In-Depth Look at the Only Ferrari MIG-U1 in the World
The $10 million custom Ferrari is joined in the Middle Eastern desert by three custom Carrera GTs.
The Ferrari Enzo and the Porsche Carrera GT are two of the most highly regarded supercars from the past 20 years. Neither car is exactly lacking when it comes to street presence and pulling up in either one will typically result in jealous stares from anyone nearby. However, for some people that simply isn’t enough, and they want to have not just a rare car but the only car. Those discriminating folks can turn to Marc Philipp Gemballa of MP Gemballa GmbH to make them a special one of one creation.
YouTuber Supercar Blondie, whose real name is Alex Hirschi, gives us an exclusive look at the only Ferrari MIG-U1 in existence. The car is based on the Ferrari Enzo which was then given the full Gemballa treatment. Uwe Gemballa was the father of Marc Philipp and was mainly known for his customization of Porsches before his untimely death about a decade ago. The MIG-U1 name is a combination of the initials of the car’s owner and the “U1” which is Uwe’s initial and the 1 represents the first, and ultimately only, custom Enzo that he had done.
Hirschi begins her review by doing a walk around the outside of the car. “As you can see it looks pretty different to the original. Why? Because they’ve replaced the whole body, the whole body is different to an original Ferrari Enzo.” Says Hirschi. “The car was also designed for the Middle East, so to tackle the heat, they put this roof scoop on.” She continues. They also added a reverse camera to the car which was not on an original Enzo. The entire rear wing is also a custom design. Not that the original car was lacking power, but they gave it a bit more go to match the show with a 50-horsepower bump.
Moving to the inside we find a bespoke interior. A new display for the rear-view camera is a clear standout, as are the seats. “These seats are completely new, it’s not just like they’ve put new fabric on top of the old seats, everything about this car has been changed.” Says Hirschi. There is also a brand-new sound system but honestly, we are not sure why since the tuned engine sounds so amazing it is hard to imagine listening to anything else.
Having a car like this Ferrari to review would normally be the only focus for a video, however, there is much more to see. Just over some sand dunes are a few other Gemballa creations. Marc Philipp has followed in his father’s footsteps and is again focusing on modifying Porsches, and he is working with the Carrera GT of all things. He calls his creations Mirage GTs and there are only 25 in existence, and Hirschi is standing in front of three of them.
The cars have custom touches that Hirschi has never been seen before. While getting her first close look at one of the Mirage GTs she is left almost speechless while looking at the side mirror: “Oh my God, look at this carbon fiber. Is that white gold carbon fiber? Is that white gold?” Yes, the side mirror has a gold carbon fiber weave. Each Mirage GT is unique, but they all have custom design touches, from the hood, to the wheels to the doors, and custom exhaust.
Each Mirage GT also gets about a 60-horsepower bump from the tune and exhaust. As Hirschi climbs inside to start the car she tells us that she has been offered to take it out for a spin. Sadly, she must decline because she must get to another shoot. We have no idea what that other shoot is, but it must be pretty damn good to walk away from a chance to drive one of these cars. She does start the car so we can hear it, and predictably, it sounds amazing.
It is difficult to pick a favorite among these rare and wonderful cars. One thing is for sure though, it is not a bad way to spend some time in the desert.