A Strange Ending For Gemballa

[gazza1]

A tragic end for one of the innovators of the business.

Morale of the story is chose your friends carefully?

http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytim...ycoon-Executed

http://www.gtspirit.com/2010/10/03/u...-south-africa/

[the_buch]

Strange indeed .... to your point, he had clearly made some very poor choices! It will be interesting to see how the company does going forward?

[KfabR8]

Not a pretty story - but pardon my ignorance, who was he?

[Bodhii]

Gambella was owner and top designer for the Gemballa sportscar tuning house, probably the most famous and well respected after market tuning company for elite sportscars. Top tuners like Gemballa, Ruf, Farnbacher Loles, TTP, TechArt, 9ff, Strosek, Rinspeed, Roock, Sharkwerks, EVOM, and other quality tuner shoppes create a whole different class of cars. They are not " modded," and not "OEM." People who understand more about hi performance supercars, learn to trust these serious tuner/race houses with very hi quality, serious modifications, and will pay high dollar for them.

Gembala Porsches

[harrison]

My German buddy Reinert worked for Gemballa for many years before he switched to start working for SMART CARS. Back then, I considered most of Gemballas' pieces a little too wild for my taste. I am a Ruf advocate, toured and met with Alois Ruf. The Ruf engines and wheels are to die for. Porsche would deliver car shells out to Ruf in the country side to finish. Anyways...Reinert sensed slow sales way back. I thought he was a nut to mess with the Smart car sales...'till he took me for a ride in a deisel prototype. He parked in a space only large enough for a scooter. I was then convinced he made the right move to sell Smart cars instead. Gemballa lived a dream that turned to a nitemare. R.I.P. (Over the top back in the 80s--Bodhiis' pics are top of the line work.) And you forgot to mention the old co. here in So. Cal...A I R...for 911 body peices. And IARDD ,Intense Automotive Research Design and Developement- John Gotcha-owner. Maybe still in prison for drug overdosing his buisness partner for messing with his wife. I used to watch John make 959 replicas out of steel.

[Europrice]

Top tuners Gembella and Farnbacher Loles in the same category. Sounds about right. One stealing money from a church and it's followers and the other involved in some sort of worldwide money laundering scheme. In the top levels of this industry there are most definitely some strange dealings and goings on it appears, a shame.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/08/b...bezzled-funds/

[OEMplus.com]

I agree with Harrison about preferring Ruf over Gemballa, but I have to respect them both.

The newer cars were much better looking than the earlier, wilder stuff...



I had a chance to meet Gemballa at a show in Frankfurt a few years ago and he was really into the brand and the cars...