Porsche 928 40th anniversary in 2017

[rich888]

The Porsche 928 was quite revolutionary when it was first unveiled back in the late 1970s, what with extensive use of aluminium body panels and engine, along with cutting edge technology used throughout the design, together with it's near perfect weight distribution and stunning roadholding and grip, the 928 was certainly a stunning bit of kit, and it was very well built and was astonishingly fast, especially in its later years of production when the engine size went from 4.5 litre for the original 928, to 4.7 litre for the S2, onto 5.0 litre for the S4, then 5.4 litre for the final GTS variants.

Having owned several 928s I can say that the 928 V8 engine and exhaust note is quite intoxicating, very few cars sound so good, and the 928 goes from a lazy cruiser to a rottweiler in the blink of an eye. It really is a monster when it's unleashed. Many owners aren't even aware that in auto mode it will pull off in 2nd gear because it generates so much torque and horsepower at low revs that 1st gear simply isn't required, though 1st can be selected if necessary.

With top speeds of between 168mph and 171mph the 928 really is in the top end of performance cars even today, yet on daily run can it quite easily achieve 21mpg which is quite outstanding.

The 928 has 4 seats so the wife and two kids can be accommodated along with a boot full of associated junk, though have to say that rear space is a little bit cramped, so best not to put full size adults in the rear for a 500 mile trip across Europe.

As anyone who has watched the film 'Risky Business', the Porsche 928 is one stunning piece of technology and the start-up sequence at the beginning of the film is quite sensational - accept no substitute.

What many car enthusiasts may not know is that the 40th anniversary of the Porsche 928 is fast approaching in 2017 when the focus will be well and truly on the 928, and although prices had risen quite dramatically over the last two or three years, the values of the 928 range may well increase far more as this date approaches as more and more decent quality 928s disappear off the market to enthusiastic buyers both here and abroad.

Edited by rich888 on Thursday 4th June 00:06

[rich888]

V8KSN said:

At school a mates dad had a 928 (red with cream leather). It sounded fantastic and looked properly exotic too. It was like a spaceship in a sea of Sierra's and Ford Granada's.

Your friend's dad had great taste because mine is exactly the same interior and exterior colour and even has the same alloy wheels.

Mine is fitted with an X pipe which gives it more of a rumble to the exhaust note without making it too loud.

dictys said:

great car, here's mine......

Another gorgeous example, it's good to see that the 928 is finally being recognised for just how good it really is.

In terms of running costs:

I've just paid for another years classic car insurance for my 928 S4 which cost me just under £180 including european breakdown cover and agreed value, so can't really complain about that.

Fuel consumption is averaging 21mpg which I think is perfectly acceptable for a 5 litre V8.

Fitted two front Michelin Pilot Sport tyres 225/45x17 which cost £105 each inc fitting, balancing and VAT. The rear tyres are fine.

Annual service from a Porsche specialist came to £395 including gearbox oil change, flex-plate tension check, and Valvoline VR1 oil for the engine and she now drives very smoothly indeed.

What is there not to like, and compared to many other super cars I think these costs are very reasonable indeed.

[rich888]

When I was a lot younger one of my neighbours purchased a 1978 'T' reg Porsche 928 in sludge brown, with a bizarre checkered seat pattern that really wouldn't be safe to view after a night out with the lads, I managed to blag a spin out in it, and this is when I caught the 928 bug, because unlike anything else on the road, it was so right, it looked good, it sounded good, and it went like stink.

I purchased my first 928 S4 back in 90s and loved every minute driving it, and bought my 2nd 928 S4 a few years ago as a birthday present.

And unlike other purchases I've made, I've never regretted buying the 928 because it's always managed to put a massive smile on my face whenever I've driven it...

[rich888]

Cheburator mk2 said:

You don't drive them hard enough...

My S2 5spd never returned more than 20mpg...
The GT was best, with a 24.7mpg achieved on a 17 days road trip through France and Basque country in Spain (brim to brim)
The GTS 5-spd is firmly stuck at 20.3mpg over the last 3k miles that I have owned her
The race 928 - no idea, but I would hazard a guess of 5 to 6mpg...

