Gemballa is one of the iconic names in custom Porsches. Famed tuner Uwe Gemballa’s son Marc Philipp Gemballa’s company, aptly named Marc Philipp Gemballa, has just unveiled its bonkers super limited-edition Porsche 959-inspired off-road 911, the Marsien, which the company says is derived from the French word for Martian.
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The Marsien base vehicle is the 992 generation Porsche 911 Turbo S. Broad changes include a taller ride height and custom carbon fiber bodywork with the huge 959-esque rear wing. The engine is the Turbo S flat-six tuned by another iconic Porsche tuner, RUF, up to 750 horsepower — 110 hp more than the stock Turbo S — and 685 lb-ft of torque in a base version or 830 hp in top-spec. The Marsien also uses an Akrapovic titanium exhaust system.
Mods for off-roading on the Marisen include a desert-ready air filter, a new double-wishbone front suspension and a hydraulic system that can lift the car to a little more than 9.8 inches of ground clearance, which is higher than a Toyota 4Runner. An off-road package can add special rally-spec dampers and even more ground clearance, though by selecting that, you lose the adjustable ride height.
Oskar Bakke
Marc Philipp GemballaThe Marsien comes with two sets of wheels, one fitted to road tires and another fitted to all-terrain tires. In on-road mode, Marc Philipp Gemballa says the Marisen will accelerate from 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds — not quite the 2.2 seconds the standard Turbo S achieved in Car and Driver testing but still blistering — and hit a top speed of 205 mph.
How much will the Marsien cost? A lot. Conversions start at €495,000, about $585,000 at the present exchange rate, excluding taxes and shipping. And the company doesn’t include the Porsche 911 Turbo S itself, which starts at $207,000. Marc Philipp Gemballa plans to build 40 Marsiens. More than half the slots have already been filled. The company will begin production later this year.