928 GT - how does it handle?

[northo]

If anyone here could give me an idea of how the 928 (manual) handles on the twisty stuff or around a track, I would be most grateful.

Took a drive in one today, not as quick as I was expecting, and definately a GT, but I didn't really get a chance to hoon it through a few corners. Still absoulutely love the car, but the general feel of the car gave me some concerns.

This would be a Sunday/ hooning/ occasional track day car for me, but I am used to driving fairly nimble cars on twisty roads. I know I would enjoy the car, but would the less sharp handling eventually get to me?

[993 tt]

Hi,

don't compare it to a 911 ... and everything is fine :-)

The 928 GT is more of a tourer or when it comes to handling it feels like a "carver" that needs wider radius to feel comfortable. It is amazing for travelling long distances, the ride comfort with the standard wheels (16'') is very good.

The engine is truly a fine piece of Porsche Engineering ... and the GT is different from all other 928's ... it's sharper in response and has an extra power boost from 4500 rpm upwards ... great fun to rev it up to 6800 rpm ... the V8 noise is great !!!

Fuel consumption on the german Autobahn is about 13,5 liters when cruising within the range of 180 - 220 km/h ... that's less than most contemporary V8 cars need ??!!!

But ... it might not be the right car for a race track ... or twisty narrow backroads in the UK.

I love the 928 GT ... it is an underestimated classic ... and a sensation to drive ... if you don't expect him to behave like a 911.

Cheers
Tom

[graeme73s]

Like a big fat old pig.
That said what an awesome bit of kit. I raced a 928GTS a good few years back and it is the only front engined Porsche car that I have ever driven that gave me a grin from ear to ear. Massive grunt and sounds the bo**ocks.

[Grant3]

Fabulous sporting Gt with a V8 heart & dog leg first gear, but no track car, if track is your thing & you are looking at that era, 968 Clubsport all the way!

[northo]

The idea is to take it out on a couple of track days a year, but I am not a track demon - just a few fun laps. I would like to take it to the 'Ring, maybe do a trip to the Alpine passes, but the main aim is to hoon it around Scotland. I use the A701 - The Scottish Nurburgring - a lot, and have just done 1000 miles around Scotland in a Sagaris, which took 18 hours or so.

I have concerns that I will be digging the nose into the tarmac a lot, and that I may find it a bit too heavy. That said, I can't afford a 911, the Elise I would want is too dear and probably not powerful enough. Jap stuff has no soul, Italian stuff too unreliable or too dear.

The 928 ticks all the boxxeds for me. My wish list was:

300 + bhp
A classic of sorts
Cool looking
Relatively reliable
4 seats if poss (for the sprogs)
Good sound

I absolutely love the look of the car, and the one I have found is my perfect colour - white.

It's just the fear that I will find the car too cumbersome for the type of driving I like - having said that, I do have access to modern sports cars for that fix, but I am buying something to keep me away from them!

[993 tt]

Hmmmm,

Sagaris, Elise ...

Well ... i don't know ... maybe the GT is not the right car for your purpose.

Maybe you should go and find a decent 911 SC 3.0 with the 204 bhp engine ... fairly light car, good for narrow twisties ... quite spontanious engine character ... acceleration up to 160 km/h practically in par with most n.a aircooled 911's. Low maintenence costs compared to a 928!!! due to far less complex mechanics and the total lack of electronics ;-)

Regards
Tom

[northo]

Are the 928's costly to maintain?

[993 tt]

i'd say yes !!! Close to turbo-niveau ...

[deadslow]

northo said:

Are the 928's costly to maintain?

As with all older cars - depends what you buy. A regularly maintained and regularly driven 928 is not expensive to maintain. Quality independent servicing is widely available. Ran an S4 for several years. Loved the car; never once let me down; huge bang for buck.

Edited by deadslow on Thursday 8th March 01:43

[Brett928S2]

Hi

If you buy one thats not been looked after then yes expensive....but you buy one that been used as a daily driver and just normal servicing costs..

Also....they are a lot more nimble than people realise...take it to a track day and throw it into a corner and see...thats why they invented the Weissach axle for the rear of the 928 (its the first sort of rear wheel steering)

Also...when you start it...in the morning...and that huge V8 rumbles into life...that will put a smile on anyones face

I drive mine daily....and the fuel consumption is appalling (think under 20 around town) but I just dont care lol....it will cruise all day at 150 mph and hit around 170 if pushed (and thats without my Nitrous)

As the PCGB 928 moderator , I might be a little biased but they are an amazing car...

All the best Brett

[drybeer]

northo said:

I use the A701 - The Scottish Nurburgring - a lot,

Sorry for hijacking the thread...


But the "Devil's Beeftub" A701...

My favourite road - awesome.

