Marc Philipp Gemballa, the son of 1980s tuning legend Uwe Gemballa, has revealed a new road-focused, Porsche 959-inspired supercar called the Marsien GT.
It's based on the Marsien, the genre-bending machine that was conceived to tackle sand dunes at speed. Its name is the French for ‘martian’, having been inspired by the Mars-like desert landscape of the UAE.
The new Marsien GT shifts the focus onto asphalt, sitting lower and stiffer than the Marsien. Based on the Porsche 911 Turbo S, it's intended to meld huge performance with “everyday usability”.
Key changes from the donor 911 include new carbonfibre bodywork and an engine transplant from Ruf, its twin-turbocharged flat six puts out 819bhp and 686lb ft of torque.
Buyers will, however, be offered an optional engine upgrade boosting output beyond 900bhp.
The Marsien GT also gets new double-wishbone suspension with KW dampers that actively respond to changes in the road surface.
Inside, it has a gearlever inspired by that mounted in the Porsche Carrera GT, and buyers will be able to choose from several interior packages with leather, Alcantara or carbonfibre detailing.
Just 30 examples of the Marcien GT will be built, priced from €770,000 (£658,000), excluding the price of the donor 911 (currently £205,245).
That production number has been chosen to mark what would have been Uwe Gemballa's 70th year, 40 examples of the all-terrain Marcien having been built.
Marc Philipp Gemballa's eponymous company is unrelated to the original Gemballa firm, which is known for its outlandish conversions of cars such as the original 911 Turbo and the BMW 635CSi.
The Marcien GT will make its debut later this week at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, a part of Monterey Car Week in the US.
