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1990 Porsche 928 S4 Gemballa Wide Version II: A Rare Piece of German Tuning History Is For Sale

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The Porsche 928 was already one of the most unconventional sports cars of its era, but in the hands of Gemballa, even Porsche’s futuristic V8 grand tourer could become something far more extreme. Now, a 1990 Porsche 928 S4 transformed into a documented Gemballa Wide Version II is up for sale, offering collectors a rare opportunity to own one of the outrageous Porsche tuning creations that helped define Germany’s tuning scene in the 1980s and 1990s.

Unlike a conventional modified 928, this car reportedly carries documentation identifying it as a Gemballa 928 S4 Wide Version II. The conversion combines dramatically widened bodywork with distinctive aerodynamic additions, BBS wheels, upgraded suspension, a quad-exhaust system and a heavily reworked interior.

Underneath the extravagant styling is the familiar 5.0-liter V8 of the Porsche 928 S4, producing 320 horsepower and driving the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission.

For enthusiasts of classic Porsche tuning, it is the combination of provenance, period-correct styling and rarity that makes this 928 particularly interesting.

Gemballa Turned Porsche Tuning Into an Art Form

Gemballa began operations in Germany in 1979, initially concentrating on high-end automotive interiors. The company gradually moved far beyond upholstery and cabin customization, developing increasingly ambitious modifications for Porsche and Mercedes-Benz models.

During the 1980s, Gemballa’s creations became famous for their extravagant styling, extensive electronic upgrades and highly personalized interiors. The company’s work eventually became so extensive that its modified cars were regarded as substantially different from their factory counterparts.

Under founder Uwe Gemballa, the company developed a reputation for building some of the most visually dramatic Porsches of the era. Rather than simply increasing engine output, Gemballa frequently approached each car as a complete transformation, with the bodywork and interior receiving as much attention as the mechanical components.

That philosophy is particularly evident in cars such as the 930 Turbo Avalanche and later Gemballa creations based on the 993 and 996 generations of the Porsche 911. The company would eventually produce even more ambitious projects, including the Mirage GT based on the Carrera GT and the high-powered Tornado derived from the Cayenne.

The 928 S4 Wide Version II represents that same unmistakable Gemballa philosophy.

A Porsche 928 S4 With Gemballa Widebody Styling

The fourth-generation 928 S4 introduced substantial improvements over earlier versions of Porsche’s front-engine V8 grand tourer. Its 5.0-liter V8 produced 320 hp, giving the large luxury coupe serious performance while retaining the long-distance touring character that defined the 928.

Gemballa’s Wide Version II conversion fundamentally changes the car’s appearance.

The most obvious modification is the extended widebody treatment, giving the 928 a considerably more aggressive stance. The conversion is complemented by two rear spoilers, creating a silhouette that looks dramatically different from a standard 928 S4.

The car also rides on BBS wheels, one of the most recognizable names in period German performance tuning. KW suspension components reportedly provide the chassis upgrades, while a quad-exhaust system adds another visual and mechanical signature to the rear of the car.

This is not subtle tuning, and that is precisely the point.

During the peak of the German tuning scene, companies such as Gemballa were creating cars for customers who wanted something that could not be ordered from a Porsche showroom. Wide fenders, bespoke interiors, unusual aerodynamic components and sophisticated electronics were all part of the formula.

Inside, the 928 received a reupholstered interior, continuing the Gemballa tradition of treating the cabin as an integral part of the customization rather than an afterthought.

320-HP V8 Power and Classic Porsche Performance

Despite its wild appearance, the mechanical foundation remains unmistakably Porsche.

The 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 produces 320 hp, which was a substantial figure for a luxury GT of the period. Power is sent through a four-speed automatic transmission, matching the 928 S4’s grand-touring character.

The 928 was conceived as a different kind of Porsche. Rather than relying on the rear-mounted flat-six configuration associated with the 911, it used a front-mounted V8 and transaxle layout designed to improve weight distribution.

That engineering helped make the 928 exceptionally stable at high speed while providing the refinement expected from a premium long-distance sports car.

Gemballa’s modifications add a completely different visual personality to that engineering package.

More Than €50,000 Reportedly Invested in 2021

One of the more significant details surrounding this particular Porsche 928 is the reported amount spent on its restoration and refurbishment.

According to the available description, more than €50,000 was invested in the car in 2021 at the Porsche Classic Center Arnhem.

That investment is noteworthy because maintaining and restoring heavily modified classic cars can be considerably more complicated than preserving an original example. A documented Gemballa conversion requires attention not only to the underlying Porsche components but also to the specialized bodywork, suspension, wheels, exhaust system and interior.

The reported work therefore adds another layer of interest for potential collectors.

