The Marsien, your all-new ultimate adventure rides

Dirt&Dust When we talk about cars made by Porsche that have the ability to cross an off-road terrain, of course our memories are directly connected to the Porsche Cayenne and also the Macan. Both are made by this German manufacturer and also equipped with off-road capabilities with the suitable height of the car ground clearance to cross on off-road terrain.

The Marsien is a futuristic advanture rally car built by Marc Philipp Gemballa GmbH. based on the Porsche 992 Turbo S. (Picture from: GridOto)

However, it turns out that there are other automotive companies that provide services to modify Porsche models in such a way that they have capabilities that are not inferior to the Cayenne and Macan. Well, this outstanding modification work was carried out by Marc Philipp Gemballa, the son of the late Uwe Gemballa, the founder of the famous Porsche car tuning company, Gemballa.

The Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien was specially built to run fast in a rough terrain such the desert and perfectly combines all the comforts of a modern supercar with unmatched off-road capability. (Picture from: EnWheelzMe)

Sometime ago, he was proudly presented an off-road supercar inspired by the might of the iconic models of the Porsche 953 and 959 at one of the world's famous rally event, the Paris Dakar Rally through his-owned auto-company that Marc Philipp Gemballa GmbH. As a note, the Marc Philipp Gemballa venture was not related to the Uwe Gemballa's tuning company due to both are  completely different companies.

The off-road supercar mentioned above called the Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien (Martian, in English), it was specially built based on the Porsche 911 Turbo S 992-generation to run fast in a rough terrain such the desert. Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien perfectly combines all the comforts of a modern supercar with unmatched off-road capability.

The Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien boasts adaptive shock absorbers and a hydraulic system that allows you to adjust the ground clearance in the range from 120 to 250 mm. (Picture from: WorldBestCar)

The Marsien's exterior designed by Alan Derosier (an automotive designer known for his outstanding 908 design studies). Its design clearly inspired by the Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar. This off-road supercar features a full carbon fiber body, designed specifically for light weight and cool performance. The bodywork is said to be the product of a partnership with KLK teams, which has more than 20 years of experience developing aerodynamics for the LMP1, Formula E and Formula One racing cars.

Then in terms of performance, Marc Philipp Gemballa chose to work with another Porsche specialists, RUF Automobile to work on the twin-turbo flat six-cylinder engine. So that after the 3,745 cc  engine was upgraded by RUF, so it could spit out power up to 750 hp with a maximum torque of 930 Nm, and to support its fierce engine performance was then the car equipped with an Akrapovic titanium exhaust specially made for this project.

The Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien has lightweight seats are installed in the cabin, and the interior itself is trimmed with leather and carbon fiber. (Picture from: Id.Motor1)

If the clients looking for more power, RUF Automobile provided a second stage power to bring the engine boost up to 819 bhp with enhanced VTG turbo charger and revised ECU mapping and were followed by modifications to the PDK automatic transmission so that it is able to deliver power more consistently.

Since this car is intended for off-road terrain, and to protect the engine from dust and dirt particles, the automaker in collaboration with an Italian air filter specialist, BMC to develop an air filter insert that is uniquely fitted for dusty hot desert conditions. The air filter system is intended to protect the engine from dirt and dust particles, and maintain a sufficient flow of fresh air to allow the engine to run optimally.

The Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien is powered by the twin-turbo flat six-cylinder engine tweaked by RUF Automobile, so it could spit out power up to 750 hp with a maximum torque of 930 Nm. (Picture from: Id.Motor1)

In addition to protect the engine from overheating as a result of use in extreme conditions, the Marsien has a redesigned central radiator to direct hot air from the radiator through the NACA ducts through the carbon fiber hood and around the A-pillar, directly to the rear of the car. 

As for the legs, the automaker teamed up with KW Automotive to deliver the Marsien fully bespoke suspension with a double-wishbone front setup that relies on solid and active Stamp Control technology, which allows the ride height can be adjusted between off-road and on road modes, while the rear suspension has a multi-link configuration.

The Marsien off-road supercar posed along with its creator Marc Philipp Gemballa during its test drive session somewhere in the UAE' desert. (Picture from: Id.Motor1)

Furthermore the Marsien suspension system can be raised or lowered quickly thanks to the electronic hydraulic lift system in approximately 20 milliseconds, so when in on-road mode, the suspension can be more closer to the ground (120 mm), instead if the car is operating on off-road terrain, its ground clearance could be raised to 250 mm.

For perfect driving conditions in both on-road and off-road modes, the Marsien comes with two sets of specially designed forged aluminum wheels with center locking system, then wrapped with the Michelin Ultra High Performance tires for on-road, and all-terrain tires for off-road use. Meanwhile the lighting system on the Marsien off-road supercar was developed in collaboration with lighting specialist Gerg Lighthouse featuring the latest LED technology.

The Marc Philipp Gemballa Marsien comes with two sets of specially designed forged aluminum wheels with center locking system, then wrapped with the Michelin Ultra High Performance tires. (Picture from: Id.Motor1)

With all those setups, the car performance becomes very fierce, where the ability to accelerate from rest to 100 kph can be achieved in just 2.6 seconds with a top speed of 330 kph (for on road mode), while in off-road mode, its top speed is limited to only 210 kph.

According to the automaker, the Marsien were made only 40 units and offered with a price tag ranging from €495,000 (around Rp. 8.4 billion), those numbers does not include the taxes and the donor car of the Porsche 911 Turbo S 992. And reportedly again, more than half of them have been sold (on July, 2021) and now, it looks like it's sold out. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | MARC PHILLIPP GEMBALLA | HYPERBEAST | EN.WHEELZ.ME | GOODWOOD | ID.MOTOR1 ]

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