Here at Topspeed, we like to make jokes as much as the next guy, but sometimes, we’re met with some pretty distressing news that, quite frankly, if joked about, would makes us look totally classless and insensitive.

That being said, in all seriousness, we got pretty bummed out when we heard the news that Uwe Gemballa, the founder and big boss of the popular Porsche->ke1 tuner, Gemballa, has been reported missing.

According to a number reports, Gemballa was found missing during the 51-year olds trip to South Africa. There’s no confirmed location as to where he disappeared but the prevailing opinion is that the Gemballa fell off the grid while he was in Johannesburg, which, incidentally, is one of the most notoriously dangerous cities in the world known for its stratospheric crime rate.

For their part, German investigators have been working with local authorities in South Africa to find Gemballa and bring him back to safety.

Our thoughts are with his family as they try to cope with this pretty distressing news and we hope for the safe return of Uwe Gemballa.

.