If you don't know the amazing and tragic story of Gemballa, we encourage you to check it out. The German tuning company still exists and, as this car currently up for sale on Collecting Cars shows, in its heyday, would take a car as far into craziness as its owners wanted. This particular car's story starts with a well-optioned Midnight Blue 1996 993 generation 911 Turbo bought in the UK. From the factory, it came with the X50 package Turbo Power Kit that brought total output up to 430 horsepower. Then, in 1997, the original owner decided that wasn't enough and sent it to the tuner's workshop in Germany.
In Germany, the 911 Turbo was upgraded to Gemballa's Biturbo 570 specification, including a GT2 front splitter, Turbo GT rear wing, sport suspension, stiffer gearbox mounts, and uprated brakes. The 3.6-liter liter flat-six engine was also massaged to generate 570 hp. When it came home, the now modified Porsche 911 still had its Midnight Blue paint. The owner enjoyed it for a year, then decided to send it back to Gemballa. It stayed with the tuning house for around 18 months, where it went through an extensive customization program planned between the owner and Uwe Gemballa himself. The result is what you see here - a blended mix of Gembella's GTR 600 spec with its Le Mans Biturbo aesthetic and the engine pushing out around 610 hp with the addition of a pair of modified KKK turbochargers.
As it sits now, the Gembella GTR 600 is close in specification to the incredibly rare and sought after 911 GT2 Evo. It features the GT2's Kevlar front and rear arches, the side skirts have integrated air ducts to the rear brakes, and the front air dam pushes air through to the brakes for cooling. A crazy looking GT2 Evo rear wing sits proudly on the back of the car, while the front has Gemballa's aerodynamic additions and 'Le Mans Biturbo' dual headlight setup. It also has lightweight carbon honeycomb doors, the side and rear windows are made of polycarbonate, and it sits on staggered 18-inch BBS center-lock wheels made with magnesium alloy. If you were in any doubt that this is a race car for the road, it also features a roll cage. But the modifications didn't end there.
When the 911 was stripped to its bare shell, Gemballa refinished it with Porsche Polar Silver paint. While stripped down, the chassis was upgraded heavily, starting with the suspension and then the brakes. Stiffer H&R double springs also lowered the ride height and were paired with a revised front shock tower strut brace. The GTR 600 also has GT2 front and rear anti-roll bars and GT2 rear axle mounts. The braking system was substantially upgraded with Brembo 8-piston calipers gripping 380 mm lightweight, ventilated, and grooved metal and ceramic discs at the front, and Brembo 4-piston calipers grabbing 345 mm ventilated and grooved discs at the rear.
According to the sale posting, this is just one of only four GTR 600 models believed to have been built and the only one with the 'Le Mans Biturbo' dual headlight arrangement. As of writing, the current bid is £115,000 bid with four days to go.