Here is another thing... Last year I succumbed to the dark side and bought a 996 GT3 Club Sport. And started thinking about selling my 928 GTS 5-sdp. I bought it very well, enjoyed it massively on a 4-day road trip to Yorkshire, did a number of blats from SE London to the South Coast and thought - why not bag the cash, given that I have a new toy. Then I got into it and realised that "they don't make them as they used to" and that it was the perfect companion to the frenetic GT3. There is something very special about opening the impossibly long door, sliding into the sports seat, twisting the key and waiting for the 5.4ltrs of Porsche V8 to come to life. My GTS is a keeper...

Brilliant post, the 996 GT3 Club Sport is indeed a superb car from a different generation, and on paper it may be faster, but there is just something just so very unique about the 928 because it is just so good at what it does with utter teutonic efficiency. It's power output is just linear with none of this wait, wait, wait full one power stuff. The power is simply there whenever, wherever you need it thanks to the hugely powerful and under-stressed V8 engine.

The 928 S4 auto is probably the most popular variant, which has the very easy going 5 litre V8, but make no mistake, if you put your foot down hard, this majestic animal will transform into a Rottweiler, and with no traction control or any other namby pamby controls you had better have full respect of what you are driving.

The Porsche 928 GT and GTS are undoubtably well into supercar territory, the GT being all manual cars, whilst the GTS has a 5.4 litre V8 engine mated to a manual or auto gearbox which is my top choice if I had the money, so I'm kind of drooling over your GTS, but am more than happy with my 928 S4 which always puts a smile on my face whenever I turn the key and start her up.... is drop dead gorgeous

[rich888]

dictys said:

My S4 has been slightly tuned and perfect for long distance travels and my old daily commute, a couple of years ago in a land far far away I needed to drive 1000 Km which was done with an average speed of 104 mph, the car performed faultlessly through out.

Here is some video I took whilst messing around with the 928.

Now days however, I cannot seem to stop tinkering with it, so only does a few hundred miles a year which is a shame.

Thanks dictys for your post and the link to your fantastic video footage of the 928 in action, and which looks like it was recorded in Australia or somewhere thereabouts, might I ask what camera you used to record the outboard footage because it looks very impressive?

I have a few dash-cams fitted on the windscreen of my 928 but they certainly don't convey the speed anywhere near as well as the outboard cameras you have fitted.


EDIT: If you need any help with maintaining your 928 then take a look at http://www.928.org.uk/ and perhaps subscribe to their mailing list http://www.928.org.uk/928uk-mailing-list.html

Edited by rich888 on Thursday 11th June 00:48

[rich888]

Just noticed that Targa Florio Cars who are based in Chichester, West Sussex, have a very nice looking Guards Red 1992 928 GTS manual with only 75,000 miles on the clock for £60,000

http://www.targafloriocars.com/used-car-porsche-92...

[rich888]

K-Cee said:

Iv,e owned my 80 928S manual for 23 years now and the love affair will never die.

Very nice indeed and with 23 years behind you the 928 must be part of your soul.

A colleague of mine has an identical coloured 928S that he is currently doing up at his leisure, though I think his may be an auto. I just think they look so good from most angles and sound so damn impressive with that low pitch rumble from the exhaust pipe that few other cars can match.

I was lucky enough to hitch a ride in a manual GT last year (late November) down to the annual 928 meet at the Merry Miller pub and was quite astonished at how different the manual 928s are compared to the autos. Despite the weather not being very favourable it was very enjoyable trip down and the pub car-park was packed solid with 928s to such an extent that there were very little spaces left for any other customers, was truly astounding. I took a few pics of the event and posted the pics on my Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/100047767@N07/sets/7...

[rich888]

K-Cee said:

Here,s the " Engine room".., underside is fully detailed as well .

Wow, you could eat your dinner off that, is great to see a few examples that have been well cared for by their owners, at least a few of us care.

If you have the time you ought to have a drive over to the Porsche meet at Chatsworth House on Sunday 5th July 2015, well always assuming the weather is dry and sunny.

