A Chunky Tire, Porsche 959-Inspired Off-Road Supercar Is Coming
The son of famed supercar tuner Uwe Gemballa is debuting the machine at next week’s Geneva Motor Show.
When Uwe Gemballa disappeared in South Africa a decade ago, it seemed as if we may never see a worthwhile supercar from the family again. Gemballa's name is about to come back in a big way though, because at this year's Geneva International Motor Show, Uwe's son Marc Philipp will launch a new off-road supercar, one built by a totally new company.
"After almost two years of flying under the radar, I'm happy to drop the bomb today! I'm pleased to announce that I'm launching my very first supercar with my new company Marc Philipp Gemballa next week during Geneva Motor Show 2020 to an exclusive audience, continuing the legacy of my father Uwe Gemballa," the 26-year-old announced in an Instagram post Wednesday.
Marc Philipp Gemballa GmbH is entirely unaffiliated with the Gemballa GmbH founded by his father, though the common thread that is an emphasis on outrageous supercars will connect the two. The new firm, however, won't make its name increasing modern supercars' already bountiful power, as Marc Philipp believes that ship has sailed.
"The market has changed. The horsepower game is over, tuning is done by the [carmakers] themselves and there is a glut of new upcoming supercars with hyped-up horsepower figures that are being thrown onto the market," he stated in a press release. "Marc Philipp Gemballa is taking the extreme from on-road to off-road, building his very first supercar combined with off-road capabilities in a limited small series run."
Gemballa says his supercar project has been in the works for two years and has been fully funded by customer pre-orders. Based on his company's promise to deliver "legends reinvented," his citation of noted off-road tire manufacturer BFGoodrich as a supplier, and the teaser image the company circulated with its release, it's believed Gemballa's supercar could pay tribute to the Porsche 959 race cars that finished one-two in the 1986 Dakar Rally.
We might be reading too much into Marc Philipp's use of lightning bolt emojis, but it's hard not to speculate that his car could be a hybrid—one that could foreshadow the hyper-fast electrified 911 promised by Porsche. With the Geneva Motor Show's press days kicking off next Tuesday, we don't have long to wait to see if we're right.
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