1984 Porsche 928S 'Manual' Coupe

Description

Porsche’s radical new flagship 928 model was a complete break with tradition for the Zuffenhausen marque, combining futuristic styling with 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 wings and bonnet to save weight and 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 gearboxes but the new car was also a very capable performer when the road got a little twisty – it should be noted that a majority of factory test drivers chose the 928 as their company car.  Porsche revised the model in 1980, enlarging the V8 to 4.7-litres along with re-profiled camshafts lifting power to 300 bhp.  Top speed increased to over 250 km/h and the 0-100 km/h dash took a touch over six seconds, making the new 928S one of the quickest cars on the road at the time.  The ‘S’ also boasted front and rear spoilers, new 16-inch alloy wheels and fatter tyres for enhanced grip.  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 on European specification cars and adding more torque.  Porsche also adopted Mercedes-Benz’ latest four-speed automatic in 1984 and enlarged the capacity to 5-litres in 1986 for the US market (optional elsewhere).  All this luxury and performance didn’t come cheaply – even by Porsche standards the 928 was an expensive motorcar – but the model was always a strong seller, with in excess of 60,000 built between 1978 and 1995, when production finally came to a halt.  For several years the 928 has been touted as a supercar bargain but values of the best cars – like the example on offer here – have already begun to appreciate both here and overseas.