OlberJ said:

Falling back in love with my 928 after the 964 left.

Just rmb'd it : https://youtu.be/snP7n9paA5Q



Getting about 15mpg but do need to sort out my vac lines asap.

Beautiful pic and the scenery isn't bad either

[rich888]

A few pics of my 928 at the Porsche meet at Chatsworth House in 2014.

[rich888]

Land Shark GT said:

Bo_apex said:

I agree. Fortunate to have good examples of both S4/GT variants, with the GT definitely feeling even more alive through handling and power.
The differential between them is akin to the Testarossa and 512 TR evolution. Both S4 and GT are great fun, massively capable in their own right

The GT is a far different experience, having owned both I know. The Auto is
good though lazy and soft in comparison, it has to be prodded. To have full control
and manipulation of the big V8 with the clutch pedal is a unique experience virtually unrivalled
in any other car, a feeling of unbridled power akin to a Jaguar Lister or Aston Martin V8

Totally agree with what you have said, the manual does feel more alive, whilst the auto is just plain lazy when you want it to be, but it needs to be remembered that the auto is no slouch, if you select '3' in auto at standstill it will quite happily select 1st gear, spin the rear wheels, and charge right up to 121mph if driven in anger before 4th gear needs to selected, my first 928 S4 which I purchased back in the early 1990s used to change up at 60 for 1st gear, 90 for 2nd gear, and 121 for 3rd gear, and bearing in mind autos tend to pull off in 2nd gear if left in 'D' means that 928s can pull away from standstill to 90mph with no gear-change which tends to crush everything in their path.

I actually chased an early manual 928 S2 back in the 1980s along the main road on my super-bike which at that time was king of the road, and I have to say the 928 sounded awesome as it went through the gears, and though the bike was faster to 100mph I chose not to overtake it because it sounded just so good, and it was a wise decision because when this thing pulled off the main road onto the side-road it was quite astonishing to watch it accelerate through the corners whilst I was hanging on for dear life. Absolutely stunning, awesome... it was just sensational...

Ought to mention I'm a far more experienced and patient driver nowadays so haven't actually tried these redline antics with my current 928 S4, plus there are far too many taxpayer funded safety [tax revenue?] camera jobsworths looking to justify their parasitic existence, which rather ruins the whole driving experience.

[rich888]

Land Shark GT said:

So Porsche 928 is 40 shortly and also rumours of a new 928 type model regardless
of what it wil lbe called it will have a nod to the 928 model, may be 929?
I think what we are seeing at the moment is the begining of the best 928 models
somersaulting in value.

I think you will find the replacement is already available, though has grown quite substantially in girth and weight and is called the Cayenne

When the 928 was first unveiled back in the 1970s I seem to remember it seemed quite a large car, but nowadays it seems quite low, lean and mean, possibly because modern day cars have just gotten bigger, heavier and fatter!

The 928 has aged remarkably well considering it was unleashed onto the market back in the 1970s when slab sided cars were the fashion, just watch an episode of Fawlty Towers to appreciate just how bad the average cars were in those days, I seem to remember cars on the road such as Maxi, Allegro [Aggro], Princess, Cortina, etc, even sports cars were going flab sided like the Esprit and the TVR, so the Porsche 928 must have looked like it had dropped out of the sky from a different planet. I seem to recollect it was marketed against the likes of the Jaguar 5.3 V12 and the Mercedes 500 SEC, when in actual fact it was a far more accomplished supercar than the Lamborghini Countach or the Ferrari 512BB, both of which were true supercars in the 1980s, but not very practical.

Fast forward to 2015 and I feel that the exterior shape hasn't aged too badly at all and looks good from most angles, whilst the interior is just perfect whether in light or dark colours, everything fits where it ought to, visibility front and rear is good, and thankfully the digital dash is clear and precise, with Porsche refusing to clutter up the display. The sweeping centre console design is fantastic.

It's no wonder that good quality examples of the 928 are finally being snapped up by collectors from around the world who have finally realised just how good the 928 is in everything it does. Sure there are cheap and tatty examples out there which will cost a fortune to maintain, but isn't that the case for most cars that have been badly neglected.

