Why the Porsche 928 Is a Modern Classic
RM Sotheby’s
What’s the first Porsche model that leaps to mind?
Most likely it’s 911, which isn’t just the brand’s longest-running vehicle but also one of the most iconic sports cars of all time. There are also some Porsche diehards out there who might name one of the marque’s many competition-conquering racers, like the 917K or 935/78 “Moby Dick,” or one of its boundary-pushing supercars, like the 959 or Carrera GT.
One name you’re unlikely to hear, though, is that of the 928. Porsche’s “other” sports car of the 1980s and early 1990s is all but forgotten these days. It was never able to knock the 911 off its perch at the top of the Porsche lineup, but the stylish and comfortable two-door did help redefine what a Porsche could be.
The 928 was an attempt by the German marque to do something new. Debuting in 1977 (it launched as part of the company’s 1978 lineup), Porsche’s first production V-8 mixed style and substance like few other vehicles of its era, helping clear the way for more luxurious models like the Panamera and Taycan that would follow in later decades. It’s also one of the movie cars of the 1980s, thanks to its appearance in Risky Business. That’s enough to earn most cars legendary status, but Porsche is not most automakers.
Below, five reasons why we feel the Porsche 928 is a modern classic that deserves more respect.
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A Breath of Fresh Air
Image Credit: RM Sotheby’s The 911 proved that Porsche could design and manufacture an elite sports car. But by the middle of the 1970s, that was no longer enough. Not only had the model lost its novelty, but the 1970s oil crisis had made inefficient performance vehicles a lot less appealing to customers, even those in the market for a Porsche. The company’s managing director, Ernst Fuhrmann, thought it was time for a completely new flagship car, one that would combine the best elements of a sports coupé and luxury sedan. The result, which took much of the decade to develop, was the 928, a sleek grand tourer that still had sporting spirit but was a lot more comfortable to drive and ride in.
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Sophisticated Style, Inside and Out
Image Credit: Porsche The 928 has the distinction of being the first car that Porsche designed from the ground up. The two-door’s exterior, which was penned by Wolfgang Möbius, was defined by three main elements: clean lines, a long nose, and a fastback style roofline. There was no mistaking the 928 for the 911 or the recently discontinued 914. It also had a set of distinctive pop-up headlamps. Unlike other similar front lights, the 928’s set remained visible even when retracted into the body. The grand tourer’s look remained almost unchanged during its 18 years on the market, though its lines would become more defined and spoilers were added to later variants, like the S, which debuted in 1980.
The 928 didn’t just look more modern than the 930-series 911, it felt it too, especially inside the cabin. One notable feature was an instrument cluster that moved in unison with the adjustable steering wheel to maximize visibility. And, because it was a grand tourer as opposed to just a sports car, it was also roomier. Although it and the 911 featured a 2+2 seating configuration, the 928’s rear could actually fit people, even if things were still a little cramped. The back bench could also be folded down to increase storage area in the trunk, which was accessible via the rear hatch.
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Porsche’s First V-8
Image Credit: Porsche The 928 wasn’t just noteworthy for being Porsche’s first fully original design. It was also its first production model to be equipped with a V-8 and its first to feature a front-positioned engine (the 911’s mill was, and remains, located in the rear). That engine also may have been the car’s most controversial feature—and remains so to this day.
There are plenty of purists out there who will tell you that a true Porsche should be powered by an air-cooled flat-six. But not only did the rear-wheel-drive 928’s mill feature eight-cylinders, it was also water-cooled. The V-8 found in the first 928, which came mated to either an automatic or manual gearbox, had a 4.5-liter displacement and made 237 hp (or 291 hp in North America due to local regulations) and could post numbers comparable to that of the 911. The engine would evolve over the years, with the most potent featuring in the GTS variant, which was sold between 1993 and 1995. That 5.4-liter mill made 345 hp, thanks to which the car could sprint from zero to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 171 mph.
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A Tom Cruise Co-Star
Image Credit: Barrett-Jackson/Facebook The 928 was also there when Tom Cruise became a bonafide star. The car makes an appearance in one of the actor’s first headlining films, Risky Business, in which he plays Joel Goodson, a high school student who turns his parents’s house into a brothel while they’re away. In one of the movie’s most exciting scenes, Joel uses a gold 1979 928, and its potent V-8, to outrun a competitor in a Cadillac Coupe Deville. With trouble in the rearview mirror, Cruise, who actually drove the car, turns to one of his passengers and says, “Porsche. There is no substitute.”
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People are Starting to Come Around
Image Credit: Porsche There may have initially been thought that the 928 could unseat the 911, but it soon became clear that wasn’t going to happen. Despite this, the 928 was no flop. Across the 18 years it was in production, Porsche built over 61,000 examples of the model. You can regularly find a 928 for a relative bargain on auction platforms like Bring a Trailer (especially if you’re looking for a project car). But those numbers have begun to climb in recent years. The site had only seen one 928 sold for more than $100,000 before 2020, but more than 20 in the years since, including a 1995 GTS variant with a five-speed manual that sold for $232,000 earlier this spring. That’s not even the most expensive 928 sold this decade, though. That title belongs to the gold example used in the filming of Risky Business, which Barrett-Jackson sold for $1.8 million in 2021.
