The appetite for bespoke supercars shows no sign of abating – at least, that’s the hope of new start-up Marc Philipp Gemballa and its debut machine, the Marsien. The company’s founder has a name that’ll be familiar to supercar spotters; his father, Uwe Gemballa, founded a business creating bespoke, highly customised and elaborate Porsche-based designs in the heights of 1980s excess. Gemballa Sr’s company continues to this day, despite his murder in South Africa in 2010.
With that out of the way, it’s important to note that Marc Philipp Gemballa GmbH has no affiliation or connection to Gemballa GmbH whatsoever, and we suspect that is how they’d want it to remain. Nevertheless, Gemballa Jr is following his late father’s footsteps with an automobile that is undeniably Porsche adjacent.
The Marsien has been shaped by French designer Alan Derosier and draws inspiration from Porsche’s iconic 959 supercar of the late 1980s. The 959 began life as a Group B rally car before evolving into a fearsomely capable – and ultra-high-tech – road car. Although Group B rallying was effectively cancelled before the 959 got to compete, the car won the 1986 Paris-Dakar rally, giving Porsche a credible toehold in ultra-high-performance off-roading that it has clung to ever since.
The Marsien continues this tradition, promising abilities on road and off. According to the company, ‘countless test drives on the Nordschleife, in the Arabian desert, as well as on the glaciers of Sölden and Scandinavia have been carried out’, an exotic test schedule that hints at at least one of the Marsien’s likely markets.
The new car is also up against competition from Porsche itself, which has only relatively recently diverted its off-road know-how away from SUVs and back towards its sports car line-up. The Porsche 911 Dakar is well on its way to being a cult classic, barely 18 months after launch, even though just 2,500 units are being made.
Marc Philipp Gemballa GmbH has ensured the Marsien is way more exclusive. Only 40 are being built and so far customers in 16 countries have signed up for ownership. That’ll entail taking delivery of a fearsome, fully carbon-fibre machine, with a shape that makes more than a passing nod to Porsche’s old and new (and which will doubtless confuse the unfamiliar) but ticks all the boxes for the supercar collector.
Underneath all this is a Porsche 992 Turbo S base vehicle – the current model of 911 – with an engine upgraded by engineering specialists RUF to make over 750 horsepower. Other specialist components include the lighting and exhaust system.
That name, Marsien, is derived from the French ‘Martien’, or Martian, a nod to the otherworldly landscape of the Al-Faya desert in the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE, where some of the testing was undertaken.
To cope with these alien landscapes, the Marsien has a specialist rally-derived suspension set-up with custom components and a hydraulic lift system that can give a ride height of up to 250mm. There’s also an automatic tyre pressure system, with specially designed aluminium wheels and Michelin tyres for road use and Grabber AT 3 All Terrain tyres for hitting the rough.
This particular car, the launch vehicle, has a navy blue Alcantara interior and contrast ice blue stitching to tone with the Glacier Blue exterior. Naturally, customisation options are limitless, whether it’s the exterior paintwork, interior materials and colour or any other special touches the customer desires.
Marsien, by Marc Philipp Gemballa GmbH, for more information visit MarcPhilippGemballa.com, @MarcPhilippGemballa