Porsche 928 S4 auto - 5 litre V8 - 320 horse power - 21 MPG - 4 seats - 168mph top speed - how many modern day cars offer such a combination?

[rich888]

OlberJ said:

Do you mean Panamera?

Can't see the Cayenne link myself.

Was being a little sarcastic with my comment about the Cayenne so don't read too much into it.

I've not actually seen that many Panameras on the road, though did see a couple parked up at last years Porsche meet at Chatsworth House, I wasn't actually paying too much attention to it at the time but did think it was massive.

However, the Porsche Cayenne seems to be very popular at the moment, I can only assume that drivers are wanting something a bit more unique than the Range Rover which do seem to be everywhere, but each time I see a Cayenne I always think of it as a 928 on stilts. And apologies to anyone owning a Cayenne, it wasn't my intention to cause offence, just a casual observation.

[rich888]

Land Shark GT said:

rich888 said:

A few pics of my 928 at the Porsche meet at Chatsworth House in 2014.

Your car looks superb in Guards with those Cups.
I changed back to my d90s with correct offset, what a difference, the
car is like a bally dancer now, but cups look better

Cheers for that, as regards to the correct offset I took my 928 down to Paul Anderson who is one of the more established 928 specialists who commented on the offset and managed to improve the handling characteristics quite substantially, it no longer darts about on white lines and tracks perfectly. I don't think I'm a good enough driver to push it anywhere near its limits and having stuffed one off the road backwards many years ago when I was a lot younger have great respect for it. It's like a Rottweiler, you don't push it too hard or it will bite you.

Incidentally, your comment about the 'bally dancer' made me laugh, did you mean ballet dancer or belly dancer, or for that matter pole dancer

[rich888]

peteA said:

Just finished prepping mine for its MOT tomorrow - new front tyres and rear brakes plus a general clean and lube!







Fingers crossed for a pass!!!

Wow, that looks absolutely stunning, you will have to bring it down to the Thoresby classic car show in a couple of weeks time.

[rich888]

peteA said:

MOT Passed!

Congratulations, sounds like all the hard work paid off - funnily enough I changed the front tyres on my 928 this year.

As I mentioned previously, if you get the chance for drive out, bring it down to the Thoresby show this Bank Holiday Monday 31st August 2015, address is Thoresby Park, Ollerton, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG22 9EP. For further info visit: http://www.classicshows.org/component/ohanah/43rd-...

I took quite a few pics at the Thoresby show a few years ago when it was dry and sunny. Was a brilliant day out with hundreds and hundreds of cars of all varieties to drool over: https://www.flickr.com/photos/100047767@N07/albums...

[rich888]

Modern Classics said:

Bo_apex said:

we had a Murcielago behind us last week, and when we stopped the driver commented how awesome the 928 sounded.

Digging around some literature I found this snippet from Tony Dron:

Then the 928 GT came out, a sharp and focused driver's car with 330bhp, 171mph top speed and, crucially, a five-speed manual gearbox and sports suspension. To quote Porsche racer and journalist Tony Dron: "The 928 GT was set up to satisfy those who liked to drive hard, yet still not scare the pants off them... a true driver's car with bags of character. A strong, growling beast, there really is something rather grand and magnificent about it."

There is something truly unique about the GT. Slurring through those gears one feels
very empowered, and that sound......The way the vehicle shifts its weight as it
sets up for bends and the engagament with the steering when you turn in,
couple this with the extra weight to the pedals and the feeling of one whole solid
piece being directed as one. Truly is a vehicle that very few have properly
experienced, and the Auto is just a blunted version of what the car always should be,
it has its place of course and is a superb GT only softer.

Very good sum up of the 928 GT and the auto models which have to be driven in anger to appreciate just how good they are. But not for the meek.

Having chased a manual 928 accelerating hard out of a roundabout some years ago I can confirm that the Porsche 928 does indeed sound like a V8 should, full blown awesome and totally intoxicating are words that come to mind. The start-up sequence at the beginning of Risky Business was pretty damn good but nothing compared to the real thing.

