Porsche 928 S4

The vehicle in detail

First revealed in 1977, the Porsche 928 represented a crossroads for the famous Stuttgart marque. Company bosses wanted an all-new grand tourer platform to counter slumping 911 sales. With one eye on the US market, the 928 was revealed with a front-mounted V-8 engine. Despite plans for the 928 to become Porsche’s flagship sports car—with executives prepared to sacrifice the legendary rear-engine formula for greater comfort and power—the 911 survived.

The water-cooled aluminium V-8 engine initially displaced 4.5-litres while a five-speed transaxle or three-speed automatic transferred power to the rear wheels. Displacement was boosted to 4.6-litres in 1979 with the introduction of the 928 S, followed by a mild facelift and power boost again in 1986 with the debut of the 928 S4. Uprated to displace 5.0 litres, the revised engine was reported to produce 320 horsepower on its way to a 260 km/h top speed.