Inspired by the 1980’s Dakar-winning Porsche 959 supercar, the Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien is a throwback offroad machine that’s designed for fooling around in the dirt, and it’s coming out this year.
Marc Philipp Gemballa is the son of famed Porsche tuner Uwe Gemballa, and this is the first vehicle from his new company (which is not affiliated with the other Gemballa). The name comes from the French word for “Martian”, which was chosen based on the UAE desert’s Mars-like landscape in which the vehicle was developed.
The wild offroader is based on the current-generation 911 Turbo S and features Porsche’s venerable 3.8-liter flat-six engine, but it’s been tuned by RUF to produce 750 horsepower and 686 lb-ft of torque, which allows it to hit 62 mph (100km/h) from a standing start in just 2.7 seconds. A “second stage” upgrade is also available that turns the wick up to 830 horsepower with the aid of enhanced turbochargers and revised ECU mapping. According to Marc Philipp Gemballa, the engine still conforms to the latest Euro 6 emissions regulations, even with a full custom titanium exhaust system.
Read More: Marc Philipp Gemballa’s Marsien Is A $700k Off-Road Porsche 911
To make the 80s-inspired machine a competent offroader in addition to eye candy, an entirely custom double wishbone suspension was fitted by KW Automotive, featuring solid piston dampers and intelligent damper control that can react within 20 milliseconds. In “road mode” the machine has 120mm of ground clearance, but that can be more than doubled to 250mm when offroading is desired. An optional fixed ride height from Reiger Suspension provides full rally-spec handling.
The transmission was also modified to provide more consistent power to all four wheels, which are center-locking forged aluminum units wrapped in Michelin Ultra-High-Performance rubber. The body is entirely made of carbon fiber, while the interior is largely comprised of Alcantara, although the brand says full customization is available. The Marsien will be homologated for Europe, the US, and Middle Eastern markets.
Just 40 of the vehicles will be produced for prospective owners, and 10 were already spoken for before it was unveiled to the public.The vehicle is almost fully sold out, with deliveries to commence later this year.
Prices for the conversion start from €495,000 (equal to around $528,000) in Germany, and you’ll have to bring your own 911 Turbo S donor car. All in all, expect to pay about €600,000 ($640,000) for the Marsien.
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