For a car that combines Porsche’s factory engineering with one of Germany’s most recognizable tuning brands, documented restoration history can be just as important as the specification itself.

The Legacy of Uwe Gemballa

Any discussion of a classic Gemballa automobile inevitably leads back to Uwe Gemballa, the company’s founder and the man who established its distinctive identity.

Gemballa’s success was built on the idea that wealthy Porsche owners did not necessarily want another factory-standard sports car. They wanted something unique, and the company became exceptionally good at delivering exactly that.

Uwe Gemballa disappeared while traveling in South Africa in 2010. He was subsequently found dead near Pretoria, bringing a tragic end to the story of one of Germany’s most influential tuning entrepreneurs.

Following the liquidation of the original company, the Gemballa name and assets changed hands. Andreas Schwarz and investor Steffen Korbach subsequently took control of the brand.

Uwe Gemballa’s son, Marc Philipp Gemballa, later established a separate automotive company and continued the family’s high-performance philosophy with modern projects including the Marsien and Marsien GT.

Why the Gemballa 928 Matters Today

The classic German tuning market has changed dramatically. Cars that were once considered extravagant aftermarket creations are increasingly being viewed as historically significant examples of automotive culture.

That shift has particularly benefited rare Porsche conversions from companies such as Gemballa, Ruf and other specialist manufacturers.

The 928 itself is also experiencing renewed appreciation. For years, Porsche’s front-engine V8 GT occupied an unusual position within the company’s history, overshadowed by the iconic 911. Today, collectors are increasingly recognizing the 928 for its sophisticated engineering, distinctive design and importance to Porsche’s evolution during the late 1970s through the 1990s.

A documented Gemballa Wide Version II brings those two stories together.

It is simultaneously a Porsche 928 S4, a piece of period German tuning history and an example of the excess that made Gemballa famous.

A Rare Opportunity for Porsche and Gemballa Collectors

The combination of a 5.0-liter 320-hp V8, automatic transmission, Gemballa Wide Version II body conversion, BBS wheels, KW suspension, quad exhaust and reworked interior makes this 1990 Porsche 928 S4 anything but ordinary.

More importantly, the reported documentation of the Gemballa conversion gives the car historical significance beyond its appearance.

As the market for significant 1980s and 1990s German performance cars continues to mature, period-correct tuning conversions are becoming increasingly interesting to collectors. The cars that once represented the wild side of the aftermarket are now snapshots of an era when tuning companies were willing to push factory designs to extremes.

This Gemballa 928 S4 is a perfect example.

It may not have the understated appearance of a concours-original Porsche, but that was never the purpose of a Gemballa. The entire idea was to take an already exceptional Porsche and create something dramatically different.

More than three decades after it left the factory, this 1990 Porsche 928 S4 Wide Version II remains a striking reminder of just how far Germany’s legendary tuning houses were willing to go.

Source: Silodrome

Sale

Ferrari 328 GTS Conciso

Some Ferraris are preserved. Others are restored. And a very small number are reimagined into something so left-field that even Maranello would probably do a double take. The latter is where the Michalak Design “Conciso” lands—an almost unrecognisable reinterpretation of a Ferrari 328 GTS that trades weight, complexity, and convention for a sharper, leaner kind of exoticism.

Built in the early 1990s by German design house Michalak Design, the Conciso started life as a standard 328 GTS before being stripped back and re-bodied into something closer to a design study than a traditional restomod. Ferrari itself had no involvement in the project. The mechanical backbone—the chassis and 3.2-litre V8 drivetrain of the original Ferrari 328 GTS—remains, but everything wrapped around it was re-engineered with one obsession in mind: mass reduction.

The result is a car that looks like a parallel-universe Ferrari. The proportions are familiar, but the surfaces are tighter, the bodywork more experimental, and the overall aesthetic far more industrial than sensual. It debuted publicly at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show, where it stood less as a Ferrari derivative and more as a design thesis on what happens when you aggressively strip a mid-engine sports car down to its essence.

Diet of Aluminium, Gains in Everything Else

The headline number is the weight. At just 1,900 pounds (889 kg), the Conciso sheds roughly 780 pounds (363 kg) compared to the standard Ferrari 328 GTS. That puts it not only well below its donor car but even beneath modern lightweight benchmarks like the Mazda MX-5.

That kind of reduction changes the character of the drivetrain entirely. With the same 3.2-litre V8 doing the work but far less mass to move, performance tightens up dramatically. The Conciso is said to reach 62 mph in around five seconds and continue on to roughly 170 mph (274 km/h)—numbers that push it closer to early-2000s supercar territory than late-’80s Ferrari grand touring.

