Gemballa

2011 Porsche Cayenne Tornado by Gemballa

There comes a time in every automaker's history when the founder dies and his successors are left to carry on his legacy. Unfortunately in the case of Uwe Gemballa, the cause of his death was anything but natural, ties with organized crime coming into play after his body was found in South Africa.

The task now falls on the shoulders of newly-installed chief executive Andreas Schwarz, and this is the first new vehicle developed under his stewardship. Based on the new 2011 Porsche Cayenne, the latest Gemballa Tornado cuts a mean-looking profile. Considerable development has gone into recrafting the SUV's body out of carbon fiber (instead of merely applying the material over the existing metal body as Schwarz insists many competitors do), giving it an aggressive look while shedding some 150 lbs of excess weight in the process.

Further details are expected to follow, including those related to the interior, the engine (700 horsepower through a Stage 2 turbocharger kit is the target) and pricing, with only 30 examples slated for production.

Gallery: 2011 Porsche Cayenne Tornado by Gemballa

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Tags: gemballa, gemballa tornado, porsche, porsche cayenne

Porsche Tuner Uwe Gemballa "Missing", Shadow Company Established

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Crimes and Misdemeanors

It wasn't so long ago – just a matter of weeks, really – that Gemballa had one of the best names in the business. And that business was tuning Porsches, among other exotic automobiles. But that was before the company's founder and chief Uwe Gemballa dropped off the radar, and things began to unravel in his absence.

The initial reports began surfacing last week, indicating that Uwe Gemballa had gone missing while on a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa. The reports seemed credible enough, as Jo'burg is known as one of the most dangerous cities in the world, where kidnapping is commonplace and violent crimes the order of the day. But while German authorities and Interpol began coordinating with their counterparts in South Africa, things started getting a little shady.

First came reports that the authorities had raided the Gemballa headquarters and seized the cars on the premises. Now further reports indicate that shortly before his disappearance, Uwe set up a second company with his 79-year-old mother as the sole shareholder, and granted his wife power of attorney to declare the principle company insolvent. The plot keeps thickening, and we doubt this will be the last we've heard of Gemballa and his trouble with the law.

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Tags: gemballa, germany, interpol, johannesburg, missing, missing person, MissingPerson, south africa, SouthAfrica, uwe gemballa, UweGemballa

Tuners Take On the Porsche Panamera

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Barely two months after Porsche debuted its revolutionary four door Panamera Gran Turismo, auto tuners are already weighing in with their own even more exotic versions. Famed Porsche customizer Gemballa aims to boost the vehicle's power up to a massive 750 hp on their version (above), dubbed the Mistrale. They've also given the car a new front splitter, air scoops on both the bumper and the bonnet, front and rear fender, a carbon fiber rear diffuser, quad exhaust set-up, 22″ forged rims, new performance brakes and a new air suspension system. Another firm, Lumma Design, offers a Panamera CLR 700GT with a kit including a carbon fiber spoiler, side skirts, new hood, 35mm lowered suspension, 22-inch wheels and a power upgrade up to 700 hp.

Tags: carbon fiber, CarbonFiber, Gemballa, Panamera, Porsche

Porsche Tuners Line Up to Take their Turn at the Panamera

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The new Panamera may have just debuted, but that won't keep Porsche's strong legion of aftermarket tuners from doing what they do best. Already two of the biggest and most prominent have released tuning packages for the new four-door sedan, and a horsepower war has ensued.

9ff was one of the first to release its plan for the Panamera, before the car was even out. The tuning house behind the Veyron-battling GT9 supercar has a three-stage program for the Panamera Turbo (pictured at right), offering power in 550, 600 and 650 horsepower increments, besting the stock turbo's output of 500.

Gemballa is firing back with a take on the Panamera which it calls the Mistrale, pictured above. The company that made its name tuning the top-of-the-line Carrera GT just released details on its own Panamera upgrades, including a boost in output up to 750 horsepower, plus an air suspension and upgraded brakes. Both the 9ff and Gemballa Panameras offer their own suite of aerodynamic enhancements, interior upgrades and 22" wheels, and are fighting hard for their slice of what is sure to become a big a very big pie.

Tags: 9ff, 9ff panamera, 9ffPanamera, custom porsche, CustomPorsche, gemballa, gemballa mistrale, gemballa panamera, GemballaMistrale, GemballaPanamera, porsche, porsche panamera, porsche tuners, PorschePanamera, PorscheTuners

Gemballa Mirage GT Carbon Edition Proves that "Exclusive" is Relative

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Some people just have way too much money on their hands. Those people tend to buy Porsches. But with rumors afloat of a new flagship supercar based on the German carmaker's RS Spyder race car, the last real exotic machine the company produced was the Carrera GT. Now discontinued, examples are still trading hands in seven-figure territory. For those few lucky enough to have gotten their hands on one, Gemballa has now released what could be the ultimate modification package for the ultimate Porsche. Called the Mirage GT Carbon Edition, the modified Carrera GT features a full array of carbon-fiber components to improve the car's aesthetics and performance. Gemballa has also tuned the engine to a whopping 670 horsepower, capable of pushing the supercar to sixty in just 3.7 seconds en route to a top speed of 208 miles per hour...perfect for a Sunday drive on the Autobahn. Of course this kind of performance doesn't come cheap: 300,000 euros is what the modifications alone will cost you, not including the cost of the car itself. At those kinds of prices, no wonder Gemballa only plans on building five of them.

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Tags: carbon, carbon fiber, carbon fibre, CarbonFiber, CarbonFibre, gemballa, gemballa mirage, gemballa mirage gt, gemballa mirage gt carbon edition, gemballa porsche, gemballa porsche carrera gt, GemballaMirage, GemballaMirageGt, GemballaMirageGtCarbonEdition, GemballaPorsche, GemballaPorscheCarreraGt, mirage, porsche, porsche carrera gt, PorscheCarreraGt

Gemballa Ltd. Edition Porsche Cayenne GTS "Tornado"

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Porsche tuning specialist Gemballa has announced it will build 50 examples of its wicked Cayenne GTS Tornado (above), which turns the German marque's SUV into a road-eating monster. Inspired by the Carrera GT supercar, it features new five-spoke alloy wheels, larger air intakes in the front apron, a carbon-fiber hood, new taillights and an integrated rear diffuser. Interior upgrades include new sportier seats, a panoramic sunroof and a custom center console styled after the one found in the Carrera GT. While the standard Cayenne GTS produces 495 hp, the Gemballa model is available in 542, 641 and even a whopping 740 hp variations, depending on the exact nature of the options chosen. Pricing has not been announced, but expect it to clock in at over $100,000.

[via MotorAuthority]

Tags: Gemballa, Porsche, Porsche Cayenne, PorscheCayenne