How to buy a KALMAR

Acquiring any KALMAR 7-97 build is an extremely personalised process, where the entire KALMAR team is behind each client’s decision. Handcrafting bespoke cars with small volumes means that each customer has a personal relationship with the company from day one.

With the option of being there every step of the way, or taking more of a back-seat, KALMAR Automotive can adapt the storyline of the client’s individual build and their involvement. From sitting next to the designers from the start of the process, providing colour swatches to match to the interior or exterior of a car, being present at each main stage of the build, or just being kept updated by a dedicated ‘car chief’, the process is as bespoke as each build is.

Embracing the modern coachbuilder philosophy in all it achieves, the personal one-on-one, tailor to suit contact with the client comes naturally to the team at KALMAR Automotive, to ensure each customer has their slice of automotive haute couture and a unique masterpiece that will never be copied.

Mottos like, “we start where the others stop” and “you can never overtake if you only walk in others’ footsteps” are the foundation of KALMAR’s mission. It starts with a close customer relationship, a very short distance between the customer and the team of skillful engineers to create the finished article. Each of KALMAR Automotive’s core models are underpinned by hundreds of thousands of hours of knowledge, thousands of kilometres travelled, in all weathers and mixed roads and circuits, to create a robust vision of bespoke, handcrafted vehicles.

Regardless of whether the enquiry comes directly to the factory or one of KALMAR Automotive’s hand-picked, exclusive dealers, each client has the same experience and journey. This means that along with the updates, factory visits and upgrades, no request is too much. KALMAR Automotive’s team will never say no without having an option of how to make it a reality, and this includes unique details to bodywork or technical solutions. Having the advantage of bespoke automotive haute couture manufacturing techniques means that each KALMAR Automotive customer has infinite possibilities at their fingertips.

An agreement is made on how to realise the vision and then the entire technical process starts with the mechanical team, while in parallel all the small details are decided with careful guidance from the in-house design team and curators. The specifications, final colours and surfaces do, from the team’s experience, change a few times during the build process, and therefore the design specification is locked in approximately four months before the completion of the build.

From 3D renderings to swatches, customers will see their dream car come to life before their eyes. Choosing the right foundation, donor car for each build is the beginning, and then the magic starts.

The update process can be as big or little, or as in-person or digital, as the customer desires. Key timelines are:

Donor car dismantling
Welding and adaptation of the donor vehicle to KALMAR Automotive specification e.g. rain gutter removal, chassis modifications for tortional rigidity
Engine building and when it’s on the dyno
When the car is being fired up for the first time

When the car is completed in build then the testing process starts, the 500 km run-in can be done by the customer, or just by the team of engineers at KALMAR and on its dedicated test track. Thereafter there is a test phase, lasting over 1,000 km, to ensure all details are in place. When the car is ready for hand-over, customers are invited to spend two days with the test team to ensure the car fits them like a tailored suit. This is all included in the KALMAR Automotive experience and within the cost of the car.

To book in a KALMAR Automotive build, either through the factory or one of KALMAR Automotive’s hand-picked, exclusive dealers, a pre-payment contract and transfer is made; with two further instalments at specified milestones during the build and then the final payment when the car is ready for hand over.

Acquiring a KALMAR Adventure Range build means a car that has been proven in all weathers, on all terrains, over hundreds of thousands of test kilometres.

The process is initiated by the customer stating what they need from their Adventure Range build and if they have or need to obtain a donor car. The team of experienced specialists at KALMAR Automotive will then put together a proposal for a working build, and with each client’s input, will reach exactly what they are looking for.

Once that’s decided, a pre-agreement is made, with a transfer of funds made, and then the magical process begins. Depending on how extensive the build is the team will create a timeline to send to the client.

As the Adventure Range builds are not planned as full restorations there might be items that need attention that were not initially planned and here the client will be contacted with optional solutions that will be invoiced accordingly.

Regular updates and signs of progress are shared and when the build approaches its final stage an adequate test programme is agreed to, so each KALMAR Adventure Range vehicle works straight out of the box. There’s also the option to be part of the testing programme, which the client can be a part of if they would like to, taking place from KALMAR’s exclusive testing facility.

To place an order for a KALMAR build means that there’s a 75 per cent project estimate monetary pre-payment and then on handover the remaining 25 per cent plus any extras are provided by the client.