Is the Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien the ultimate Porsche 911-based safari supercar?
The Marc Philip Gemballa Marsien isn't your average Porsche 911-based, safari-type, off-road supercar. Sure it draws comparison to the Singer ACS, or any of the dozens of 911 Safari builds out there but being based on the latest-generation 992 Porsche 911 Turbo S, it's possibly the maddest, and definitely the most modern interpretation of what an off-road sportscar could be. Big names in the tuning business are attached to Gemballa's 'Project Sandbox' of which only 40 will be built at a price of 495,000 euros (Rs 4.3 cr directly converted), and half the order book is said to have been filled already.ÂÂ
RUF has tuned the 3.7-litre flat six-cylinder turbocharged engine to 750PS at 7,000rpm and 930Nm at 5,000rpm, Akropovic has created the bespoke titanium exhaust system, the hydraulic electronically adjustable suspension is KW's finest created especially for the project, and can extend from 120mm of clearance all the way to 250mm while providing controllable damping to take a beating off-road. Still not convinced? Gemballa will throw in Reiger's rally suspension on the Marsien, and even tune it to 830PS if you must have the absolute wildest sportscar out in the desert. In standard trim and on road tyres, the Marsien will manage the 0-100kmph dash in 2.6s, and top out at 329kmph.
For Marc Philipp Gemballa, it's been a lifetime of inspiration from his father Uwe Gemball, famed German tuner and 911-specials creator, and the era of Paris-Dakar rally cars. The Mars-like terrain of where the car was first tested has led to the Marsien's name, in fact. To that effect, the Marsien looks like a mash up between Porsche's own rally supercar from the 80s, the 959, and its current cup car, the Porsche 911 RSR â€" with the design penned by young designer Alan Derosier, most famously known for the Porsche 908-04 design study. Again, no expense has been spared in its design, with extensive aerodynamics testing and engineering courtesy KLK, a well known name in LMP1, and Formula 1 circles.
All the body panels are carbon fibre supplied by the same guys who supply several F1 teams, and can be left bare, or treated to high quality paint. The underpinnings are bespoke, with a completely new double wishbone front end, and associated driveshafts (reinforced joints from the Porsche Cayenne), transmission and the like beefed up to take abuse. Uniquely, the Marsien comes with two sets of centre-locking forged wheels â€" one fitted with ultra high-performance road tyres, and one with all terrain tyres for the kind of use the Marsien was envisaged for. In fact, Gemballa is going a step further, and homologating the Marsien for road use globally as well, with full crash safety tests in the pipeline while the powertrain already meets Euro 6 emissions standards.ÂÂ