Porsche 928

Porsche 928 at a glance

The 928 is a 2+2 hatchback coupé with a front engine, a rear-mounted gearbox and rear-wheel drive. It was designed by Wolfgang Möbius under the direction of Anatole Lapine. More Porsche models are listed in our Porsche catalogue, and news about the car is collected under the Porsche 928 tag.

History

At the end of the 1960s Porsche's management felt the rear-engined 911 had reached the limit of its development and began work on a successor with broader appeal. The engineers experimented with different layouts before choosing a front-mounted, water-cooled V8 and a transaxle - a configuration aimed especially at the American market, where large, refined engines were popular. The fuel crisis of the 1970s slowed development and hurt demand for big-engined cars, and in the end the 911 did not go away: Porsche sold both side by side, with the 928 positioned as the more luxurious and comfortable grand tourer. Chief executive Peter Schutz later confirmed that the 911 would stay in the range.

Porsche 928 versions

The S4 was the best-selling version with about 15,700 cars, while the limited Club Sport (19 cars) and SE (42 cars) are the rarest.

Exterior

The 928's silhouette is fast and clean, with a long bonnet, a pointed nose and a side view free of unnecessary detail. Its round pop-up headlights, which lie flat in the bonnet when not in use, and the smooth, rounded nose earned it the nickname "the shark". The body-coloured plastic bumpers were integrated into the shape of the car - unusual at the time - and largely housed the lights, indicators and number plate. The so-called "telephone dial" wheels, with their round holes, became one of the car's trademarks. Long doors and the large curved rear window with rounded triangular side windows complete the design.

The body was made of galvanised steel, while the doors, front wings and bonnet were aluminium to save weight. Thanks to the galvanising, Porsche could offer a long anti-corrosion warranty, and many 928s have survived in good condition.

Interior

In materials and comfort the 928 was a big step up from the more spartan 911. Power steering, electric mirrors, air conditioning and cruise control were part of its appeal. The driver faced a four-spoke steering wheel with a rectangular hub and a clear instrument cluster under a deep anti-glare hood. The dashboard had no sharp edges, and the steeply raked centre console was ergonomically sound, although the central armrest was rather narrow for two people. The front seats were comfortable, with an anatomical shape and good lateral support. The 928 is a four-seater, but the rear seats are much less comfortable than the front. The luggage compartment holds 178 litres according to published figures, rising to 580 litres with the rear seatbacks folded.

Engines and transmissions

All 928 engines are all-aluminium V8s with Bosch fuel injection. The original 4.5-litre engine produced 177 kW (240 PS), or 163 kW (219 hp) in North America because of emissions rules, and published figures give 0–100 km/h in about 7 seconds. The 4.7-litre 928 S of 1980 raised output to 221 kW (300 PS), and the 1987 S4 introduced a 5.0-litre four-valve-per-cylinder engine with 235 kW (320 PS).

The final 928 GTS of 1992 had a 5.4-litre V8 with 257 kW (350 PS); according to published figures its crankshaft had eight counterweights instead of six for smoother running, and it produced about 490 Nm, reached 100 km/h in about 5.5 seconds and had a top speed of 275 km/h. Gearboxes were a five-speed manual or a Mercedes-Benz-sourced automatic with three and later four speeds; the manual was dropped from the S4 in 1990 and was the only gearbox on the GT.

Chassis

The 928 had fully independent suspension, with the multi-link Weissach axle at the rear. The Weissach axle provided passive rear-wheel steering, countering the toe-out that would otherwise appear when the rear suspension was loaded on a trailing throttle and so reducing the tendency to oversteer - an important safety advance at the time. The transaxle layout gave balanced weight distribution and excellent stability at high speed. Later US versions received firmer dampers, and the lightweight Club Sport had a limited-slip differential with up to 40% locking according to published figures.

Key specifications

Strengths and weaknesses

The 928's strengths are its refined V8, its balanced transaxle chassis, high-speed stability, comfort and equipment far beyond the 911 of its day, and a timeless design that still looks modern. Its weaknesses were a high price even for the base version, limited rear-seat space and, in later years, growing competition from cheaper and more modern rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz 500 SL and BMW 850i. Sales never matched Porsche's original hopes - by 1990 output was around one car per day - but today the 928 is a sought-after classic.