Driver's Notebook: A Pair of Sparkling Gems

Patrick C. Paternie

04/01/2004

Expect the unexpected was my mantra as I pondered the afternoon I would spend with a pair of Gemballa-prepped twin-turbo Porsches that packed over 1,000 ponies between them. Appropriately enough, the day offered up one surprise after another, starting with the fact that neither was the bucking bronco you might expect from Gemballa.

Gemballa forsakes flamboyant Miami Vice styling cues—once synonymous with its name—to focus on enhanced performance.  (Click image to enlarge)

Purists tend to roll their eyes at the mention of a Gemballa-modified Porsche. For them, the name drags up images of sloped noses, side strakes, and other egregious distortions of the iconic 911 silhouette that were the 1980s automotive equivalent of Miami Vice fashion—linen jackets with sleeves rolled up, worn over gelato-colored tees. In other words, a style more suitable for a dance club than Porsche club action. This is not surprising, since, at the time, Gemballa’s U.S. headquarters was located in Miami Beach.

Here is another little surprise: Gemballa is not an Italian company. A German auto mechanic, Uwe Gemballa, started his eponymous tuner business in the late 1970s with world headquarters in Stuttgart, Porsche’s backyard. Heinz Meis, a longtime friend of the company founder, took over as the North American distributor 10 years ago and set up operations in Malibu, Calif. The cars rolling out of the new location under Meis’ direction reflected changes in attitude and appearance that have erased the old Don Johnson image—which became apparent after I tooled around L.A.’s most urbane and car-savvy neighborhoods in two of Meis’ most recent interpretations of the Porsche 996 Turbo Cabriolet. (Click image to enlarge)

It all began when I had to nudge my way through a cooing crowd of guests and staff at the elegant Shutters Hotel in Santa Monica, where Meis had arranged to meet me with a dark metallic blue 2004 Turbo Cabriolet and gray metallic 2002 model. The latter was especially intriguing, as it had started life as a normally aspirated 2002 Carrera 4S Cabriolet that its owner, preempting the Porsche factory, decided to convert into a Turbo Cabriolet. He brought the car to Gemballa for a complete driveline transfusion. During this surgical procedure, the transplanted stock 420 hp twin-turbo 3.6-liter engine that was pulled from a 2002 Turbo coupe received a boost to 500 hp via a bit of software remapping, as well as a big increase in breathing capability courtesy of a freer-flowing Gemballa exhaust and catalyst system. Much louder than the muted snarl of the new exhaust is the completely lipstick red leather interior, including a pair of Gemballa sports seats and three-spoke, airbag-equipped steering wheel. Further brightening things up are silver-faced gauges, along with silver accents on the steering wheel rim and other interior trim bits. It seemed a bit over the top at first blush, a flashback to the old Gemballa style, but after a few miles you begin to appreciate its contrast to the dark silver exterior. (Click image to enlarge)


More discreet are the exterior changes that began with attaching all of the applicable stock factory Turbo bodywork, including the fenders and bumpers. From there, Gemballa added custom touches such as a carbon fiber front spoiler lip and mesh grille inserts. A Gemballa carbon fiber hood adds a bit of retro architectural detail to the otherwise barren landscape of its stock 996 counterparts, in the form of subtle creases that channel air toward an intake reminiscent of earlier-generation 911s. Adding a bit more visual flair, and an inch of additional fender flare, are almost subliminal bulges to the metalwork of the front fenders that allow them to accommodate 9-inch-wide Gemballa Competition model five-spoke, two-piece modular, 18-inch alloy wheels. The matching-diameter rear wheels are a whopping 12 inches wide. Tires are 235/35 ZR18 and 315/30 ZR18 Pirelli Rosso.  

