1990 Porsche 928 GT 'Manual' Coupe

Description

Porsche’s radical new flagship 928 model was a complete break with tradition for the Zuffenhausen marque, combining futuristic styling and a front-engine layout with a water-cooled V8 mated to a rear transaxle, for perfect weight distribution. With an outer structure made from steel, using alloy doors, front guards, and bonnet to save weight, plus a luxurious cabin, the 928 was a grand tourer par excellence and voted European Car of the Year in 1978. Designed for high-speed autobahn cruising, the majority of 928s were specified with automatic transmissions, nonetheless the new car was a very capable performer when the road got twisty – significantly most factory test drivers in period chose the 928 as their company car. In 1980, Porsche revised the 928 to become the 928S, enlarging the V8 to 4.7-litres with re-profiled camshafts to lift power to 300 bhp. Front and rear spoilers, new alloy wheels and fatter tyres were the visual differentiators. The 928S underwent a process of continual refinement over the next six years, with the option of ABS added in 1984 (standardised in 1986) and Bosch’s latest LH engine management system raising power to 310 bhp and adding more torque. Launched in 1987, the next development of the 928 theme was the extensively reworked S4, with a 5 litre four-valves-per-cylinder engine, developing 320 bhp at 6000 rpm, with a useful jump in torque as well. Inside, the cabin was improved, and on-board diagnostics enhanced - the S4 became the first car in the world offered with an on-board tyre-pressure monitoring system. Porsche then debuted the 928 GT in 1989, a model which combined more equipment than the stripped-out Club Sport model but less than a 928 S4, in a bid to keep the weight down. It had the ZF 40 per cent limited-slip differential as standard and was only available with a manual gearbox. Its CS-style GT wheels featured the RDK tire pressure monitoring system as standard (optional for the same year S4) and for 1990 Porsche made a 0-100 per cent variable ratio limited-slip called PSD (Porsche Sperr Differential) standard in both GT and S4 models for all markets. The system was based on the one from the flagship 959 and gave the vehicle even more grip. The S4 and GT variants ceased production at the end of the 1991 model year.