The Porsche 928 Overview
The Porsche 928 marked a significant turning point for Porsche, merging performance with comfort to usher in an exciting era in automotive design. This car represented an insight into future automotive design.
North American cars offered a Competition Package option in 1981 that featured front and rear spoilers, 15″ rims, sport seats and Bilstein shocks.
Availability
The Porsche 928 is an extremely sought-after and sought-after vehicle, as it combines sports car performance with comfort, refinement and equipment of a luxury sedan. Unlike its Porsche counterparts, however, this rear-wheel drive V8 powered rear sedan was rear wheel driven; with pleasing aesthetics that do not date quickly. Japanese drivers take great care in maintaining their vehicles which makes finding one well-kept example with low mileage easier while strict inspection rules aiding reliable vehicles as well.
The first Porsche 928 was unveiled to the world in 1977, marking a first for Porsche as it featured computerized transmission and electronic fuel injection systems. Available as both two-door coupe and four-door cabriolet models, its spacious trunk provided ample room for passengers in the back.
In September 1979, Porsche unveiled their 928 S model car with an upgraded 5.0 L engine producing 221kW/237hp (smog equipment reduced output for North America). Inside was more refined and luxurious; two small back seats provided enough room for children.
For the 1988 model year, Nissan introduced a GT version. It featured a slightly more powerful engine and could only be purchased with manual transmission. Other changes included digital trip/warning displays in its instrument cluster as well as tyre pressure monitoring capabilities.
Porsche Exclusive offered flared front fenders and larger wheels as option X38 on the S4, not including those featuring wide add-ons found on some Japanese market cars.
In 1991, Porsche changed the 928 to become the 928 GTS. As its last iteration before discontinuing it in 1995, this version featured larger brakes, 17″ wheels with wider rear tyres, aerodynamic mirrors and a rear panel bearing PORSCHE lettering; all while offering only manual transmission.
Reliability
The Porsche 928 combines the power, poise, and handling of a sports car with the comfort, amenities, and equipment of a luxury sedan. Its high degree of reliability and dependability has made it a favorite daily driver; indeed its longevity has become sought-after classic status; but regular maintenance will be needed to keep its condition up.
The electrical system of a 928 is vulnerable to glitches, but you can reduce their severity with proper preventive maintenance. Begin by regularly inspecting all ground points, ground straps, sensor connectors, wiring for any exposed or chafed spots as well as checking wiring connections for any signs of corrosion or exposed wiring chafed by grounding straps or sensor connectors; check wiring connections for any chafed spots as faulty ground points can lead to hard starts, rough idle, poor gauge readings. Apply moisture-barrier grease or spray on terminal ends and connectors if applicable – moisture barrier grease will protect them from corrosion while protecting from ground point failure!
One of the more frequent issues encountered with the 928 is a failing water pump or timing belt, which should be replaced every 50,000 miles for optimal engine health and vehicle performance. Regular checks to check and retension belt tension as necessary is also crucial to ensure successful vehicle ownership.
Porsche introduced a special edition 928 called the S for Europe and North America markets during 1982 and 1983 respectively, which differed from regular 928s by having more horsepower than their counterparts.
One of the Porsche 928’s crowning achievements was its participation in 1983 Le Mans 24 hour race, under privateer Raymond Boutinaud and driven by Patrick Gonin and Alain Le Page. Although they completed 234 laps without being classified, one notable accomplishment stood out – their participation helped establish Porsche as an authority.
The Porsche 928 remains one of Germany’s most iconic vehicles, thanks to its timeless styling and impressive performance. Due to this large and dedicated following, its timeless style remains highly desired today as a timeless classic.
Maintenance
Porsches can be costly to keep up, but not nearly as much as Ferrari, Aston Martin or Lamborghinis. Even when properly maintained a 928 can still be more cost effective than any of these exotic sports cars and is far more budget friendly than GT Porsche, 911 Turbo or NSX models.
Maintaining your Porsche 928 over its 18-year production run requires regular and consistent care and attention, including proper servicing of both its electrics and sensors. Both can become vulnerable due to age and heat exposure; so it is wise to test everything is working before buying. Also be wary of signs of water intrusion into its engine bay as this could pose potential health hazards to an old vehicle.
As a racecar, the 928 is lightning quick; it was the first sports car to offer rear wheel steering (also known as Weissach axle) as standard equipment. At its launch in 1983 and 1984, Raymond Boutinaud’s S 4 version was the fastest model; finishing 15th overall at both 24 Hours of Le Mans events (1983 and 1984 respectively). Furthermore, 1000k races at Brands Hatch and Silverstone proved its mettle; though less spectacularly than its bigger competitors.
The 4.5-litre carburetted 240hp engine of this GT was quick enough for high speeds while remaining economical to drive due to its low fuel consumption figures and long driving range between fill ups. Front seats were powered for height, tilt and recline while providing two-plane lumbar support for drivers; rear seating could accommodate adults without headroom restrictions comfortably on longer journeys.
In its last years of production, the Porsche 928 received an updated 5.0-litre, four-cam 32-valve engine for US and Japanese markets. Fans refer to these cars as S3s; today they remain highly desirable investments. While this new engine brought better economy, quicker acceleration, and additional power, its later models can still suffer from old car ailments like worn bores or leaky valve guides leading to high oil consumption; oily smoke when starting up your 928 is often an indicator that it needs an overhaul.
Culture
Porsche 928 Grand Tourer had an 18 year production run that made it one of the world’s most powerful and desirable grand tourers. This unique model managed to combine power, poise, comfort, standard equipment and standard options into an impressive package that could exceed US$100,000. By 1995 it had been discontinued production.
Due to its relatively high price tag, the 928 sold in relatively limited numbers – about sixty thousand over 18 years. This was likely due to its expensiveness compared with other sports/grand tourers of its day; as a result it remains rare and collectable today with a passionate following that appreciates quickly in value.
In the late 1970s, Porsche began developing the 928 as a successor to their iconic 911 sports car. While several concepts were explored, its basic design consisted of a front engine/rear wheel drive layout which had to be modified to meet European and American emission standards. Although initially not as comfortable for long journeys than its predecessors, its folding seats and spacious trunk provided some compensation.
Throughout its production run, the car received several updates and modifications that improved performance, fuel economy and interior refinement. One special version produced for Ferry Porsche to mark his company’s 50th anniversary featured meteor metallic paint, flat disc wheels and wine red leather seat centers with his signature embossed on them.
The S4 was an innovative update introduced late 1986 that included advanced single-disc clutches for manual cars and larger torque converters in automatic versions, as well as higher compression ratio (10.0:1) on its 4.5 L engine (excluding North America ) with piston oil squirters to help prevent dry sump failure and an instrument panel which displayed speed in kilometers instead of miles as well as an added digital trip computer/warning system on the dashboard.