Speaking of visual appeal, besides being multifunctional, the Gemballa Turbo GT biplane wing with integrated air intakes bringing up the rear of this twin-turbo conversion adds some much-needed pizzazz over the stock unit without auditioning for a stunt bit in 2 Fast 2 Furious. And this Gemballa has a lot going for it underneath all the shiny stuff. Modifications include Gemballa’s adjustable, dual-spring sport suspension at all four corners, front and rear adjustable stabilizer bars that measure 26.8mm and 20.7mm respectively, and a front strut bar.  (Click image to enlarge)

In contrast, the dark blue metallic car seems conservative until you examine the spec sheet. A 2004 Turbo Cabriolet, it has been converted to what the Gemballa catalog calls a GT 550. The GT package includes an aero kit of sculpted lower side skirts, a front bumper lip, a new rear bumper and the biplane wing. A GTR body package is also available that features more deeply contoured side skirts, fender extensions, and a more aggressive front spoiler. The 550 refers to horsepower, which comes from adding GT2 turbochargers and intercoolers, headers, freer-flowing exhaust pipes and catalysts, quad tailpipes, a sport intake, and some ECU reprogramming. Gemballa can provide up to 600 hp without tearing apart the engine. If you need more power—up to 800 hp—then you need the willingness and time to ship your motor off to Germany for heavy-duty internal modifications. (Click image to enlarge)

The GT 550 package takes its name from the number of horses on tap.  (Click image to enlarge)

The blue car has the same suspension as the silver car but its wheels are 3-piece modular Gemballa Racing models that are 19 inches in diameter. Pizza-pan-size drilled brake rotors with 8-piston red calipers reside behind the bigger wheels. The silver car has a 6-speed manual while the blue car’s Tiptronic semiautomatic transmission was reprogrammed to handle the additional horsepower. (Click image to enlarge)

So which one was more fun to drive?


Surprise again. This time, bigger and louder was not necessarily better. Despite having 50 more ponies, the blue Tiptronic car did not feel any faster than the “merely” 500 hp silver car. Both cars responded to throttle input almost immediately, the blue car shoving me back in the seat each time I clicked off a gear change with its steering wheel mounted shift buttons. Each car began pulling below 2,000 rpm, but the fun really started around 3,000 rpm, followed by another power boost as the tach needle swung to the 5,000 rpm mark. As the revs climbed, the deep bass of the less restrictive exhaust system in the blue car transformed into the metal-rending shriek you associate with a Porsche GT racer tearing down the Mulsanne Straight. Very cool for the first few runs through the gears. Not so cool when your ears start ringing, even less cool when an old man threatens to call the cops. My preference was the less intense system in the silver car, which still delivered a nice ripsaw snarl at high revs reminiscent of a 1973 Carrera RS. The silver car also reminded me of those lightweight early 911s in the way it could be tossed through the corners and dug its way out of turns when I applied the throttle. The blue car, riding on bigger wheels, felt a bit too stiffly sprung, porpoising at times through tight bends. The latter is about the only flaw I could detect in terms of performance and workmanship on either car, and a little fine-tuning of the adjustable suspension could probably cure this problem.

Gemballa’s GT 550 package on this Porsche Turbo Cabriolet includes a biplane wing and rear bumper.  (Click image to enlarge)

There were other surprises. While trying to maintain as low a profile as possible before unwinding the twists and turns of Benedict Canyon, I encountered a black-and-white Suburban emblazoned with the seal of the Beverly Hills police department. I envisioned “arrest me” lighting up my forehead in letters as red as the leather interior of the Gemballa Cabriolet in which I was premeditating a series of traffic crimes. The last thing I expected to see was a toothy smile and an appreciative nod as the Porsche crept past below the open window of a police vehicle. A lot of cars draw the attention of the cops, but not many can leave such a positive impression, especially in jaded Beverly Hills. Overall, the biggest surprise about these Gemballa-modified Porsches is the lack of any unpleasant surprises.  

2004 Gemballa GT 550 Twin Turbo Cabriolet

Gemballa Cars North America
310.457.1709
www.gemballausa.com