Gemballa Officially Resumes Operations, Under New Ownership
And just like that, it’s officially official. Just a few days ago we heard through the grapevine that the Gemballa brand was indeed coming back with a new CEO and investors, and with a few typed words from their PR personnel, it’s official. Interestingly enough, Andreas Schwarz (new CEO of Gemballa) has been in control since August 16th, reserving the rights of the old company that had already been liquidated. Schwarz chose to shut that one down and founded Gemballa GmBH.
Schwarz comes from a background of upgrading and marketing luxury high-class automobiles and is a “sports car expert.” (Whatever that means). We’re hoping he’s more of a “run a successful business expert” so that the Gemballa brand lives on past a couple of years once the initial investment funding has run dry. They seem to be starting out big however, with 22 employees and development on Porsche‘s Panamera and Cayenne.
The showroom is officially open in Leonberg for customers looking to customize their luxury high-class automobile. Gemballa will be switching to a parts manufacturer and stressing research and development on body kits, wheels, brakes and suspension components. We wish them all the best of luck and we really hope to see bigger and better products out of Gemballa without any of the drama. Let’s save that for an episode of Jersey Shore shall we?
GALLERY: Gemballa’s Fresh Start
Official press release available after the break.
A Fresh Start for the GEMBALLA Brand
Andreas Schwarz is in charge of the new GEMBALLA GmbH
Leonberg, 23 August 2010. For around 30 years the brand GEMBALLA has been a global name in the performance improvement and modification of predominantly Porsche vehicles, and in the construction of own-brand vehicles based on Porsche body shells. GEMBALLA has made a name for itself as one of the most extreme Porsche tuners and has received worldwide attention with its modified Porsches such as the GEMBALLA Avalanche, which is based on the Porsche 911, or the GEMBALLA Mirage GT, based on the Porsche Carrera GT.
Since August 16, 2010, Andreas Schwarz (40) has been in charge of the emotional GEMBALLA brand. Schwarz reserved the rights of the old company that had already been broken up by liquidators and shut down, and founded a new company, GEMBALLA GmbH. The company headquarters are located at Mollenbachstraße 17 in Leonberg.
“With a totally new company and an investment of millions, we are now looking towards a secure future”, says managing director (CEO) Andreas Schwarz. The educated Swabian is a sports car expert, who has many years’ experience in upgrading and marketing luxury high-class automobiles. Together with investor Steffen Korbach, the new creator of GEMBALLA cars has made cost-efficient plans.
“As well as the rights to the name, we’ve also purchased some assets and are starting off with 22 employees”, Schwarz continues. “We plan to continue the GEMBALLA design line following the old models. We’re already working on various concepts for the Porsche Panamera and the new Porsche Cayenne among others.”
The main goal: to expand and develop the GEMBALLA brand as a manufacturer. Without facing too much time pressure. Currently, Andreas Schwarz is making plans in motor tuning and the marketing of parts such as bodykits, rims, brakes and suspension systems.
“We’ve got enormous potential in this area that can be taken advantage of – the recognition of the GEMBALLA name with its near 30-year tradition really helps”, says Andreas Schwarz.
That is why we will see automobile creations from GEMBALLA in the future – with a breath of fresh air for the brand and reliable business under the GEMBALLA name. The showroom in Leonberg is now open for customers and all interested parties.
For more information, go to www.gemballa.com.
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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