You may remember in 2021, Marc Philipp Gemballa (son of legendary Porsche tuner Uwe Gemballa) presented an off-road-capable supercar called Marsien. It sounded like one of those many pipe dreams that would sooner or later disappear into oblivion anyway, but that's not the case. Not at all, to be honest.
The plan was more than ambitious. The basis: a 911 Turbo S from the 992 series turned completely inside out (not necessarily the worst basis, is it?) with a completely new carbon fibre body, a RUF engine, a Akrapovič exhaust system and a significantly more sprung suspension from KW Automotive. The car was to be sold under the Marc Philipp Gemballa GmbH brand because Marc did not own the rights to the Gemballa GmbH name.
Gallery: Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien Production
Obviously, the young Gemballa has successfully avoided the name rights dispute, because we have just learnt from the manufacturer himself that the Marsien has gone into series production. However, if you are a fan of high-priced off-road super sports cars, there is currently little reason to celebrate, as all 40 units are already sold out.
Meanwhile, the people at Marc Philipp Gemballa GmbH have been anything but idle, as we learn that they have developed a total of 422 new components for the Marsien. Customers don't need to worry about sufficient power either as the 3.7-litre boxer now delivers "over 750 PS and 930 Nm of torque".
Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien Series production
If that's not enough for you for whatever reason you can order a Stage Two power upgrade. This involves the use of new turbos and adapted engine electronics, which increases the power output to 830 PS. A revision of the transmission settings is also included. However, we have not yet been told how many Marsien customers have gone "all in".
As you may have noticed, off-road capable 911s are currently experiencing a lot of hype. Porsche itself caused a furore with the 911 Dakar a good two years ago. RUF also launched its own interpretation in 2020 with the Rodeo Concept.
Gemballa assures us that each Marsien will be virtually unique. Testing took place in the Arabian desert, in Sölden and, of course, at the Nürburgring. We will probably soon be able to tell you how this extraordinary vehicle feels in real life. Stay tuned.
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