Holy crap! After drooling over Gemballa’s masterpieces that are tuned Porsches, now we get the sad sad news that the firm has closed down.

We should have expected it after reports came out that the company chief Uwe Gemballa went missing while on holiday in South Africa. Authorities still have no clue on Gemballa’s whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Gemballa’s offices have been raided by tax officials and the staff claims that they have not been paid since prompting the firm to shut down its operations.

Another one bites the dust but at least this one gives conspiracy nuts a bit more mystery to chew on.

At least, in our memory, we can all just think of those insane machines that Gemballa has made of out butt-ugly Porsches.

The Gemballa Mirage GT is one of the most powerful and highly-touted custom Porsche Carrera GT line ever. Now, the Stuttgart, Germany-based aftermarket parts supplier and custom car tuner is adding an extremely-exclusive Carbon Edition to its Mirage GT line.

The Carbon Edition, which was initially previewed in February, won’t be as hardcore as its other Mirage GT brethren which have reached upwards of 700 horsepower. Still, the Carbon Edition is formidable in its own right with its 670hp performance. Top speed is pegged at 208mph or higher, with a 0-62mph time of 3.7 seconds.

Extensive carbon fiber accents and custom alloy wheels are just a couple of the exterior add-ons. Gemballa also provides an adjustable coilover kit for better protection and improved handling.

Gemballa has become intimate with the makes and models of Porsche, as it has been tweaking and upgrading Porsche models for 27 years. The Carbon Edition package should be no exception. Those interested in the package need to provide their own Carrera GT, though. Pricing starts at around $426,000.

The wonders of tuning. No wonder these tuning houses still thrive despite all the calls for smaller displacement cars that would save the world from total annihilation. And how about getting a Porsche 911 and tuning it even more. Now, while the 911 isn’t exactly Veyron-esque, you would just have to agree that it’s a damn decent supercar especially since it’s one car that you can readily drive any day.

On the hands of tuning house Gemballa though, the 911 can be turned into a force of nature. Enter, the Gemballa Avalanche 600 GT2 EVO. As if by magic, slapping on the Gemballa power kit on a 911 boosted its horses to 600 bhp and it now boasts of 840 Nm of torque. Now those numbers propel the car from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of nearly 200 mph. Not too shabby at all.

To improve handling, the car is fitted wit 20-inch wheels, a coilover suspension and a powerful braking system. The gearbox also has options for a day in the track. As for more bells and whistles, the car also sports a luxurious interior trim and a special paint finish.

Source: Gemballa