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The 928: Porsche's First V8 Production Car

Forty-five years ago, the 928 was launched to mixed reception. For starters, purists hated the water-cooled V8 mounted up front rather than over the rear axle. Much heavier than the rear-engined 911, the grand tourer from Zuffenhausen was originally envisioned as the Neunelfer’s heir apparent.
1987 Porsche 928 S4 48 photos
Photo: Bring a Trailer
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Sales of the 911 began to decline in the first part of the 1970s, especially in the United States of America, which accounted for roughly half of the German automaker’s sales volume. Draconic emission regulations made the high-ranking officials in Germany panic, which is why a decision was made in 1971: develop a water-cooled engine and make sure the 911’s replacement is more appealing by mixing high performance with luxury.

Historically unloved by Porschephiles, the Neunzweiacht was masterminded by Ernst Fuhrmann. He started working at Porsche in 1947, initially at the Gmund facility in Austria where the 356 was conceived. This gentleman would play a significant role in the development of the 1.5-liter Type 547 DOHC boxer engine. Following a short stint at a car parts company, Fuhrmann returned to Porsche in 1971 as technical director.

He ultimately served as chief executive officer from 1972 to 1980. Although this chap wanted the 911 gone, the engineers and his successor didn’t agree. Peter Schutz was awarded the big kahuna role in 1981 by Ferry Porsche, who didn’t want to see the Neunelfer gone either. The automaker had posted its first net loss in years, which only exacerbated things for the 911. But Schutz saw the 928 for what it truly is: a more comfortable stablemate for the 911 rather than a solution to that era's sales slump.

Against every imaginable odd, the German executive convinced both dealers and other executives that the 911 is worth saving. With the help of chief engineer Helmuth Bott, this plucky man also improved the breed with iterations like the cabriolet and speedster and the 3.2-liter Carrera. He also championed the jaw-dropping 959. Porsche incurred significant losses from selling the technology-laden supercar, ultimately costing Schutz his job.

1984 Porsche 928S
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Unveiled in March 1977 at the Geneva Motor Show, the 928 was approved for production in 1971, long before the 930 was on the drawing board. The reason Porsche took so long is rather simple: pretty much everything was designed from a clean sheet of paper. The 930 and 964-generation 911 Turbo cannibalized the 928 because all three were flagship vehicles.

During its 18-year production run, the 928 never sold well because it was too expensive. Not as agile as the Neunelfer, the continent-bashing gran turismo was always the slowest-selling model in the lineup. The 560 SEC and 850i also managed to steal prospective customers, which explains why a little more than 61,000 units were delivered from 1977 through 1995.

Offered until 1982, the original specification married a single-overhead-camshaft V8 to a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. Porsche’s first series-production V8, the M28, produced 237 horsepower in Europe and global markets. The U.S. received a detuned version with 219 horsepower. Come 1980, the United States received 0.2 liters of additional displacement and 229 ponies while the rest of the world enjoyed 296 hp.

A steel unibody with an aluminum hood, front wings, and doors, the 928 also features polyurethane bumpers completely integrated into the body. Gifted with pop-up headlights à la the Lamborghini Miura, the Autobahn cruiser boasts four seats of which the rears are woefully impractical.

1984 Porsche 928S
Photo: Bring a Trailer
Tipping the scales at 1,450 kilograms (3,197 pounds) in its lightest form, the 928 was also offered in right-hand drive from February 1978. Crowned European Car of the Year 1978, the three-door fastback is rocking multi-link struts up front and a Weissach axle out back, a suspension design that reduces lift-off oversteer and improves stability in the twisties. Anti-roll bars and ventilated brake discs also need to be mentioned, along with 16-inch Teledials for the manual and 15s for the automatic.

Following the 4.5L 928 and 4.7L 928S variants, the 928S Series 2 followed suit with a little more oomph from its all-alloy V8 thanks to a higher compression ratio, electronic ignition, and Bosch LH-Jetronic digital fuel injection. The 928 and 928S used K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection.

Called 928S in every part of the world except for the United Kingdom where it was marketed as the S2, the improved version added anti-lock brakes. Porsche also improved the automatic with one additional ratio. A third revision followed suit with 5.0 liters and a double-overhead-camshaft valvetrain. The biggest update of them all came with the 928 S4, introduced in late 1986 for the 1987 model year with a smoother nose and a larger rear spoiler that improved the drag coefficient to 0.34 according to Porsche.

The automatic was called 928 S4 while the manual was named 928 S4 SE. Later on, the hottest S4 of them all came in the guise of the 928 GT. The story of Porsche’s first V8 production car comes to a close with the 5.4-liter and 345-hp 928 GTS, which was produced in a little over 2,900 copies.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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