Gemballa is a tuning company based in Leonberg near Stuttgart, Germany, which was founded by and named after Uwe Gemballa in 1981. They provided aftermarket parts mainly for Porsche. In May 2010, the Gemballa factory was seized by German authorities and shut down following the disappearance of Uwe Gemballa who was later found dead. CEO Andreas Schwarz and investor Steffen Korbach were able to buy the brand rights and name rights from Gemballa in August 2010 under the new name GEMBALLA GmbH.^[1]In 2016 Steffen Korbach became the sole CEO of the company and Alexander Schwarz stepped down. ^[2]Reportedly Korbach also took over the shares in the company from his former partner Schwarz.^[3]

A 600 hp (450 kW) Gemballa model held the lap record for road cars at the Nürburgring in the late 1990s once, and again in 2001 when Wolfgang Kaufmann lowered it to 7:32,52 min. It was since beaten by a Porsche Carrera GT, by less than a second.

Notable Gemballa cars

valanche, Cyrrus, and Mirage

In the 1980s Gemballa created the Avalanche based on the Porsche 911/930 (Turbo 911 slant nose) and the Cyrrus (convertible) as well as the Mirage that was similar to the Avalanche. The cars were unique with large wide body kits, side strakes (similar to a Ferrari Testarossa), upgraded wheels, interiors, gauges, paint, Hi-Fi audio systems, etc. Some vehicles even used cameras instead of mirrors, technology far ahead of its time. Audio company Pioneer used Gemballa vehicles in their advertisements and brochures for several years. The prices for these vehicles were often mentioned as being incredibly expensive for the time period at US $250K-$375K+. Robert Van Winkle, also known as Vanilla Ice, was a famous owner of Gemballa Porsches.

In the 1990s Gemballa’s body kits were more subtle compared to the 80s. They continued to perform engine modifications and opened up a US facility in California.

911 RS America

In 2005 a white Gemballa 911 RS America led a parade of approximately 30 other RS Americas at the Porsche Parade in Hershey, PA. It was the largest gathering ever of Porsche RS Americas.

Mirage GT

Based on a Porsche Carrera GT, Gemballa produced the Mirage GT. Rumors suggested that when the car was produced it would have upwards of 800 horsepower (600 kW); however, the Mirage GT’s only performance modification is an exhaust system which boosts power to 645 hp (481 kW). At that time, company owner Uwe Gemballa said that a twin-turbo version of the Porsche Supercar was in the works. Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine described the car as “one of the finest automobiles we’ve ever featured.”^[4]

Avalanche GTR 800 Evo-R

The Gemballa Avalanche GTR800 EVO-R is a car based on the 911 (997) GT2. Like the title suggests, it produces about 800 bhp (600 kW) thanks to two turbochargers and highly modified engine components. There are pictures and information released at www.gemballa.com, the Gemballa GmbH website.

GT 750 Aero 3

Gemballa also has a modification based on the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. This produces around 750 brake horsepower. The modification is called GT 750 Aero 3. This modification is also available for the Cayenne’s predecessor 955 model. The tune-up kit features exterior modification to enhance aerodynamic performance. Engine tuning is carried through revised turbochargers, coolers (oil and pressurized air IC) and a large collection of engine components including pistons and seals.

MIG-U1

The Gemballa MIG-U1 is based on the Ferrari Enzo, in limited numbers. It is a custom made car for Mustafa and Ilyas Galadari from Dubai: Their initials form the Name “MIG”.^[5]

Mistrale

The 2011 Gemballa Mistrale, based on the Porsche Panamera Turbo, has 707 bhp. Only 30 will be built.^[6]

GT

In 2012, due to homologation rules, Gemballa built two versions of McLaren MP4-12C, including one road-going model and one GT3 race version (under Gemballa Racing division label) destined for FIA GT3 European Championship.