Porsche 928 Could Be Based on the Panamera

Earlier this year we presented you with an official sketch of the revived Porsche 928, with rumors about a front-engined Grand Tourer from Porsche having been floating around the web ever since the German carmaker announced that it was building the Panamera.

Meanwhile, Porsche’s new boss Matthias Müller said the company should share platforms and knowledge with VW Group Bentley, but also admitted that the British brand could jeopardize its plans of putting further variants of the Panamera into production.

One senior company source revealed that the large three-door vehicle would be a "very nice" addition to the Porsche line-up. But he also stressed that the car is still some way from board level approval.

Porsche is keen on improving its economies of scale, particularly on the Panamera’s platform. That reminded of us of the early sketch and led us to believe that the car could spawn a big two-door coupe as a successor to the 928.

“I think we have to discuss with Bentley whether we can put together our performance, our engineers,” he said, implying that the 928's existence could depend on its compatibility with the Bentley Continental GT's platform. “It should be possible."

The new 928 would allow Porsche to further profit from the huge investment in the Panamera, as well as storm to another market niche. The 928 will be like the Cayman, a kind of gap filler in the market, between the 911 and the Panamera sedan. In that case, it will be competing directly against the Continental GT, Aston Martin DBS and Maserati GT. The coupe wouldn’t be the only extension of the Panamera platform, as Porsche is also likely to build a convertible version of the vehicle.