The Porsche 928 which was built from 1977 to 1995 was one great sports touring car that was never revived by Porsche. Under appreciated and under valued for years, this highly accomplished GT sports car has lived in the shadow of its more exciting 911 sibling since it was launched. Appreciated more in North America and the Middle East (where road tax and fuel costs seem to be of little concern), very few units of the Porsche 928 arrived in Malaysia and today it will be very hard to find one running around. Still, it is a Porsche and a grand tourer and if you see one on sale let us share with you some of the need to do and need to check issues that might crop up.
The earliest cars featured a single-overhead-cam 4.5-liter, all-alloy V-8 that made only 240hp. Both a five-speed manual and three-speed automatic were available. The 928’s gearbox was mounted at the rear axle, connected to the flywheel via a torque tube. The very deliberate result of this packaging left 50.3 percent of the weight over the front axle and 49.7 percent over the rear.
Although originally intended as a true four-seater, the 928 arrived as a 2+2, its rear seats more livable than those in the 911, but not by much. Instead, the 928’s exquisite curves offered a futuristic take on sports and GT cars that still some 40 years on offers a modern take on car design.
Its 3,420-pound curb weight made it not so much a sports car but a long-distance touring and GT car that still had the ability in the right hands to be quick around a racetrack. Porsche kept the 928 on the market for some 18 years, finally retiring the model in 1995. The later models, the 928 GTS which was produced from ’93 to ’95 featured mild flared rear fenders (pictured below), will have the ability to hold their value a little better, but depreciation has otherwise hammered this 928 to values that could be said to be reasonable.
Values today range from RM45,000 for a running stock 928 from 1977-1985 and you will need to pay between RM90-110,000 for the 1990’s GTS which has 5.4-litre V8, 340bhp engine and ‘Cup’ alloy wheels. Still, you need to find one for sale first.
Issues to look out for….. start with electrics, which are not rocket science to repair and work out and the cambelt and water pump which needs replacing every 100,000 kilometers. All 928 had body shells that were galvanised right from the start of production, so rust is rare.
Early cars might show the odd bubble around rear windows or at the rear hatch hatch but usually corrosion will be common because of accident damage where trouble can start, and even a proper repair from years ago can start to show its age.
