These days, it seems crazy to think that the Porsche 911’s reign as the company’s hallmark sportscar would ever end. However, in the mid-1970s, Porsche executives were designing a replacement for the rear-engined icon to keep up with the ever-changing sports car landscape. Thankfully, that never happened. Instead, in 1978, Porsche debuted a luxury grand touring coupe that was offered alongside the 911, known as the Porsche 928. Powered by a stout 4.5-liter V8 that later grew to 5.4 liters, the 928 was offered as a manual or automatic and aimed squarely at the large luxury coupes produced by the likes of BMW and Mercedes. The intent of the 928 was less to achieve the fastest lap times, but instead to cross Europe at speed while the occupants remained cosseted in tremendous comfort. Through the car’s 17-year lifespan, it underwent several facelifts, culminating in the 928 GTS of 1992 (or 1993 in North America). These cars were more powerful, had updated bodywork and revised suspension, and, in the period, could cost more than $100,000, making them some of the priciest cars on sale. Due to the high cost when new, it is believed that in 1995, just 77 928 GTSs were sold in the United States.
The interior shows the luxury focus of the 928, with a pair of comfortable supple leather seats in front, and two deeply recessed rear buckets behind them.
The power-operated front seats are separated by a large center console, which features controls for the sun roof, an analog clock, the original Porsche cassette head unit, and HVAC with air conditioning. In front of the driver sits a 4-spoke airbag steering wheel with a gauge pod behind it featuring a 180 mph speedometer, oil pressure, water temperature and voltage gauges, as well as a digital odometer and trip computer. One of the unique features in the 928 is that when you adjust the steering wheel, the gauge pod moves with it, guaranteeing that whatever size you are, you will be able to read the gauges.
The 928 GTS is powered by Porsche’s largest motor—a 5.4-liter DOHC V8 with higher compression pistons that produces 345 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Power is then sent to the rear wheels through a 4-speed automatic transaxle with a limited-slip differential. With 0-60 mph achievable in just 5.4 seconds and a top speed of nearly 170 mph, the 928 GTS was one of the fastest cars of the era and likely the fastest 4-seater available when it was new. The automatic may seem like an unnatural choice for this car, but as it was built as a sporty rival to cars like the W140 S-Class Coupe at the time, it makes more sense and is still plenty responsive and enjoyable to operate. Of the many updates made to the GTS, one of the most notable and needed is the “big black” front brakes. These help this luxury coupe slow from speed quickly and address one of the constant criticisms the 928 faced in years before.
For a long time, the 928 was looked down upon as a lesser Porsche – it didn’t have the lightning-fast reflexes of a 911, yet it was not as luxurious and effortless as a newer Panamera. That being said, in recent years, collectors have come around to the transaxle luxury coupe and are beginning to realize that the 928 – especially in GTS trim- is not a car to ignore. Offering a wonderful mix of comfort, performance, and just the right amount of driver involvement, the 928 GTS is a worthy addition to any Porsche enthusiast’s garage.
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