Porsche 928: The Front-Engined V8 Grand Tourer Built to Rival the 911

The Porsche 928 was a two-plus-two grand tourer with a water-cooled V8 mounted at the front and drive sent to the rear wheels. Porsche built it from 1977 to 1995 across a single generation with a mid-life facelift, and it was the first production Porsche to use a V8. The car was conceived as a possible replacement for the 911 at the top of the range, although the two models were sold side by side for years.

Why did Porsche build the 928?

Ernst Fuhrmann, the managing director, argued that a grand tourer with a conventional engine could secure Porsche's future. The air-cooled 911 was nearing its performance limits, and its sales had slipped in the mid-1970s. The 928 aimed to blend sports car handling with luxury comfort for the American market.

Porsche's reputation rested on high-performance sports cars, yet the 1970s oil crisis had made buyers wary of fuel use and supply. Fuhrmann wanted a range-topping model that mixed a sports coupe's character with the space of a luxury sedan. Its interior was to be more practical than the 911's, and it was meant to compete with Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

A front-engined V8 grand tourer that never matched its sales goals but earned a loyal following that lasts.

How did the 928 project begin?

Ferdinand Porsche ordered a production-feasible concept, and Fuhrmann started a design study in 1971. The result was the first clean-sheet design Porsche had built for one of its own models. Earlier cars had grown out of other projects: the 356 looked much like the Volkswagen Beetle, while the 924 came from a cancelled Volkswagen and Audi venture.

By 1973 a prototype had been built and was under test. That year the Arab-Israeli war triggered an energy scare, large car sales collapsed and the project was put on hold. Production was delayed until 1977, when the car debuted at the Geneva Motor Show.

Why was the 928 engine placed at the front?

Porsche considered mid-engined and rear-engined layouts, but emissions and noise problems similar to the 911's made a crowded rear bay unattractive. A mid-engine layout left too little room in the passenger compartment, so engineers settled on a front-engined, rear-wheel drive arrangement for the production car.

The team had weighed a range of drivetrain ideas, and many were dropped for technical reasons. Once the front-engined layout was chosen, the car gained a generous luggage area behind its large hatchback and an almost even weight split between the axles.

How did the V8 engine work?

The M28 was an all-alloy V8 with unsleeved aluminium cylinders and large water jackets that hinted at racing potential. The original 4.5-litre unit had a single overhead camshaft per bank and 16 valves, producing 240 PS (177 kW; 237 bhp) in Europe. North American cars were rated at 219 hp (163 kW) because of emissions equipment.

Early running prototypes used a single four-barrel carburettor, but production cars received Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. Before settling on the final unit, the company had tried a 5-litre V8 producing 300 PS (220 kW; 300 hp) and considered a 4.6-litre V10. The board rejected the V10, fearing it would fuel rumours of a new 911 with a Volkswagen-derived engine.

Engineers also resisted a 3.3-litre, 182 PS (134 kW; 180 bhp) option that Fuhrmann had proposed to improve fuel economy. The two sides eventually agreed on the 4.5-litre unit. Its 1985 DOHC successors used a timing belt for the exhaust camshafts only, with a simplex roller chain driving the intake camshafts. That layout cut the number of belt components, made servicing simpler and was later adopted on the Porsche 944.

How did the 928 handle on the road?

Its transaxle gave the car close to a 50/50 split between the front and rear axles, and the Weissach Axle added passive rear-wheel steering to help stability under braking and in corners. Early cars matched the contemporary 911 despite their extra weight, and later S models beat the 911 Turbo in top speed tests.

The instrument cluster moved with the adjustable steering wheel, so the dials stayed in view whatever the driver's seating position. The rear seats folded down to enlarge the luggage space, but the transmission hump left little legroom, so they suited short trips better than adults.

Early cars came with a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic derived from a Mercedes-Benz unit. North American buyers received a four-speed automatic from 1983. Most 1978 and 1979 cars were manuals, but automatics became more common later, and manuals made up 34% of cars built from 1980 to 1995.

What changed between the generations?

The first generation ran until 1986, with the S and S2 models carrying a sharp, shark-nose front end. The 1987 redesign folded the front spoiler into a smoother nose, moved the rear spoiler onto a separate wing and added side skirts. The revised body then carried the car to the end of production in 1995.

The GTS later flared its rear arches to fit 9-inch wheels. The engine evolved too: a 4.7-litre S arrived for the 1980 model year, and the 16-valve unit was refined until 1985, when the S2 used twin distributors. After 1986 the 16-valve engine gave way to a 5.0-litre 32-valve V8, which lasted until production ended.

Which special 928 models were built?