I drive it for fun just to go from Moffat up to the forest area and down again

The Edinburgh end from the forest to Pennicuik is great too...

When do you drive it, and what in?

Also, your profile fleet seems to show a great deal of heavy tackle - sounds like one of them would be a better track car!!

I think 911 like a Carrera 3.2 or even an early 993 would be a better car for you than a 928 based upon your love of the A701!

Cheers!

Andrew Dryburgh

[graeme73s]

northo said:

Are the 928's costly to maintain?

something like 54 electric motors inside the cabin to go wrong. one most important piece of advice, make sure that the oil level is spot on the maximum mark on the dipstick prior to a track day. They only hold the same amount of oil as the 944, an idiot mechanic let me race the GTS with three quarters on the dipstick and I ran the crank, very expensive mistake on a GTS, £3500 just for the crank.

[barchetta_boy]

northo said:

Are the 928's costly to maintain?

No more and no less than any Porsche of the same age.

Advantages: unlike a 911 the engine is fairly accessible so you can do a lot of jobs yourself.

Disadvantages: there are a lot of electrical devices so there is more to go wrong. But guess what, on good ones there's a lot more to go right as well.

There is a thriving online community to help you out with maintenance.

As for the op's question, the handling on a 928 is IMHO superior to 911s of the same vintage that I have driven (911SC, 3.2 Carrera, 964 Carrera 2). The car is also considerably quicker, but then it would be as it has 330bhp and a n/a 5 litre V8.

They are not well understood cars (they're quite rare for a start) and that is why people tend to say "ooh, they're costly to maintain" and "they're good GTs but that's it".

If you want one that drives properly your checklist is:

- belts within last 3 years or 40k (obviously)
- MAF has been refurb'd or replaced within last 5 yrs
- engine mounts done within last 5 yrs
- shocks and springs

Drive a proper one and you will see what I mean. The GT / manual S4 / manual GTS cars are magnificent but if you get a chance to drive an early S or indeed S2 manual, take it. The earlier 4.7 litre engine is peakier and more rev-happy than the later 5 litre 32 valve cars and is a thrilling drive, just as spine-tingling (for me) as a good old 911.

Cheers

Joel

[northo]

drybeer said:

northo said:

I use the A701 - The Scottish Nurburgring - a lot,

Sorry for hijacking the thread...


But the "Devil's Beeftub" A701...

My favourite road - awesome.

I drive it for fun just to go from Moffat up to the forest area and down again

The Edinburgh end from the forest to Pennicuik is great too...

When do you drive it, and what in?

Also, your profile fleet seems to show a great deal of heavy tackle - sounds like one of them would be a better track car!!

I think 911 like a Carrera 3.2 or even an early 993 would be a better car for you than a 928 based upon your love of the A701!

Cheers!

Andrew Dryburgh

Andrew, my parents in law live in Moffat, so they think I am a very attentive son in law!

I have driven the 701 in plenty of different cars - Cayman S, Zonda, Koenigsegg, Spyker, Mustang, 997, Nissan pick up, Lotus Elise and it's fantastic every time. I have even ridden it on my bike (man powered)! My favourite drive was either the Cayman or the Spyker.

For anyone who hasn't done it, its worth the trip. I agree "The Beeftub" section is superb - I normally turn around as soon as I reach Moffat and do the hill climb.

I know a guy who claims to have done Moffat to Leadburn in 26 minutes in an Evo VII.......

[drybeer]

northo said:

I know a guy who claims to have done Moffat to Leadburn in 26 minutes in an Evo VII.......

Coincidentally - and this is no joke, but I've done Lothianburn to Moffat in 30 mins in a Mondeo TDCi 130ps...

Also a customer has done Moffat to Fairmilehead and BACK in 45 mins in his Ferrari 360 F1...

I believe him - I tried ot keep up with him in the S4 at one point, and at 160 ish he left me...

This was on the A709 near Lochmaben!!

Where do you work at with all the Konigsegg / Spikers and so on?

[northo]

Livingston

[EVO575]

300 + bhp
A classic of sorts
Cool looking
Relatively reliable
4 seats if poss (for the sprogs)
Good sound

What about an Evo 1 Integrale?I have one with a Evocars 260bhp Eprom and upgraded exhaust.It is extremely reliable and goes like f**k.Handling is fantastic on the type of roads you are talking about and only runs out of puff at over about 120.I also know where there is a really good one for sale in white!

[pikey]

northo said:

I have driven the 701 in plenty of different cars - Cayman S, Zonda, Koenigsegg, Spyker, Mustang, 997, Nissan pick up, Lotus Elise and it's fantastic every time. I have even ridden it on my bike (man powered)! My favourite drive was either the Cayman or the Spyker.

