If something from Alfaholics or Frontline doesn’t give you the four-cylinder fizz, this thing is guaranteed to...

SPECIFICATION | KAMM 912C CARBON

Engine: 2.0-litre flat-four
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 182@6,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 156@5,000rpm
0-62mph: c. 6 seconds
Top speed: N/A
Weight: 699kg (with fluids)
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Price: from €360,000 (plus donor car, currently £310,000)

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McRors

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