Marc Philipp Gemballa rides the wave of off-road supercars
The Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien is a modern reinterpretation of the Porsche 959 from the 80s, based on the 992 Turbo S.
For some, theto Porsche 959 is considered the very first supercar in the world. Presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1983, less than a year before the no less legendary Ferrari 288 GTO, the 959 had a Flat-6 – 2.8 liter bi-turbo engine with 450 hp and all-wheel drive. Allowing this real 1,450 kg rocket to shoot down 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and reach the speed of 317 km/h !
Originally intended for Group B races, the 959 really forged its credentials during the Paris-Dakar rally. In 1985, the three examples entered (all-terrain versions with the type 961 chassis) unfortunately had to retire. But they were nevertheless already distinguished by their power (400 hp) much higher than those of their competitors. The following year, on the other hand, the 959 literally flew over the 13,800 km of the event, crossing the deserts and the African savannah. With the double “Jacky Icks/Claude Brasseur” and “René Metge/Dominique Lemoyne” on the first two steps of the podium.
A modern day 959
It is this history that motivated Marc Philipp Gemballa to create the Marsien for his brand, different from the Gemballa we know. With his team, they transformed a Porsche 911 Turbo S type 992 (the very last generation) into a 959 rally-raid. To make this model, the brand based itself on a 911 type 992 Turbo S and raised the ground clearance by 12 cm in « road » position and 25 cm in « all-terrain » position.
On the mechanical side, they called on another renowned tuner who is none other than Ruf. The Flat-6 biturbo develops up to 819 hp and a maximum torque of 930 Nm. There is also a custom exhaust line signed Akrapovic.
The Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien is capable of knocking down 0 to 100 km/h in 2.6 seconds with a top speed of 330 km/h on the road and 210 km/h off-road.
The manufacturer will produce 40 copies of this model, 10 of which have already been reserved. Last but not least, the price, which amounts to 495,000 euros excluding the purchase price of the car, or around 220,000 euros for a Turbo S.