It’s not about outright power. It never was. It’s about what happens when you remove everything that doesn’t absolutely need to be there.

A Collector’s Odyssey

After its Frankfurt debut, the Conciso entered a quieter, more nomadic phase. Michalak Design sold it to a North American collector, where it remained until 1998, before passing to a Belgian owner. In 2018, it returned to the United States, continuing its slow evolution from show car curiosity to bona fide collector oddity.

Between 2022 and 2023, the car underwent a comprehensive restoration by Italian specialists Bacchelli & Villa. More than €50,000 was spent returning it to its original specification, including a full respray in Rosso Corsa with Gunmetal Grey accents. The paintwork alone reportedly accounted for over €23,000—a reminder that when low-volume coachbuilt Ferraris are involved, even cosmetics operate in a different financial universe.

Now on the Market—Quietly

Today, the Conciso is being offered for sale in the United States through RM Sotheby’s Sealed platform, meaning no public price tag is attached. The last recorded auction result in 2018 placed it at $109,250, but given its rarity, restoration work, and renewed collector interest, that figure now feels more like a historical footnote than a benchmark.

RM Sotheby’s is keeping expectations discreet, which is fitting. Cars like this don’t really price themselves against standard Ferrari market logic. They exist in a narrower lane where design provenance, engineering curiosity, and sheer individuality matter as much as badge value.

The Conciso isn’t trying to be a better Ferrari 328 GTS. It’s trying to be a lighter, stranger, more focused interpretation of one. And in doing so, it has become something arguably rarer than performance alone: a Ferrari-based machine that feels genuinely unrepeatable.

In a market increasingly dominated by escalating horsepower wars and digital excess, the Conciso’s appeal is almost rebellious in its simplicity. Strip weight. Keep the engine. Redefine everything else.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

Sale

This 104-Mile 1987 Chevy Camaro IROC-Z Is a Time Capsule with an Ambitious Price Tag

The Chevrolet Camaro has spent decades perfecting the art of looking fast while standing still, and few eras did it with more attitude than the third generation. Boxy, low-slung, and unapologetically Eighties, the Camaro IROC-Z wasn’t just a trim level—it was a statement. And every so often, a survivor surfaces that reminds us just how sharp these cars could look before time, mileage, and questionable modifications took their toll.

Case in point: this 1987 Camaro IROC-Z, a car that has lived an almost suspiciously sheltered life. Since leaving the showroom, it has reportedly covered just 104 miles. Not 104,000—104. That’s barely enough distance to warm the oil, let alone scuff the bolsters.

Instead of heading to a polished auction platform like Bring a Trailer, where this kind of low-mileage unicorn would feel right at home, the seller has chosen a more old-school route. The car is currently listed on Facebook Marketplace in Bradenton, Florida, quietly waiting for the right buyer with both deep pockets and a strong sense of nostalgia.

According to the listing, the Camaro was originally delivered by Modern Chevrolet in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and has spent its entire existence tucked away in climate-controlled garages. If preservation were a competitive sport, this IROC-Z would be on the podium.

The IROC-Z badge—short for International Race of Champions—was more than just decals and louvers. Chevrolet gave these cars meaningful hardware upgrades, including Delco-Bilstein shocks, stiffer sway bars, improved braking, and a visual treatment that made standard Camaros look positively plain by comparison. In the late 1980s, this was as close as you could get to a factory-handling package without stepping into full-blown racing territory.

Buyers back then had a choice of two small-block V-8s: a 305-cubic-inch (5.0-liter) engine rated at 220 horsepower or a 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) version making a modestly higher 230 horses. This particular car gets the bigger engine, paired with a four-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels—exactly the configuration you’d expect from a muscle car of this vintage.

Unsurprisingly, the car appears virtually untouched. The deep red paint still shines with the kind of gloss most restored cars struggle to replicate, and the original wheels and tires remain in place. Inside, the gray-and-black interior shows no visible wear, looking more like a museum exhibit than something designed to endure decades of use.

The original factory invoice lists a purchase price of $18,000 back in 1987. Adjusted for inflation, that works out to roughly $52,500 today. The seller, however, is aiming considerably higher, with an asking price of $92,500—territory that puts it above even a brand-new Camaro ZL1 1LE.

That’s a bold number, no question. But then again, cars like this aren’t really about performance, value equations, or rational decision-making. They’re about restraint. About what happens when someone buys a muscle car and—against every instinct—decides not to drive it.

If you’ve ever wondered what 104 miles of ironclad self-control looks like, this IROC-Z is your answer. It’s a Camaro that’s barely stretched its legs since Reagan was in office—and it’s asking you to pay dearly for the privilege of keeping it that way.

Source: Facebook Marketplace