The main special models were the S4, the Club Sport, the SE, the GT and the GTS, along with limited editions such as the Weissach Edition and the 50th Jubilee cars. Each one had a different focus, from lighter, race-minded bodywork to a stronger grand tourer. The list shows how Porsche kept the model fresh across its long run.

The S4 arrived for the 1987 model year with a 320 PS (235 kW; 316 bhp) version of the 5.0-litre V8, a single-disc clutch for manual cars and a sleeker front end. Australian cars carried a lower 221 kW (296 hp) rating because of concerns about low-grade fuel.

The Club Sport was up to 100 kg (220 lb) lighter than the S4 and reached continental Europe and the United States in 1988. Porsche built five white lightweight S4s in 1987 for racing drivers on its payroll, including Derek Bell, Jochen Mass, Hans Stuck, Bob Wollek and Jacky Ickx. Those cars were close to the production Club Sport.

The SE was a halfway point for the UK market, with more power than a usual S4. The GT replaced the slow-selling Club Sport and SE in late winter 1988 to 1989. It had a ZF 40% limited-slip differential as standard, and from 1990 both the GT and S4 gained the PSD 0-100% variable limited-slip differential and tyre pressure monitoring.

The S4 and GT ended production as the GTS arrived in 1992. It came with changed bodywork, bigger front brakes and a 5.4-litre, 350 PS (257 kW; 345 bhp) engine. Loaded examples could eclipse US$100,000 by 1995, and that price severely limited sales. Porsche discontinued the GTS in 1995 after shipping only 77 to the United States.

Because the faster European S was not sold in North America at first, Porsche offered a Competition Group package that copied the S look, with spoilers, sport seats and Bilstein shock absorbers. Only two cars were built with the option in late 1980.

Porsche also built 202 Weissach Edition cars for North America in 1982, finished in champagne gold metallic with two-tone leather. Outside North America, 140 special 50th Jubilee S models marked the company's anniversary in late 1981. The one-off Porsche 942, built as a gift for Ferry Porsche's 75th birthday in 1984, had a 25 cm (10 in) longer wheelbase and weighed 75 kg (165 lb) more.

How did the 928 perform in racing?

Porsche never ran a works 928 in competition, so private teams and a semi-works entry carried the car's racing story. An all-aluminium 928S finished 15th overall at the 1984 Daytona 24 Hours, and a closed course speed record followed in 2020. Together these efforts showed how far the platform could be pushed.

Porsche gave the Brumos Racing Team an experimental all-aluminium 928S for Daytona and told the crew not to modify it. The drivers found the car unsettled on the banking, and Porsche refused a request for a rear wing, so Brumos adjusted the suspension instead. The car finished fourth in the GTO class, and the team later felt a lengthy repair stop had cost a top five finish.

Max Moritz Racing, a longtime Porsche partner, entered a 928 GTR Cup as a semi-works car so the factory would not openly challenge its 911 customers. A Raymond Boutinaud 928S also raced at Le Mans, finishing 22nd in 1984.

The modern speed record came at the Transportation Research Center in Ohio. Carl Fausett reached 234.434 MPH (377.28 km/h) on 5 October 2020, beating the previous closed course record of 216.635 MPH (348.62 km/h). His supercharged car, named The Meg, produced 1134 bhp.

What is the 928's legacy?

The 928 never met the sales targets set by its champion, but it built a devoted following over an 18-year production run. Maintenance costs for its specialist parts pushed second-hand values down, though enthusiast networks and parts suppliers help owners keep the cars on the road.

Total output for all years was a little over 61,000 cars. Porsche never published exact figures, so tallies from different sources vary, and footnotes flag where special series counts disagree.

Study H50, a 1987 four-door prototype based on the lengthened 928, faded from view at the time. Two decades later the four-door Panamera gave the idea far greater significance.

Porsche 928 specifications at a glance

The table lists core figures for the launch car and its main developments. Where a figure belongs to one version, the table names that version so the values do not blend together.

Frequently asked questions

Was the 928 ever available with a manual gearbox?

Yes. Early cars offered a five-speed manual, and most 1978 and 1979 cars were built that way. The Club Sport and GT were manual-only models.

How did the 928 do in the European Car of the Year contest?

The 928 won the 1978 European Car of the Year award, ahead of the BMW 7 Series and Ford Granada. It remains the only sports car to receive the prize, which usually went to mass-produced family cars.

Is the 928 expensive to maintain?

Many spare parts are costly to manufacture, so maintenance bills are high and used prices fell. Owners can still rely on specialist suppliers, with strong support in North America and Europe.

Did Porsche build a four-door 928?

Only as a prototype. Study H50 from 1987 was a lengthened 928 with a second, narrow set of doors, and it stayed a prototype.