Thursday 11th September 2014

Porsche 928: You Know You Want To

Very early, very pretty 928 is uber desirable and potentially an investment too

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The list of European Car of the Year previous winners is a rather dreary collection. Family hatches, MPVs, a supermini or two; it's hardly the stuff PHers dream of. There have been some notable runners-up, including the BMW i3 this year and the GT86/BRZ in 2013.

Best car sticker ever?

But the Porsche 928, 36 years after its victory, remains the only performance car to have won the accolade. Given how strongly environmental credentials are now pushed in the competition, it seems unlikely that something with speed and driver enjoyment at the forefront will win again. Fingers crossed for the BMW i8 in 2015.

This 928 is especially exciting as it comes from 1978, making it one of the earliest cars from the ECOTY triumph year. Look, it still has the sticker in the rear window. Furthermore, as one of the first cars it is unembellished with the addenda of the later S4, GTS and such like. They were certainly fine cars but they lack the purity of the first 928s and trade prettiness for a more aggressive appearance. When you see a 928 like this one and appreciate how crisp, modern and just right the basic design is, that seems rather a shame.

Ah yes, 1978

But if the exterior doesn't date the car, the inside will. Wow! Don't stare at the interior pics too long, they will make your eyes hurt. There's probably an image of Ferdinand Porsche in the 'pasha' upholstery/optical illusion somewhere too. But it looks very presentable, and the seller assures us that everything is original bar the luggage cover.

In fact the vendor appears extremely knowledgeable and passionate about 928s, which is always a positive sign. As is the fact they own another one (!). It has been maintained at specialists, the history is detailed and they even go to mention the lack of nearside wing mirror and sunroof for the best 928 profile.

The advert also states that the 928 is 'cruelly overshadowed by another car from the Porsche family stable'. Damn right too. This 1974 S had covered 178,000 miles and is still £40K. There's a 1978 Carrera, admittedly restored and with some upgraded components, at £60K. The T-reg 928 is £14,995. Very different cars, granted, but surely the 928 is due its turn in the sun soon? The early models like this one especially so.

A 70s Porsche for £15K? Go on...

And if £15K is too much for a 928, there are more affordable cars out there (with fair warning about potentially ruinous running costs). This 1986 manual has a tamer colour combo, lots of recent work and a very tempting £6K asking price. At the other end of the scale there are low mileage cars above £30K and GTS 5.4s are comfortably over £20,000 now too.

But there's just something about the Guards Red one. It's the originality, the teledial wheels, the upholstery and the sticker. It's a 928 how the 928 was meant to be and a hugely alluring car as a result.

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PORSCHE 928
Price: £14,995
Why you should: An old and desirable Porsche that doesn't cost a fortune
Why you shouldn't: There are faster 928s, and cheaper ones too

See the original advert here.

[mrclav]

I will always have a soft spot for these because of the arcade game Chase HQ - that being said I'd only want the later S4, I never liked the lights of the original version...