Gemballa is a German automotive company founded in 1981 which provides tuning customisation for the Porsche, BMW and McLaren automobiles. The first model to be tuned was Porsche 911/930 Turbo and the refinement included wide body kits, side strakes, wheels of high performance, upgraded interior with Hi-Fi audio systems. Some generations of the Avalanche, as this was the name of the Porsche’s tuned equivalent, had the rear-view side cameras installed instead of just a regular side-view mirror. At that time, the 930 Porsche was one of the first cars to boast such an innovative technology.
Gemballa’s cars also pioneered LEDs application in cars in the early 1980s as well as the use of the steering wheel as a remote control of the audio system.
Who Drives Gemballa Cars
One of Gemballa’s drivers was an American rapper and actor, Vanilla Ice, whose hip hop single “Ice Ice Baby” reached the top position of the US weekly music chart, the Billboard charts, and it has been well-known around the world ever since. Vanilla Ice’s devotion for the brand was so great that he even mentioned it in the lyrics of his “Cool as Ice” song. The rapper owned Gemballa Avalanche, and then, Cyrrus, both based on Porsche 911/930.
Rarity & Exclusivity
Gemballa’s Mirage GT was called a legend the very moment it entered the market. The car is built on Porsche 980 Carrera GT, has a V10 engine, 670 hp, and is capable of reaching the speed of over 335 km/h. Each of the 25 units in the limited edition series is built specifically for the buyer due to various upgrade and design packages. There are more exclusive models of Gemballa, for example Mistrale (based on Porsche 970 Panamera), or Tornado (built on Porsche 958 Cayenne) with only 30 cars built per each model.