My Super Car The Porsche 928
My Super Car – The Porsche 928 – I drive and own a 1983 supercar.
Its duco is faded and shows the signs of many a road trip, its interior is like a well worn jacket, comfy but falling apart at the seams but everytime I turn the key and hear the roar of its 4.7 litre V8 engine it send tremors through my body and when I plant the foot I become one with the car. My car is a Porsche 928.
The 928 was first revealed to the public in 1977, as the replacement for the 911, it had a front engined water cooled V8 engine and the car was perfectly balanced with a 50/50 weight distribution between the front and rear achieved through a aluminium body to the front and a steel rear.
The design criteria of My Super Car The Porsche 928 was threefold namely the Porsche 928 needed:
- A good coefficient of air resistance with a small frontal area.
- The exterior was to be timeless
- An unmistakable Porsche silhouette was to be created.
In production for almost 20 years the design and shape of My Super Car the Porsche 928 did not change considerably and 30 years on since the first 928 was produced the 928 still maintained a timeless shape and has become known as the “Landshark”.
The engine is a power plant generating 300 hp and a top speed of in excess of 250 kilometres per hour. Even though mine is 25 years old it still comfortably travels at in excess of 230 kilometres per hour. It is a grand tourer of epic proportions.
Long open roads are what My Super Car The Porsche 928 was designed for and after many hours of driving you step out of the car as fresh as you were when you started. Not many other supercars can say that. When you hit Great Ocean Road with its turns and twists the 928 grips the road and steers effortlessly around whatever the road delivers. While it has a 3 speed automatic gearbox (the manual was an option) slipping it down into first gear allows you to effortlessly overtake at 100 kph and experience what the 928 was designed for. The 928 has an acceleration from 0 to 100kph of 7.8 seconds but it was over the longer distances that the 928 came to the front.
The 928 was sometimes described with the adage “Nothing as fast is as luxurious, and nothing as luxurious is as fast”. From its leather interior, climate control air-conditioning including an air-conditioned glovebox, electric windows and mirrors and electric seats for its time the 928 represented prestige motoring,
When you sit in the drivers seat you are surrounded by dials and the moveable steering hub allows the speedo and other instruments to move along with the steering wheel to ensure that your vision of dials is maintained.
In the back there are 2 additional seats. When originally released it was marketed as a 2+2 but in reality if you are any taller than a 5 year old you have no chance of sitting in the rear seats of a 928.
In the early years the price structure for the Porsche line was $20,000 for the 924, $40,000 for the 944, $60,000 for the 911 and $80,000 for the 928. To put this in perspective the median house price in Melbourne in 1977 was $37,000.
The 928 was marketed alongside other supercars such as:
- Aston Martin DB7
- Jaguar XJS
- Lamborghini Contach and
- Ferrari Testarossa
All of these have gone onto appreciate in value over the years while the 928 has depreciated to around 5% of the original purchase price. But don’t be fooled by the cheap purchase price as the sting in the tail for unsuspecting purchasers is the maintenance bills. A minor service can cost upwards of $600 and ongoing routine maintenance such as replacing cambelts can cost a small fortune. When purchasing a 928 remember the old adage “there is no budget 928, merely a budget for a 928. Most people will set aside approximately 50% of an early model’s purchase price for maintenance.
It is always better to purchase a 928 based on condition and maintenance than on age. Don’t be fooled by an immaculately presented car it is always better to purchase a car in poorer external condition which has had significant sums expended on its engine and mechanicals.
By purchasing a car with full service records and which has been well maintained you can avoid having your dream car turn into the car of nightmares.
For me I love My Super Car The Porsche 928 for what it is……………a piece of motoring history.
Category: Reviews
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.