Five years after introducing the off-road capable MARSIEN, Marc Philipp Gemballa is returning to Pebble Beach with a second interpretation of the concept. This time, the focus is firmly on the road.
Called the MARSIEN GT, the new limited-production model trades the original car’s rally-inspired all-terrain focus for a lower, lighter and more aerodynamically developed grand touring specification. It retains a Porsche 911 Turbo S as its starting point but receives a new carbon-fiber exterior, road-focused suspension developed with KW Automotive and an upgraded flat-six producing more than 830 hp courtesy of RUF.
Just 30 will be built.
Together with the 40 examples of the original MARSIEN, that brings total production of the two models to 70 cars, a number chosen to commemorate what would be the 70th anniversary of Marc Philipp Gemballa’s father, Uwe Gemballa.
The first MARSIEN debuted at Pebble Beach in 2021 and took inspiration from the Paris-Dakar era, combining supercar performance with the suspension and ground clearance necessary to venture well beyond pavement.
The MARSIEN GT essentially reverses that formula. Starting with the same homologated MARSIEN platform, the GT concentrates its development on road performance, precision and everyday usability.
Despite the familiar silhouette, the transformation from Porsche 911 Turbo S to MARSIEN involves approximately 1,500 individually engineered and manufactured components.
For the GT, every exterior panel has been redesigned. More than 100 individual carbon-fiber components make up the body, including its mirrors, wheel-arch liners, air channels and a substantial rear body section extending from the A-pillar to the rear wing.
The resulting bodywork isn’t simply cosmetic.
Active front fender louvres release high-pressure air from the wheel housings to reduce front lift and turbulence. An active rear wing changes angle to increase rear downforce at speed and can also function as an air brake.
Both systems use pneumatic actuation for rapid movement.
A roof scoop feeds undisturbed air toward the intercoolers while separate ram-air intakes supply the engine. Intakes incorporated into the side skirts channel cooling air toward the rear brakes.
Even the underside has been reconsidered. The MARSIEN GT replaces the original aluminum underfloor with a full carbon-fiber version designed to improve airflow toward the diffuser while reducing weight.
The completed GT weighs 75 kilograms, or approximately 165 pounds, less than the standard 992-generation Porsche 911 Turbo S from which it begins.
As with the original MARSIEN, the exterior was designed by Alan Derosier, though the proportions and aerodynamic treatment have been reworked around the GT’s different purpose.
The suspension represents an equally significant change.
Marc Philipp Gemballa has again worked with KW Automotive, this time developing a new double-wishbone setup specifically for the road-focused GT. Bespoke electronically controlled dampers based on KW’s DDC V5 technology independently alter compression and rebound through a pair of electromagnetic proportional valves in each damper.
The system can react to changing conditions within 20 milliseconds.
Normal ground clearance is 100 mm, or 3.94 inches, though a front-axle lift system can raise the nose by another 60 mm for driveways, ramps and speed bumps.
Drive modes selected through the steering wheel coordinate the damper settings with transmission and engine mapping.
Six-spoke center-lock forged aluminum wheels measure 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear, fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires measuring 275/35 ZR20 and 335/30 ZR21 respectively.
Power comes through another collaboration with a company deeply connected to modified Porsche history.
RUF Automobile has developed the MARSIEN GT’s engine package, continuing a relationship established with the original MARSIEN and one that also has a historical connection to Uwe Gemballa’s work during the 1980s.
The upgraded twin-turbocharged flat-six produces more than 830 hp and 930 Nm of torque through upgraded variable-geometry turbochargers, revised engine management and corresponding transmission changes.
A second-stage package producing more than 900 hp is also under development.
In 830-hp form, Marc Philipp Gemballa quotes 0-100 km/h in 2.4 seconds and a maximum speed of 330 km/h, or 205 mph.
Akrapovič supplies a newly developed titanium quad-exhaust system, replacing the MARSIEN’s exhaust with a layout designed specifically around the GT’s road-focused character and redesigned rear bodywork.
The launch car introduces another detail unique to the project.
Its Anniversary Liquid Champagne Gold paint was developed specifically to commemorate Uwe Gemballa’s 70th anniversary. The four-layer metallic incorporates pearlescent flakes and provides a subtle connection to the pearl white finish used for the original MARSIEN’s 2021 launch car.
Inside, the GT moves further away from its Porsche origins with a raised center console and aluminum gear selector inspired by the Carrera GT. Buyers can substitute exposed carbon fiber or mahogany for the standard leather or Alcantara gear knob.
The launch car combines dark grey Alcantara with carbon-fiber bucket seats and matte carbon trim. Champagne-colored stitching, seat belts and instrument detailing correspond with the Anniversary Liquid Champagne Gold exterior, while the roll bar is wrapped in Alcantara.
As with the original MARSIEN, buyers will have considerable freedom to personalize their cars. Exposed carbon interior packages and a Clubsport roll bar are available, with the latter offered painted or finished in leather, Alcantara or exposed carbon fiber.
Each car receives its individual production number on a metal plaque incorporated into the center console.
Production begins in 2027, with the first customer deliveries scheduled for the end of that year.
The MARSIEN GT is priced from €770,000 before taxes, duties and shipping. More significantly, that figure does not include the Porsche 911 Turbo or Turbo S required as the donor vehicle.
Only 30 will be produced, making the GT even rarer than the original 40-car MARSIEN.
The MARSIEN GT makes its world premiere during Monterey Car Week, beginning with an appearance on the Pebble Beach awards ramp on August 13. It will subsequently appear at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering and on the Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Where the first MARSIEN was defined by the unexpected idea of taking a heavily reworked 911 Turbo off pavement, the GT takes the engineering developed for that project and redirects it toward a more traditional purpose.
The result is arguably no less ambitious: an 830-hp, 205-mph grand tourer with a completely redesigned carbon body, bespoke suspension and just enough Porsche remaining underneath to explain where the project began.
