PORSCHE 928 GT * 1992 * MANUAL * 118,400 MILES * £39,995
In the early 2000s the 928’s star was at its lowest: Porsche’s former flagship was almost completely neglected by marque fans. Indeed its lowly status even made it a candidate for abuse on a motoring TV show which achieved notoriety by destroying caravans and dropping Toyota Hiluxes from helicopters. Happily, the 928 is today seen in a rather different light having attained the quasi classic status of other previously unconsidered Porsches.
Forty thousand pounds is the entry price today for what used to be the entry level 911, the 3.2. The same sum buys this late build 928: a GT from 1992, this model has a 330bhp 5.0 V8 engine and, with the 1988 Clubsport, was produced only with the five speed manual gearbox: most 928s were three or four-speed automatics. The GT is distinguished by the deeper front spoiler of the post-1987 cars and a fixed rear wing. 928s were not light: even without underseal, a/c and electric seats the Clubsport weighed 1460kg: reinstalling these for the GT raised this to 1580kg, 230kg more than a 964 C2. Porsche claimed a 0–60mph time of 5.8s and 171mph top speed for its short-lived 928GT.
This fine Cobalt Blue example sits impressively on its refurbished 16-inch ‘Design 90’ wheels shod with new-looking Toyos. A six-owner vehicle, the 928 has been in storage since 2011. Originally supplied by Dick Lovett in 1992, the service book reveals annual attention from them until 2004; subsequent services were carried out by Northway, Porsche Centre Reading, and then four visits to Byfleet Porsche. A brief assessment by that PC at 116,000 miles in 2011 finds nothing worse than dampness in the rear lights and oil misting around the sump and a/c unit. A fundamentally sound car when vendor Renaissance acquired it in mid 2018, they have since been steadily bringing it up to their standard. Besides the usual mechanical attention, this has included replacing the fuel pump and servicing the GT’S complex limited slip differential. The exterior has received a comprehensive polishing and the leather upholstery re-connolised. The cabin is in very good shape with clean, tufted carpets, unworn control surfaces and is marred only by ugly aftermarket door speakers. The thick history file contains a delightful period accessories brochure where the model is a certain Derek Bell.
The steering wheel and instrument binnacle adjust for height, and the driving position offers better all round visibility than modern 911s. The V8 rumbles into life and underway this 928 transmits all the right messages. The dogleg-first gearshift moves smoothly, the clutch renewed about 10,000 miles ago is surprisingly light: the 928 steers with satisfying feel and accuracy; the vendor’s geometry adjustments have returned much of the sharpness the 928 would have had when new. The ride is firm, though occupants are reasonably insulated. The grumbly V8 is always present: a very different engine from the flat six, the alloy eight revs readily when asked, but is happiest in its mid-range. The GT was heavy by contemporary standards and, although automatics were more popular in a car which never claimed the 911’s sporting pretentions, the short-throw manual shift, besides offering one more ratio, confers a level of involvement transforming the 928 and enabling the driver to keep the engine at the centre of the torque curve, the classic formula for fast, relaxed progress.
The 928 is a complex car requiring more maintenance than a 911, but engineered with the same precision: released from its mothballing, this striking GT is clearly good for many more than its 118,000 recorded miles and simply asks to get back out on the open road for which Porsche intended it. PW