...Get loose as I boost the juice

Once more for the people who wanted it

an' didn't know what's in store

I've got another big hit

Of course a Vanilla rides the groove like a Gemballa Porsche....

 

As do the lyrics say of a 1994 Vanilla Ice song named "Get Loose". The song itself isn't award-winning stuff but his reference to "Gemballa" is to say the least very interesting (to people like me). When you go on the web and look for 1980's Gemballa Porsches it won't take long before the name of Vanilla Ice pops up. His ownership of a Gemballa Porsche in 1990's has led to bullshit of biblical proportions. Time to try and set the record straight....

 

The year is 1988. Robert van Winkle, aka "Vanilla Ice", was still dancing his ass off in a club in Dallas while at the same time Uwe Gemballa finished another one of his Porsche 911 / 930 based Gemballa Cyrrus Convertibles, of which eventually 15 were to be constructed. This particular car was painted a special dark-blue with a creme leather interior. After beeing finished it was displayed at the 1989 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, most likely to show off it's many electronic gadgetry that was installed with the help of Pioneer. After the car was displayed it must have been sold somewhere only to resurface in 1991 when it was offered for sale by a company called Precision Imports of Tulsa Oklahoma. The car only had 2000 miles on the clock and was like new (according to the add). Not long after (summer '91) the car was bought by the "Vanilla Ice Touring Group" for a hefty pricetag of about $235,000 (price of new car must have been $310,000). Lovely....

 

Allthough the car built in 1988 quite surely was in prestine condition when bought by Vanilla Ice, the car wasn't good enough for Van Winkle.... In 1991 or '92 the car was brought back to Gemballa's shops in Leonberg, Germany where it once again was heavily modified to Ice's specs: the flared wheel arches of the original car were retained, but the nose, bumpers, wheels and interior were completely changed to "1992 specs". This actually meant, although the car was a Porsche 911 Turbo "930-model" the bumpers were of the latest Gemballa Porsche 911 "964-model"-range. The slanted nose was retained but the pop-up headlights were substituted by plexiglass covers. Wheels used to be BBS spoked rims but where changed to OZ Racing Futura five-spoke multi-piece rims. The interior was completely re-upholstered in white leather and the stereo might have been upgraded too. In an interview Vanilla Ice states the car had 500BHP.... but it could very well be the original 3.2L 375 horsepower Ruf engine since Vanilla Ice also stated he was a gangbanger and grew up in Miami, something from his own imagination too....

 

This white '92 Gemballa Cyrrus wasn't just special to Vanilla Ice.... to Gemballa it must have been a special one too, their first car to be completed after the early 1990's bankrupcy of the company.

 

Did Vanilla Ice own any other Gemballa Porsches? I don't know, but my gutfeeling says that this car was the only one.....

 

The 1988 Porsche 911 Turbo modified as Gemballa Cyrrus as it was on offer in a 1991 Dupont Registry Magzine.

 

No words....

 

Vanilla Ice in his new Gemballa, somewhere in Germany. The car is still in his original shape...

 

The Gemballa Cyrrus "Spec '92" with Vanilla Ice behind the wheel. The complete makeover of the car is obvious. Note the very deeply tinted sidewindow...

 

The car in a pressphoto, still sporting a German licenseplate (probably of another car).

 

The six-pipes had to go too.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Text: copyright Bram Corts 2017

 

e-mail:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.