85 GEMBALLA CABRIO Pics/Progress

[doc18015]

Hey guys, thought I would post some of the progress made on the Gemballa. Over the winter the detailing to the engine compartment was finished, the carpeting replaced and the body completely repainted. The top was installed two weeks ago but still needs the tensioner levers installed and then tweeked for a better look. What remains is the final buffing,glazing and waxing and a short shift installed. It has 17" Racing Dynamics wheels w/Dunlop 9000. The wide-body is the M91 option including the reverse brake calipers,etc. The Gemballa use of non-slotted front fenders makes for a cleaner appearance along with the restyled Gemballa front and rear bumpers. What do you think? I am very proud to be the hands on guy with this toy........

[K. Roman]

Wow, absolutely stunning! My brother in-law has an '83 930 slantnose that is pearl white. I do prefer gaurds red over that! Great car. BTW, where do you live? The grass is so green on that side of the tracks!

[doc18015]

Thanks very much for the kind words, K. Roman.....I live in Bethlehem, Penna. Believe me , the grass was not green for the last 5 months....tough winter! I tried to post more interior /engine pics but ran into a problem. I will try again on Monday.

[Porsche]

Very nice.

[doc18015]

DWRG_11.......Sorry, I could not get the e-mail off. The exhaust is a Swiss Andial....one in , two out same side. It has a nice throaty sound at idle and not much more until around 4500 rpm. Then, it becomes very throaty,deep but not terrible. No resonance at all. It has Bislteins front....Konis rear. I think Gemballa increased the torsion bar diameter. The interior is all leather including the console,door panels and dash. Thanks for the kind remarks!

[JonT]

That is one unique looking 911! Its not too overboard like some of the other Gemballa's seen here. It's really going to look great after the final buffing/wax.

[JmuRiz]

Are those bumper lights driving lights/headlights/foglights? That thing must melt bumpers of the car in front of you! A little too many lights for my taste, but I know it is how it was designed to be. maybe a slight tinted film over them would do me well. But if it works for you, so be it. I'm sure it hauls...what engine mods?

ouch...

[doc18015]

Gemballa actually used the 928 front light set-up......fogs, parking and driving lights. The headlights are stock rectangular units and very similiar to the quantity of light as in the 928. The engine is pretty much stock euro with the chip (GEMBALLA). I would like to put it on a dyno and get some real numbers as it definitely has more grunt than a normal 3.2. I have a USA spec 78 SC Targa and compared to that it has much more power after 3500 rpm to redline.

[doc18015]

The pictures do not do the Gemballa detail justice. Both front and rear bumpers are embossed with the Gemballa name as well as the special cast aluminum arms and mechanism used to operate the pop-up headlights. Even the muffler had to be custom made to fit as the original under the rear valance. Alot of engineering in Gemballa cars .....even the current Gemballa cars.

[RickM]

Originally posted by doc18015
The headlights are stock rectangular units

I like the look for the front bumper.

Rectangular headlights were stock on which car?

[Iggy]

Stock like this:

[RickM]

Headlights look round. Must mean Driving/Fog lights.Those are Driving lights.

[doc18015]

All lights up front other than the headlights are stock units from the 928 as pictured. The headlights are non-stock Porsche rectangular lights that Gemballa used to fit the slant-nose fender headlight opening. They are stock type headlights that are of the smaller variety that were used in , for example, 4 headlight systems in 80s American cars. In my car, two lights are used with the low beam....high beam activates the driving lights which stay on with the low beam headlights. Works very well and does a much better job than just high/low beams on regular lights. The fogs deactivate the driving lights when on and concentrate the light low and primarily to the right.

[doc18015]

BTW, the smile rubber is a stock unit that has been cut to fit the new curvature and space between the front bumber and the car body. Pretty creative of Gemballa.