The mistral is a cold, dry wind in southern France. It makes sense that Porsche tuner Gemballa based the name of its super sedan on such a force of nature because its Mistrale absolutely blows the Panamera Turbo away.
Put that down to all-carbon-fiber bodywork and extensive wrenching on the 4.8-liter V8. Gemballa adds “a revised air inlet system, high efficiency intercoolers, larger capacity purpose-built turbochargers, a high-flow exhaust system with sport catalytic converters, and a remapped ECU.” The company quotes 721 horsepower on its website, but Shmee states the car in the video below makes 744. Torque goes from a stock high of 568 lb-ft (w/ overboost) to a limited 701.
According to the world’s luckiest Youtuber, 0-62 mph is a 3.2-second gust. The Mistrale swings its speedo needle to 186 mph in a gale force-quick 25.6 ticks on a stopwatch.
I’m not particularly swept off of my feet by the Mistrale’s generous use of orange in the cockpit or its odd taillight treatment. However, that raucous exhaust note rocks me like a hurricane.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
