I was mulling doing my regular two-month round-up of various cars I briefly encountered around the city, but this summer was a little lacklustre, so that will have to wait until next month. Meantime, it’s going to be ‘80s-‘90s German Coupé Week for CC’s Tokyo correspondent – serious with the HP and light on the chrome. We’ll start proceedings with a quick post featuring the well-known butt of the Porsche 928, seen here in its later GT guise.
The 928 has had more than its fair share of CC limelight. We’ve seen pristine ones, basket cases, early models and later ones. Is there anything left to be written about these? Let’s see…
In his seminal oeuvre dedicated to the 928, our very own Don “Il Dottore” Andreina called this “Blasphemy with a big butt.” He made clear, though, that said blasphemy was not a mortal sin or anything, just that it’s the antithesis of Porsche orthodoxy to go for a front-engined, V8-powered, water-cooled design. And as to the derriere, I can only assume that Don is a devotee of Sir Mix-a-Lot, as he seems to be quite taken with its styling and proportions. Hope that wasn’t a bum rap.
The blasphemy bit was about to get a whole lot worse, what with the Cayenne, Panamera and all that. At least the 928 was a two-door – the world wasn’t yet ready for a Porsche family car. A big butt coupé, on the other hand, was precisely what folks needed back in the late ‘70s.
Nose-wise, things were less big. Not dainty either exactly, but at least the 928 was developed with 5mph bumper regulations in mind, so it looked much better in the all-consuming and all-powerful North American market than, say, the contemporary Mercedes SL’s less enticing flat butt/big lips combo.
The GT was the top of the range in 1989-91; its 330hp 5-litre V8 could only be mated to a manual transmission. With only a little over 2000 units made, it’s not the most common of 928 variants. Even in profile, it’s still quite the cheeky customer.
I will join my esteemed googly-eyed colleague in his adulation of this Porsche’s fundamental qualities. I understand how polarising this design was (and to an extent remains), but this is one I can get behind.
Related posts:
Curbside Classic: Porsche 928 – Blasphemy With a Big Butt, by Don Andreina
Curbside Classic: Porsche 928 – The Future Of Porsche, Twenty-Five Years Too Soon, by PN
CC Capsule: Porsche 928 – A Victim of Entropy, by Dave Skinner
Cohort Classic: Porsche 928 – Design Dead-End, by Geraldo Solis
Rental Car Review: 1985 Porsche 928S – Eighties Fast, by Tom Halter
Junkyard Outtake: 1983 Porsche 928S – A Mighty War Horse Stumbles To The Ground, by Jim Klein
Curbside Recycling: 1978 Porsche 928 – Nothing Even Comes Close, by Jim Klein
CC Twofer: 1989 Porsche 928 S4 & Morgan 4/4 – The Oddest Couple, by T87
The Kraut Korvette: booty fun… lol
My best friend’s dad had a Porsche 928, silver, early 80’s model. Looked like the one from Scarface, except the wheels. Had the flat face wheels instead of the teledials like the movie car.
This was in the early 90s. Couple things I remember is the back seat being incredibly tight even though I was 8 or so. Also the scruffy condition, faded paint, his dad just treated it like an old beater. His dad was a “bible salesman” with a christian publishing company and was gone for weeks at a time on business in Europe. Sitting in long term parking at the airport instead of the garage at home had done a number on the old 928. Kinda like my friend’s home life as well.
Whatever one thinks of the 928, it has always looked like a real Porsche.
Something that you cannot say about a Cayenne.
Forget the letter S, here’s their real UV.
I remember the ballyhoo that happened when the 928 came out. The “purists” went nuts over the front engine Porsche, even though sales of the cars weren’t bad at all. Fast forward a couple of decades and Porsche’s bread and butter comes in the form of fancy VW SUVs. Nobody seems to care anymore.
Exactly.
SUVs that look like a 911 that mated with a house brick. And yet despite their expense, there are far more of them on the road than 911s, 924s and 928s back in the day. It seems 5 doors, an ugly shape and most importantly the badge has prised open many wallets that otherwise would have remained tightly shut.
Although always an admirer of the 928, I noticed that the interiors disintegrated after a few years, at least in the Australian sun.
Unforgivable in such an expensive car. A Corolla, even a locally assembled one of the same vintage, would have held up better.
I can be a purist at times, even though it was on a par with the old 912 engine, I had no enthusiasm for the 914 with the VW Bus engine. Nor the 924 with the Audi engine. But I always like the 928 and 944. The new sedans and trucks I have nothing good to say about.
But the early part of this century, you could pick up 944s and 928s for very little money. Maybe not pristine, but not trashed either. 924s were practically throwaways, along with 914s, a thou or 1500? Not anymore. Oh well, I had my chance and missed it. Not the only time I’ve done that.
I am not a Porsche fan and agree with Mike W about the 914 and 924. The 944 is a little better but the 968 is the best of the bunch (the one with the 928 like headlamps). A friend has one (his father bought it new) and I was impressed of its speed and handling. However it is a bit too bland (the interior does not help) so it is not for me.
The 928 is probably the Porsche I like the most. A unique shape combined with the V8 and good interior. A bit left field within the Porsche community.
Concerns about expensive mechanics, and it seems pretty hard DIY maintenance kept me for really wanting one.
+1 Count me in!
I grew up with the last of the 356’s, the 912’s, and owned a ’71 911T and ’70 914-6. That iconic sound of the flat 6 is classic then and now. Then all of a sudden we hear a V8 and see a Porsche nameplate on the car. Hmmmm. Threw me for a loop, for sure.
But I later learned, if you could get past the radically different shape of the 928 and it’s water cooled V8, you’d find that it was a very good car. Porsche did a great job with this car.