Uwe Gemballa missing... (uhh not missing, running from German govt)
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Uwe Gemballa missing... (uhh not missing, running from German govt)
"Porschephiles and automotive enthusiasts the world over recognize the name Gemballa. The German tuning house has been responsible for some of the most extreme creations on four wheels and has been a well-respected brand for decades. Now reports indicate that Uwe Gemballa, founder and head of the namesake aftermarket tuner, has gone missing.
According to the reports, the 51-year-old Gemballa was on a trip to South Africa when he went missing. The suspected site of his disappearance is Johannesburg, long known as one of the most dangerous cities in the world due to the rampant violent crime rate in its downtown core. Investigators in Germany are reportedly in contact with law enforcement authorities in South Africa in an effort to recover Uwe, and for our part, we hope his safe return comes as quickly as his record-breaking supercars."
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/0...frica/
According to the reports, the 51-year-old Gemballa was on a trip to South Africa when he went missing. The suspected site of his disappearance is Johannesburg, long known as one of the most dangerous cities in the world due to the rampant violent crime rate in its downtown core. Investigators in Germany are reportedly in contact with law enforcement authorities in South Africa in an effort to recover Uwe, and for our part, we hope his safe return comes as quickly as his record-breaking supercars."
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/0...frica/
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Yesterday, the exotic car world was preparing to mourn the loss of tuner Uwe Gemballa, who "disappeared" in South Africa last week. Turns out he's probably still alive, but we should prepare to mourn the loss of his company anyway.
Uwe is the owner of Gemballa, best known for producing insane tuner Porsches, but also other exotics, like the Enzo-based MIG-U1 above.
Apparently, Uwe's disappearance has something to do with German officials showing up and sealing the Gemballa facility yesterday and impounding all the cars inside. Private owners with cars caught up by this must be able to show definitive proof of ownership if they hope to reclaim their property. No word yet on what the cause of all of this could be. [via CarsUK]
http://jalopnik.com/5472919/
Uwe is the owner of Gemballa, best known for producing insane tuner Porsches, but also other exotics, like the Enzo-based MIG-U1 above.
Apparently, Uwe's disappearance has something to do with German officials showing up and sealing the Gemballa facility yesterday and impounding all the cars inside. Private owners with cars caught up by this must be able to show definitive proof of ownership if they hope to reclaim their property. No word yet on what the cause of all of this could be. [via CarsUK]
http://jalopnik.com/5472919/
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From: Florida
An update of sorts
Missing German may have staged own 'kidnapping'
By De Wet Potgieter and Raymond Joseph - Times Live
Detectives of the police's organised crime unit are investigating the possibility that a German businessman who was feared kidnapped soon after arriving in Johannesburg last month may have staged his own disappearance.
Police initially believed that Uwe Gemballa, whose Porsche conversion company has outlets worldwide, may have been kidnapped after he called his wife soon after arriving in Johannesburg from Dubai on February 8 and asked her to wire him a million euros.
But now police believe that Gemballa - whose company in Germany was placed in provisional liquidation soon after he disappeared - has gone into hiding in a bid to avoid creditors.
The possibility that Gemballa may be lying low in Angola, where a successful franchise of his company operates, is also being investigated.
Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said: "We have no information that Gemballa was kidnapped and we are treating the investigation as that of a missing person."
Gemballa was due to meet a fugitive Czech Republic billionaire, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.
The billionaire, Radovan Krejcír, confirmed on Friday that he had been prepared to put the money up for a Gemballa Porsche conversion franchise to be set up in South Africa. But he denied he had ever met Gemballa and said he had no idea where the German was.
Krejcír has already been sentenced in absentia to six-and-a-half years for tax fraud in the Czech Republic. In 2005, the High Court in Johannesburg turned down an application for his extradition.
The German authorities have sent detectives to South Africa to assist local authorities.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytim...icle341473.ece
By De Wet Potgieter and Raymond Joseph - Times Live
Detectives of the police's organised crime unit are investigating the possibility that a German businessman who was feared kidnapped soon after arriving in Johannesburg last month may have staged his own disappearance.
Police initially believed that Uwe Gemballa, whose Porsche conversion company has outlets worldwide, may have been kidnapped after he called his wife soon after arriving in Johannesburg from Dubai on February 8 and asked her to wire him a million euros.
But now police believe that Gemballa - whose company in Germany was placed in provisional liquidation soon after he disappeared - has gone into hiding in a bid to avoid creditors.
The possibility that Gemballa may be lying low in Angola, where a successful franchise of his company operates, is also being investigated.
Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said: "We have no information that Gemballa was kidnapped and we are treating the investigation as that of a missing person."
Gemballa was due to meet a fugitive Czech Republic billionaire, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.
The billionaire, Radovan Krejcír, confirmed on Friday that he had been prepared to put the money up for a Gemballa Porsche conversion franchise to be set up in South Africa. But he denied he had ever met Gemballa and said he had no idea where the German was.
