The German Legend Maker
GEMBALLA as a design and technology paradigm
Some automotive legends are familiar to enthusiasts all over the world. The GEMBALLA AVALANCHE, MIRAGE GT, TORNADO and MISTRALE fall into that category. Made in Leonberg, Germany, the cars bearing these names have fascinated and thrilled car lovers with their seminal design and advanced technology for more than 40 years. GEMBALL
A CEO, SteffenKorbach, the third generation of management at the helm of this renowned company, continues the quest for perfection in every way. Founded in Leonberg in 1981 the original GEMBALLA company quickly became Germany's leading address for extravagant automotive creations. Today, the original GEMBALLA AVALANCHE enjoys iconic status with car enthusiasts from around the world, and its name lives on with a 21st Century interpretation in the current GEMBALLA model range. The distinctive GEMBALLA style is visually tailored to each model, and matching technical modifications are made to match. "To fully understand our unique cars,
one must not only approach them with the eyes, but also feel how they drive", says Steffen Korbach. All GEMBALLA components are manufactured in Germany, the country the rest of the world looks to for automotive benchmarks. “Our motto here is no compromise, whether it is in aesthetics or technical solutions,” says Korbach. This no compromise philosophy at GEMBALLA has resulted in the acquisition of state-of-the-art digital measurement equipment. This ensures that all their carbon-fibre body components are designed and manufactured to fit perfectly.
“I believe in the authentic use of materials, and carbon-fibre is a structural material not a decorative one,” says Korbach, who has been known to hang a complete car door on a fishing line at a trade show, to underline this important point. At GEMBALLA what looks like carbon-fibre is carbon-fibre,”
His penchant for strong but light materials has also pushed the boundaries with the alloy wheel manufacturer that supplies GEMBALLA. “In the end, we were all proud to be able to offer our customers the lightest and strongest wheels on the market in these sizes,” he said. Continuing the quest for the low unsprung weight so crucial to the handling of a car, GEMBALLA tapped into its brake development partnership with Brembo. The resulting calipers are manufactured to racing specifications and weigh only one-third of the equivalent mass production system. In real world testing, these GEMBALLA/Brembo brake system stood up to fast laps at the Hockenheimring without any fading. GEMBALLA cars have always been amongst the fastest of their kind, so the engine and exhaust upgrades are designed to maximise the inherent potential of the base engines. Aspire to the peak, but do not go over the top, is a watchword at GEMBALLA, so the emphasis is also on long term reliability. Finally, the engineers test each individual engine on an independent dyno against the reference values printed in the brochure. The customer then receives a certification of its official power output. Bespoke interiors have always been a GEMBALLA speciality, and this work is carried out by master upholsterers to the client’s wishes, using only the finest materials. When Steffen Korbach is inspired by something, he goes all out to achieve it. You can see his fanatical attention to detail in everything that GEMBALLA does. Every single component is an engineering masterpiece in itself that enhances the vehicles status as a work of art. Currently, Steffen Korbach is investing time and money in GEMBALLA’s global distribution network, and will only entertain partners who can provide customer service at the highest level. In short, he is looking for people who not only talk about legends, but who can live and breathe them too.
