This is such a great ‘period’ documentary/commercial issued by Porsche about their new 928. Obviously Porsche had grand hopes regarding the 928 when it was launched, and was touted within the company as the successor to the Porsche 911—–obviously we all know how that turned out!
That’s not to say that the 928 was not successful—-because it was successful as a front-engined sports car. I have to say as a kid, i think i loved the 928 more than i loved the 911 of that era (early 80s). The 928 had the most wicked rear end, and had a lot of presence on the road—-whereas the early 80s 911 had big bumpers and looked sort of like a cartoon. Fast forward to 2012, I think the 911 of that era has aged quite well (maybe because it is timeless?) whereas the 928 looks like it is trapped in the time of that era.
Either way—–enjoy this video presented in 4 parts. It has nice features, including lots of people with moustaches and/or mullet-y hair!
IEDEI 
I was about 8 or 9 years old (circa ’78 or ’79) when my dad took a black 928 on part trade on a real estate deal. He kept it only for a few months, but it was out of this world, and this happenned in Mexico City, where there were no official imports of any kind.
It was a space ship!
It had the groovy checker cloth interior, was a proper 5 speed, and made the angry, throaty sounds that were, and still are some of the best engine notes of any car.
I have been in love with this car ever since. My uncle had a 911 targa at the time, and sure, I liked it. But I LOVED the 928.
I have been eyeing the forums and classified ads, and even though I finally have the money, I have no garage. Plus, most of them are automatics, and a bad one can ruin you.
Sadly, most of them seem to fall into this category. One day….
Great story, Bill! I say you have to get one, my friend. You can surely rent a garage space—-i rent 2 garage spaces for my cars here in NYC, and it is most definitely worth it! I agree that many of them are automatics, however i’m sure you can find manual versions through enthusiast websites like Rennlist…..or others depending on where you live.
Thanks for the encouragement Syed!
I live in San Diego, and Southern California has a reputation as the region with the highest concentration of Porsches in the world, but most of those are 911s.
This car is so significant to me, and I want to buy one that will not make me regret the decision later. I am sort of taking my time, and like you say, I can always rent garage space, or move somewhere with a space.
I must confess, also, that I just recently sold my Alfa 164S because it was a bit of a money pit, and having owned several Italian cars that were no different, I am sort of spent. (pun intended)
Interestingly, the 928 and I were actually born around the same time, 1971.
We are both 40!
Cheers!
I understand. Life is short though. This looks pretty good……except for the popup DVD player and the ahem…speaker in the trunk, however i’m sure you could remove that! http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/2938631198.html
Life IS short!
No doubt.
I did look at that red one, though, as if it didn’t make the search MORE difficult, I want to avoid reds, whites, gold ones, and any other dodgy color, which the 928 was often burdened with.
I prefer metallics in tasteful and flattering shades, like silver, charcoal, dark blue, black…
And I am leaning more towards the post 1987 S4s.
My budget limit is 15k. And for that it MUST have all receipts and full disclosure.
See how hard this is?
I saw a really really beautiful S4 last week in the SF Bay area Craigslist for $9995.00.
I responded to the ad as it expired and it hasn’t been re listed.
It was automatic, but it was charcoal outside, linen inside, 1991, 80k mi. Pristine looking.
A dream. Gone.
I was willing to try the automatic.
The search continues….
UPDATE, missed a 1986 928S manual, dark blue, last model before the S4.
74k mi. Impeccable.
Sold for $10,500 and it was in LA.
In the meantime:
http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/buying/octanebuyingguide/260086/porsche_928_19771995.html
Octane is always a good read.
Wish me luck!
that sucks….but fortunately for you there ARE a good number of 928s in this country, however i’m sure the number which have the spec you’re looking for is much harder to find. Please do keep me updated on if you find one……we can do a feature article on your hunt and your car when you do get it!
UPDATE #2, this weekend I test drove two local cars, a 1989 S4, and a 1985 S, both automatics.
The S4 was a darkish blue metallic.
The S was a light blue metallic.
The S4 had 161k mi.
The S had 62k.
They were both automatics. (no surprise)
The S4 was a little rough, but apparently very solid mechanically. (engineer owned)
The S was a 9/10. Good records and maintenance. (old lady owned)
I was a bit dismayed when I got behind the wheel of the S4. It was the first of the two.
It was sluggish, with heavy and somewhat imprecise steering.
I don’t know what I was expecting, seeing as it is a car with 1970’s engineering, no matter how advanced it may have been, or how it may have evolved. The gearbox, I learned, is the same as the large S Class Mercedes Benz models, and it is ROBUST. Yet it is not sporty.
You really have to bury the throttle to get a downchange, and the real torque is in the mid to higher revs.
And this S4 was rattly. The inside of this car was a feast of noises. Not nice ones.
But the engine noise….WHOOAAHHH!!
It had a special exhaust that sounded pretty bonkers.
Next was the S.
Very tight, very quiet, lovely unmarked seats in dark blue leather.
The driving experience was almost identical, except less dramatic as it is down about 30-40 hp on the S4 and had no exhaust mods. Still a beautiful sounding engine.
Same sluggishness off the line and through the gears. 😦
One thing that I was pleased with was the comfort, ergonomics, and the controls.
I used to think the oddball steering wheel design was a bit off putting, but sitting behind it, sooking through it at the instruments, it made perfect sense. And looks quite beautiful too!
The visibility is remarkable, the A pillars upright and slim. It was a nice place to be.
My daily driver is a MK V GTI DSG, and it is so much quicker and fun! (only 200 hp)
It is a testament to how spoiled we are these days in terms of affordable performance.
I have owned many different and unusual cars in my life, most of them Italian, and none have ever felt as well built as the germans tend to be.
The S4 was priced at $5900. The asking price for the S was $9800.
The S4 requires a new T belt and W pump, plus some new cam seals. $2300 est.
I offerred the S4 engineer $5k. I haven’t made the S guy an offer, but it appears he will take $8k.
I am not in love with either of these cars. I do think, however that the S is a pretty sound buy, but I sort of hate the color. And I can’t get over how dull the drive is. Can this be cured with a manual? I hope so.
Any thoughts?