Krejcír has already been sentenced in absentia to six-and-a-half years for tax fraud in the Czech Republic. In 2005, the High Court in Johannesburg turned down an application for his extradition.
The German authorities have sent detectives to South Africa to assist local authorities.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytim...icle341473.ece
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http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/18/g...still-missing/
Word out of Germany is that things aren't looking any better for Gemballa. The famed Porsche tuner is well on its way through bankruptcy after founder and CEO Uwe Gemballa suddenly "disappeared" in South Africa back in February. Judging by our less than trusty Google Translator, Auto Bild says that the company had trouble paying its employees and Uwe set up a shadow corporation with his mother as the sole stock holder just before pulling a Houdini. The article says that he was seeking investors in his new venture in Abu Dhabi and South Africa when the tuning legend vanished off of the face of the Earth.
With the founder missing and no leads to his whereabouts, South African police are beginning to suspect the worst. Likewise, the company has gone from being one of the world's most renowned Porsche tuners to being raided by tax men and other law-enforcement agencies. Either way, we don't expect to be seeing new Gemballa creations anytime soon, as the shop has apparently been shuttered after nearly 30 years.
With the founder missing and no leads to his whereabouts, South African police are beginning to suspect the worst. Likewise, the company has gone from being one of the world's most renowned Porsche tuners to being raided by tax men and other law-enforcement agencies. Either way, we don't expect to be seeing new Gemballa creations anytime soon, as the shop has apparently been shuttered after nearly 30 years.
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From: Alberta
Just wow! 
http://jalopnik.com/5654064/uwe-gemb...n-south-africa
http://jalopnik.com/5654064/uwe-gemb...n-south-africa
Uwe Gemballa — who ran a company featuring Porsche upgrades and disappeared soon after arriving in South Africa five months ago — has been found dead, shot execution-style in the head.
Gemballa's disappearance caused many outlets — us included — to question what Gemballa was involved in. The Sunday Times now claims he may have become embroiled in a money laundering scheme involving Czech billionaire Radovan Krejcir and
"The discovery of his body threatens to blow wide open an international syndicate - stretching from Switzerland and Germany to Johannesburg - involving alleged money laundering, tax evasion, imported cars stuffed with cash and contract killings."
So all we know now is that finding his body is only the first step in finding the truth of what in the world happened to Uwe Gemballa
Gemballa's disappearance caused many outlets — us included — to question what Gemballa was involved in. The Sunday Times now claims he may have become embroiled in a money laundering scheme involving Czech billionaire Radovan Krejcir and
"The discovery of his body threatens to blow wide open an international syndicate - stretching from Switzerland and Germany to Johannesburg - involving alleged money laundering, tax evasion, imported cars stuffed with cash and contract killings."
So all we know now is that finding his body is only the first step in finding the truth of what in the world happened to Uwe Gemballa
Last edited by CDNROCKIES; Oct 3, 2010 at 12:03 AM.
^^^ Here's the one from Autoblog
News is coming in that the body of Uwe Gemballa has been found in South Africa. Gemballa was the former CEO of the Porsche tuning company that bares his name. As we reported earlier this year, Mr. Gemballa went missing in February after arriving in South Africa for a business trip.
The details that poured in after the reported disappearance of Gemballa caused great speculation that shady business deals were afoot. He was reportedly having trouble paying its employees, his wife was given power of attorney and registered the company for bankruptcy and he had started a second company with his 79 year-old mother listed as the sole stockholder.
To further muddy the waters, it's being reported that Uwe Gemballa was turning towards Czech fugitive and South African organized crime boss, Radovan Krejcir. A former business partner of Krejcirs by the name of Juan Meyer has provided the local police with a sworn statement, saying that the Porsche tuner and the mobster were working on a business arrangement. Gemballa was slow in getting money to Krejcir and it may be what cost him his life.
It's a sad, speculative end for a once famed tuner of German sports cars. The Gemballa company has moved on since Uwe's disappearance but these new stories can't help it as remaining employees attempt to revive the company.
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/03/b...-south-africa/
The details that poured in after the reported disappearance of Gemballa caused great speculation that shady business deals were afoot. He was reportedly having trouble paying its employees, his wife was given power of attorney and registered the company for bankruptcy and he had started a second company with his 79 year-old mother listed as the sole stockholder.
To further muddy the waters, it's being reported that Uwe Gemballa was turning towards Czech fugitive and South African organized crime boss, Radovan Krejcir. A former business partner of Krejcirs by the name of Juan Meyer has provided the local police with a sworn statement, saying that the Porsche tuner and the mobster were working on a business arrangement. Gemballa was slow in getting money to Krejcir and it may be what cost him his life.
It's a sad, speculative end for a once famed tuner of German sports cars. The Gemballa company has moved on since Uwe's disappearance but these new stories can't help it as remaining employees attempt to revive the company.
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/03/b...-south-africa/