∙Genuine 84k from new
∙Repainted Meteor Grey 
∙Originally owned by Porsche Cars GB

Without the 928, Porsche may well have not made it past the end of the 1970s.

It was a car born out of a need to evolve. In the 1970s, Porsche had concerns that the 911, its flagship, was reaching the end of its lifecycle. Certainly, there had been a decline in sales of the model to suggest as much. 

Something had to be done, and Porsche’s managing director Ernst Fuhrmann, was confident he had the answer. Porsche would build a grand tourer. A car that would be the perfect blend of sports car performance and of the luxury found in executive saloons. It would be bigger, it would be more conventional in construction and it would be the car to pick from where the 911 would leave off. 

This presented a challenge for Ferdinand Porsche, but he and his team were determined to meet it. As such, the 928 became a significant point in Porsche’s history as it was the first ‘clean sheet’ car the company would design. Remember, the 356 evolved from the Beetle, and the 911 from the 356. 

Various ideas were floated, such as a mid-engine layout. However, in the end Porsche settled on the conventional front-engine, rear-wheel drive arrangement. And the engine, a V8, was of Porsche design.

The resulting car was a long, low sports grand tourer that could, at a push, seat four. Early cars boasted 237bhp from the naturally-aspirated 4.5 V8, upped to 4.7-litres and 310bhp for 1983. But it wasn’t the power that sold the 928 - it was the looks. The sleek, fuss-free, bumperless design was like nothing else. It used aluminium wings, bonnet and doors and had circular pop-up lights. It was a spaceship in 1978, and still is today. 

History, and contemporary Porsche showrooms tell us the 928 didn’t take over from the 911. Instead, it did something more significant. It bolstered and expanded the Porsche range, it demonstrated what it could do with, quite literally, a clean sheet of paper. The 928 was, make no mistake, a hugely important car. 

This example has been in the hands of its current owner since he bought it from a used car dealership in 1996. He even still has the sales receipt from when he bought it 25 years ago.

A 928 S, it has the later, more powerful engine, which in this case is coupled to an automatic transmission. 

When the vendor bought the car, it was pale metallic blue, but he had it repainted Meteor Grey as that was his favourite 928 colour. It has been used as an occasional car throughout his ownership and has covered just 84,000 miles from new. 

Looking further into its past, there are five previous keepers. The first is recorded as Porsche Cars GB, which owned the car for the first two years of its life, suggesting it was a company car or demonstrator. It then passed into the hands of its second owner, which was a business in Croydon, Surrey. The service history is patchy through the Eighties, but the current keeper has had it maintained by a well-regarded Porsche specialist throughout his ownership, most recently with a full service and cambelt change earlier this year.

There’s quite a bit of paperwork with the 928, including a V5 in the owner’s name and an MOT valid until January 2022. 

The original handbook and service book are included, along with a folder containing all manner of bills and receipts from the vendor’s ownership, including a couple of bills for major maintenance. They build up a record of a car that has been loved and maintained with no expense spared, with most of the work carried out by a Porsche specialist in South-East London.

The owner’s choice of Meteor Grey is a good one – it really sets off the 928’s otherworldly styling brilliantly, and it’s in fine condition, too. It’s not perfect – there are a couple of scuffs on the rear bumper, a small bubble under the paint on the bonnet and a few very, very minor marks, but overall it’s in superb order and the underside looks incredibly solid. 

Those trademark ‘eyes on stalks’ headlights work perfectly, too, and are a wonderful feature and party piece – if you take it to a show, expect to be asked to demonstrate them a few times. 

The alloy wheels are in good order as is all of the glass, though the owner reports that the rear screen wiper doesn’t currently operate. 

Open the door and you’re met by a cabin that’s just as space age as the exterior – with some unusual features such as rear sun visors to stop the glare from that vast glass hatch and some really peculiar placement of the switchgear. Headlight controls down by the driver’s side door sill? Of course – where else would you expect to find them?

It’s wonderful, though, and the blue leather, carpets and dash come with a wonderful Eighties vibe.

There’s a bit of damage to the leather on the side of the driver’s seat, caused by sunlight perishing the leather and causing it to split. It’s repairable, though, and well worth doing as the rest of the cabin has a very lightly careworn patina that is truly charming. To retrim the car completely would ruin some of its aura, and it’s in mostly good order. 

The vendor reports that the speedometer isn’t working, but that the odometer is operating correctly. He’s never got around to fixing it as he uses GPS instead. 

What’s hugely important here is that the 928 has just had a full service and cambelt courtesy of a specialist – that’s terrific news for the next owner and means that one of the biggest and most complex jobs is out of the way and that it’ll be good for many thousands of miles before it needs doing again.

So instead, you can just jump in and enjoy it, and what’s not to like about a wuffly V8 with plenty of power? It sounds fabulous, fires up straight away and holds a steady idle. 

According to the owner, it drives absolutely spot-on and he has been using it a lot more this year than in the previous few, happy in the knowledge that it has had a cambelt change. 

Interest in 928s is on the rise, and good examples are starting to attract some proper collector attention. It’s a car that deserves that, too, as it is such an important model in Porsche’s history, as well as being a wonderful, weird and delightful car to own and drive. 

This is a great example. It’s not concours, but it’s a very smart one and is brimming with charm. As a usable, enjoyable classic that’s only going to go up in value, it’s a great choice. 

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