So the Cayman was more fun than the Zonda or Koenigsegg? Excellent

[cheburator]

northo said:

If anyone here could give me an idea of how the 928 (manual) handles on the twisty stuff or around a track, I would be most grateful.

Took a drive in one today, not as quick as I was expecting, and definately a GT, but I didn't really get a chance to hoon it through a few corners. Still absoulutely love the car, but the general feel of the car gave me some concerns.

This would be a Sunday/ hooning/ occasional track day car for me, but I am used to driving fairly nimble cars on twisty roads. I know I would enjoy the car, but would the less sharp handling eventually get to me?

Hmm,

If I say BTG in 8:20 in mine - that good enough? 181mph GPS verified on the A1 near Koln...

It handles better than an 911 of the same era IMHO because it is easier to drive fast on the limit. I think it is little wonder that the 993 has the same rear axle layout as the 928. A boggo standard fully loaded 928GT (even rear air-con) did a full lap of the Nurburgring in 8:43 in 1990 on standard 16" wheels. Not bad me thinks for the era.

Driving the car is an occaision - the abundance of torque, the muscle car growl as the tacho needle approaches 6000rpm, the astonishing brakes, even by today's standards... Back in the 1990s nothing in the Porsche range accelerated faster at over 100mph than 928, with the exception of the 959 rocketship, which says something, I think.

Keeping one in good order is not much different than any other car capable of sub 6 secs 0-62 and 175mph+ top speed. I am sorry, but if you are budgeting less than £1500 per year for running costs, then there is no point reading further on. Some people say that the electrics could be temperamental, but my GT has blown 2 fuses and a fog light bulb in 2 years of ownership. I have covered 35k very hard miles in it. As long as you use it regularly and don't skip on maintainance, it is just a normal car. The only mechanical failure that I have had on my GT has been a fuel pump, which died on me in the middle of the Karussel...

Moreover, once I did London to the Grimsel Pass in 9 hours, then proceeded to do 14 Alpine passes, including the Furka, Schusten, Stelvio and Gavia in 3 days; then drove on to the Cinque Terre in Italy, San Remo, Monaco, Route Napoleon to Cherbourg and then back to London. The car did not miss a beat for the whole trip.

Currently, my GT has lost its interior, also acquired a cage, harnesses, seats, extinguisher system etc. and hopefully will be entered in the Intermarque championship for a couple of races later on in the year...

[northo]

cheburator said:

northo said:

If anyone here could give me an idea of how the 928 (manual) handles on the twisty stuff or around a track, I would be most grateful.

Took a drive in one today, not as quick as I was expecting, and definately a GT, but I didn't really get a chance to hoon it through a few corners. Still absoulutely love the car, but the general feel of the car gave me some concerns.

This would be a Sunday/ hooning/ occasional track day car for me, but I am used to driving fairly nimble cars on twisty roads. I know I would enjoy the car, but would the less sharp handling eventually get to me?

Hmm,

If I say BTG in 8:20 in mine - that good enough? 181mph GPS verified on the A1 near Koln...

It handles better than an 911 of the same era IMHO because it is easier to drive fast on the limit. I think it is little wonder that the 993 has the same rear axle layout as the 928. A boggo standard fully loaded 928GT (even rear air-con) did a full lap of the Nurburgring in 8:43 in 1990 on standard 16" wheels. Not bad me thinks for the era.

Driving the car is an occaision - the abundance of torque, the muscle car growl as the tacho needle approaches 6000rpm, the astonishing brakes, even by today's standards... Back in the 1990s nothing in the Porsche range accelerated faster at over 100mph than 928, with the exception of the 959 rocketship, which says something, I think.

Keeping one in good order is not much different than any other car capable of sub 6 secs 0-62 and 175mph+ top speed. I am sorry, but if you are budgeting less than £1500 per year for running costs, then there is no point reading further on. Some people say that the electrics could be temperamental, but my GT has blown 2 fuses and a fog light bulb in 2 years of ownership. I have covered 35k very hard miles in it. As long as you use it regularly and don't skip on maintainance, it is just a normal car. The only mechanical failure that I have had on my GT has been a fuel pump, which died on me in the middle of the Karussel...

Moreover, once I did London to the Grimsel Pass in 9 hours, then proceeded to do 14 Alpine passes, including the Furka, Schusten, Stelvio and Gavia in 3 days; then drove on to the Cinque Terre in Italy, San Remo, Monaco, Route Napoleon to Cherbourg and then back to London. The car did not miss a beat for the whole trip.

Currently, my GT has lost its interior, also acquired a cage, harnesses, seats, extinguisher system etc. and hopefully will be entered in the Intermarque championship for a couple of races later on in the year...

Thats what I wanted to hear! What have you had to spend on - can you give me an idea?