- Bright yellow Porsche 928 is an officially confirmed period Gemballa conversion.
- 5.0-liter V8 remains stock but bodywork definitely isn’t to Stuttgart factory spec.
- More than €50,000 was reportedly spent at a Porsche Classic Centre recently.
There’s a Porsche 928 S4 for sale in Germany, but it’s very different to any 928 you could have bought from your Porsche dealer in 1990. This one received the full Gemballa treatment, transforming Stuttgart’s sleek, understated V8 grand tourer into something that looks ready to swallow a standard 928, and a dozen 911s, whole.
Converted to Wide Version II spec at the Gemballa’s Leonberg workshop just west of Stuttgart, it gained new bumpers designed to meet the swollen wheel arches, as well as deep side skirts, vented rear quarters and two rear spoilers, including a wraparound ducktail.
Related: The Marsien GT Costs Five Times More Than The 911 Turbo S It’s Built From
Then Gemballa’s body shop painted almost everything yellow, including the centers of its 17-inch BBS three-piece wheels. Inside, black leather and Alcantara are punctuated by yellow stitching and matching seat belts, plus embroidered Gemballa headrests, a branded steering wheel boss and quilted leather floor mats.
Mechanically, there’s still a naturally-aspirated, four-cam 5.0-liter V8 making around 316 hp (320 PS) and driving the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. Porsche’s electronically controlled PSD limited-slip differential was standard for 1990. This car also gains a quad-exit sports exhaust exiting on the driver’s side and KW V3 Competition suspension.
Gemballa’s Tragic End
Gemballa’s story is almost as extraordinary as its cars. Uwe Gemballa started in 1979, initially specializing in interiors before increasingly outrageous Porsche conversions like the 911-based Avalanche really made his name. By 1985, the modifications had become so extensive that Gemballa was registered as a manufacturer in Germany.
Uwe’s story ended tragically after he disappeared during a 2010 trip to South Africa and was later found murdered. The original business was liquidated, with the Gemballa name and assets acquired by new owners. His son Marc Philipp Gemballa later founded a separate, unrelated company, producing cars that made an equally strong statement, including the Marsien.
But back to this yellow time capsule. Its odometer shows 86,326 km (53,400 miles), though that figure isn’t warranted, and the listing on Germany’s Collecting Cars website says more than €50,000 ($58,000) was spent at Porsche Classic Centre Arnhem in 2021.
If you’re sick of turning up to Porsche meets and finding your pride and joy blends in with a thousand other 911s, this Gemballa 928 could be the perfect answer. As long as you like yellow. You can check out the full listing here.