The 928 is a real wolf in sheep's clothing. It is so easy going and so very lazy when you want it to be... well that's until you put your foot down hard when it shows its true colours. I've not done this in my current 928 S4 because I'm now older and wiser, but when I was younger I discovered that the 928 S4 did 60mph in 1st, 90mph in 2nd, 121mph in 3rd, and am led to believe over 165mph in 4th. And it just sits there rock solid on the autobahn for hours on end with little drama.

[rich888]

Bo_apex said:

And one place above the E-Type for GQ style rankings...
http://www.gq.com/gallery/25-most-stylish-gq-cars-...

The Porsche 928 was mentioned as being one of the top 30 cars to rise in 2016 in the October 2015 'Classic Cars' magazine which is on sale now, and I see no reason to doubt their recommendations, bearing in mind that the 40th anniversary of the Porsche 928 is in 2017 so a great deal of attention will be focused on what really is an exceptionally good GT car. Even Clarkson has a soft spot for the 928 which speaks volumes.

The 928 is fast, handles extremely well, offers staggeringly high levels of grip, is practical being a 2+2 seater with a decent sized boot, fairly economical (ave 21mpg), is cheap to insure, very easy to drive fast or slow, and it really is very very fast, with speeds of well over 165mph attained in relative ease, though this is what you should expect from a well engineered 5 litre V8 supercar designed and built in Germany.

Just don't go and buy a cheap neglected example from fleabay.

[rich888]

Modern Classics said:

peteA said:

Just been for little run in my S4...just a gentle waft to give it a run...it's getting more and more under my skin everytime I drive it, each time I clean it, each time I do a job. Got back today and stood back just looking at it and thinking damn it's a great looking car...mines a 88 and getting on for 30 years old but the styling has aged brilliantly and interior is still modern(ish) and such a nice place to be.

Edited by peteA on Saturday 5th September 17:50

I feel that rythym, advertised my GT, been up for 4 months, then I take it out
on a good day, and suddenly all is right with the world, who cares when the phone rings,
fools they are the lot of them, what do they know?

Its that Porsche thing, when they get it right, boy they get it right...

Totally agree with you, the 928 is just a gorgeous in every way, the curves just work, the interior is just so right even though it's nearly 40 years since it was unleashed onto the world, it's not a 911, but then it must be remembered it never tried to be, the 911 and 928 are like chalk and cheese. The interior has to be one of the nicest cabins of any car to date, It just works.

The 911 from the same era is indeed a true drivers car, and demands your attention 'all' of the time, whilst the 928 is an altogether a more relaxed drive home after a hard days work if you 'want' it to be. The 928 is a true grand tourer, though has the ability to crush the majority of sports cars on the road even today when pushed.

And to any potential 928 buyers or enthusiasts wanting to read up on the 928, I highly recommend you read the hardcover book 'Porsche 928' by Brian Long, which is absolutely beautiful in every way, I had to wait for several months until it was reprinted, and have to say it was well worth the wait. Check out Amazon or WH Smith's if you're interested.

[rich888]

K-Cee said:

arqpedro said:

It's on "911 & Porsche World" in the January issue and not on the December...
On sale somewhere in the begining of December.

.., thank,s very much..., Very unusual for that mag to feature anything 928 related, it,s usually all about " Flymo,s", ? every issue.

Whilst in WH Smiths today I took a look in the December's edition of '911 & Porsche World' (which is out now) and there is indeed an article about a 928 S4 clocking up 24,000 km across a desert in Iran which looked very interesting indeed. I meant to buy a copy but was short for time, will buy a copy at the weekend and see if there are any other articles in the mag.

Edited by rich888 on Thursday 5th November 15:47

[rich888]

I posted this on another thread but just in case you haven't read it, the annual 928.org.uk meeting is taking place at the Merry Miller pub on Saturday 21st November 2015. Last year the pub car park will packed solid with 928 owners and enthusiasts so it was a very interesting day out indeed.

Address: THE MERRY MILLER, COTHILL, NEAR ABINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE, OX13 6JW. TEL: [phone]

To anyone interested,I took a few pics last November and posted them on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/100047767@N07/albums...