Now this is interesting. After a non-stop streak of writing consecutive posts about Italian automobiles and how much I love them, it may be worthwhile to take a short break. Having taken a breather, I can see that there's plenty of other interesting developments in the car world elsewhere.
Just hours ago, it was announced that the Geneva International Motor Show has been canned at the 11th hour, due to the ongoing threats of Covid-19. As unfortunate as this might be, given how ecstatic some of us were for this once-a-year event, this surely won't be the end for new car reveals moving forward.
Credits to: YasidDESIGN - Facebook (Porsche 959 Off-Road Render)
Going further north, beyond the Italian Alps and the foothills of Switzerland - you'll find yourself in Stuttgart, home to some of Germany's famed automotive brands. Here, you will find thriving businesses supporting the automotive industry, supplying goods and services that help to power millions of cars around the world.
One such company has a rather infamous background, borne out of tuning Porsches with extremities in power, and clothed in bizzare styling. The name is Gemballa, after famed tuner, Uwe Gemballa. Marking 10 years since his tragic death, after getting caught in an apparent money laundering scandal - his son, Marc Philipp Gemballa has a new project to honour his father's name.
Credits to: Gemballa (Mirage GT - Based on the Porsche Carrera GT)
Getting Down And Dirty.
This new project will be undertaken by a brand new company, not shared with Gemballa GmbH, and is slated to be announced at a private event on this coming 4th of March. While you may want to mark your calendars, having Covid-19 throw a wrench into things might prompt a change of timetable.
In any case, this special project has a new philosophy behind it, at least compared to what Gemballa is usually known for. With modern supercars throwing some hefty performance claims, maybe too much for the average mortal to handle, it seems that Gemballa Jr. doesn't want to just add more power, as Gemballas have done in the past.
Credits to: Marc Philipp Gemballa (Some of Gemballa's past creations)
He believes the trend for "more power is best " might be over, and some people don’t want to take part in a [insert phallic object ]-measuring contest of seeing who has more horsepower, or who can get 0-60mph fastest. Marc Philipp noticed that some might just want to drive fast, but off the beaten track.
While most supercar owners keep theirs inside of a pristine garage, others might want to give them a good spanking, and some dirt and muck won't be a bother. "What if we take a supercar, give it some chunky tyres, and drive it off-road? ", one might ask. An interesting concept which has been teased in recent times.
Credits to: Robb Report (G-Tec X-Road "Supercar")
It would seem that Gemballa wishes to get into this trend as well. The plan is simple - find a brand-new 911, take everything apart, add some stuff, modify it, and put everything back together. The result - is a Porsche 959-inspired supercar, built on the base of a current 992-generation neun-elfer, and conceived to show Mother Nature a taste of speed.
While this might seem like an odd concept, know that Porsches in the past weren't afraid to get dirty, and they still wouldn't look out of place in Beverly Hills. Built in the 1980s to satisfy Group B rally homologation requirements, the original 959 had an equally capable run on tarmac, and dirt.
Credits to: Carscoops (Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar)
In the grueling 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally, the 959s won 1st, 6th, and 25th places. While the 1985 season went poorly for them (one of the cars caught fire ), they then won 1st, 2nd, and 6th places in 1986. Porsche didn’t get to see the 959 enter into Group B, as the entire programme was scrapped altogether, but it did see some success in the LeMans 24 hour race, and IMSA.
On regular roads, it was the fastest road-legal production car in history, topping off at a dizzying 197mph. Its achievements were short lived however, as Ferrari's F40 would accomplish 201mph just a few years later. That said, the 959's legacy is just as everlasting as the F40.
Credits to: Total911 (Porsche 959 30th Anniversary)
When introduced, the 959 was a truly ground-breaking car in terms of the technology that it had. The superbly complex, torque-vectoring all-wheel drive setup was the key to its success in rallying. Meanwhile, it also had automatically adjustable suspension (common today, but unheard of back then ), and a body made from a mix of aluminium and Kevlar.
It's interesting to see how a supercar can be so good off the road, once you've fiddled about with the suspension and fit some big tyres on it. It seems that this recipe is what will inspire Gemballa Jr.'s new project. After all, the Gemballa name hasn’t shied away from making some truly mad creations in the past.
Credits to: Marc Philipp Gemballa (Gemballa 959 Off-Road Supercar Teaser)
Based on the teaser image above, we can discern that this 959 build will likely be based on a current-generation Porsche 911, as seen with the light bar in back. Here, you can also clearly see the low, long, fixed rear-wing that was on the original 959. Another detail, if you're looking closely (increasing the brightness helps ), we can also see some fat, chunky tyres sticking out.
The body of this wild 911 offshoot will purportedly be made entirely out of carbon-fibre to save weight, which might be necessary, given that the 992-generation of 911s are heavier than their predecessors. It will be designed by Alan Derosier, famed for making cool concepts based around Porsches, and a person so beloved by the Porsche community, that the company even made a small documentary on his work.
Credits to: Alan Derosier - Behance (Porsche 908-04 RSR Concept)
According to Motor1, it's been confirmed that this project will be a limited-production run, with 40 to be made, and I'm sure each one will cost a fortune. It's even got some large names backing it - Michelin and BF Goodrich (BFG is a specialist for off-road tyres ), KW Suspensions, Akrapovic for the exhaust system, Vale Performance (who helped RUF with their 911 modifications ), and DS Fasertechnik for the carbon-fibre construction.
A New Future.
Ask anyone if they want a sports car, they'll say yes, but ask them on what they're buying next, it'll likely be an SUV. Would a lifted, rugged, off-roading supercar create some middle-ground between the two? It makes little sense to me, and it may not convince many others.
Credits to: Carscoops (Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar)
Yet, it's still interesting to see the extent that some manufacturers are willing to stretch their imaginations, and maybe foresee a niche in the market. On Marc Philipp Gemballa's website, he clearly wants the concept of a rugged, do-it-all supercar to be his USP, and in this era where carmakers are engineering cars with 2000 horsepower, something new wouldn't hurt.
I suppose we'll just have to reserve judgement for when it'll eventually be shown. I'm equally intrigued and perplexed. What about you… What do you have to say on the idea of this 959-inspired off-roader?
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