KAMM 912c Is A 1,650-LB Restomod Based On The Porsche 911’s Little Brother

There are dozens of companies around the world who’ll build you an updated version of a classic Porsche 911. But Hungary’s KAMM Manufaktur has taken a different path and based its new restomod on the the Porsche 911’s little brother, the 912.

The original 912 was built between 1965 and 1969 (it made a brief comeback in the mid 1970s as the 912E) and combined the 911’s body shell with the four-cylinder engine of the old 356. Porsche had pushed the 911 further upmarket so the 912 helped plug the gap left by the 356’s demise. You got 911 looks, but with only 90 hp ( 91 PS), and a 12-second zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) time, you definitely didn’t get 911 performance.

But one of the big advantages the 912 had over its big brother was its lower curb weight, and with much of that weight reduction coming from the engine slung out beyond the back axle the 912 has more balanced handling. Which is why Budapest-based KAMM picked the little guy for its restomod project.

Called the 912c and fitted with carbon fiber panels to slim the donor 912 even further, KAMM’s car weighs just 1,654 lbs (750 kg), which is around half the weight of a current 911, and means it carries roughly 650 lbs (295 kg) less gut than a 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata.

With so little mass to push down the road, there’s no need for a big flat-six motor. Instead, the 912c gets a 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated boxer four from Switzerland’s JPS Aircooled that revs to 7,200 rpm and kicks out 168 hp (170 PS), which is almost double the output of a standard 1960s 912.

That’s mated to a five-speed dogleg-pattern manual transmission and ZF limited-slip differential, while the chassis is also suitably upgrade to cope with the extra muscle. KAMM adds custom coilovers, adjustable suspensions arms, dampers and anti-roll bars, ventilated discs all round, 964 calipers on the front, three-piece center-lock wheels and sticky Yokohama AD08RS rubber.

The company’s meager image bank doesn’t include any interior pictures, but we’re told each car comes with KAMM carbon seats and carbon trim, electric air conditioning, lightweight carpets and a Tilton pedal box.

Production starts in 2023 and KAMM is already taking deposits for build slots, with customers having the choice of supplying their own donor 912 for conversion or buying a complete car. It sounds like an awesome machine, but what will put plenty of people off is the €325,000 ($323,000) price. We don’t doubt that the driving experience and build quality can justify that kind of sticker, but we suspect most people (especially those with an eye on investment potential) will still struggle to get their heads around paying blue-chip classic 911 money for what is still “only” a 912. The few that do though, are going to have a blast.