Porsche 928 S | High Mile Club

Cast your mind back to the mid-‘70s. Porsche’s board, led by Ernst Fuhrmann, had concluded that the rear-engined 911 was an evolutionary dead end — too noisy, too tricky at the limit, too dependent on a layout that belonged to the previous decade. The future, they decided, was front-engined, water-cooled and V8-powered. The 928 was that future: aluminium body panels over a steel monocoque, a rear transaxle for weight distribution, pop-up headlamps that made it look like nothing else on the road. It won European Car of the Year in 1978. The only sports car ever to do so, before or since. And then the buying public politely ignored it in favour of the car it was meant to replace.

We know how the story ends. The 911 got better, the 928 got cancelled in 1995, and Porsche’s transaxle era became a footnote. But Porsche footnotes don’t tend to obey the same rules as those of a lesser carmaker; they might ebb and flow in value, yet they accrue fans regardless. And then, decades after they were sold new, they become a source of fascination to anyone who was a child at the time, who now finds themselves with the means to revisit the whole transaxle family – 924, 944, 968 – and suddenly take their pick. 

This particular car is one of the earliest UK-delivered 928 S models. The S introduced a larger 4.7-litre V8 producing 300hp and 284lb ft of torque, mated here to the dog-leg five-speed manual that became rarer as Porsche’s auto improved. Black full leather interior, electric seats, sunroof help make it note perfect. Plus someone has fitted a Porsche Classic Radio and JL Audio sound system, which is the kind of thoughtful modernisation that suggests an owner who actually drove the thing rather than mothballing it.

And drive it they did. Nearly 150,000 miles is not unheard of in 928s – these were built for autobahn work, after all – though not every car of its vintage has been treated to £100k in documented service and maintenance invoices. Probably it’s safe to conclude that this is the sort of daily that someone adored enough to keep spending money on long after loved ones (and accountants) would have told them to stop. It’s described as turn-key ready, which is easy to believe. 

There are caveats to the 928 experience, of course. The vacuum-operated systems are notoriously fiddly, electrical gremlins potentially lurk in any car of this vintage and complexity, and parts costs for a low-volume, aluminium-bodied GT car from the early ‘80s probably aren’t for the faint of heart. This is what makes a well-kept, documented 928 so attractive: without the reassurance of paperwork, you might find yourself taking a header into a money pit with pop-up headlamps.

The kicker is the asking price. Granted, the 928 is some distance from its dirt-cheap days, but nor is it as expensive to buy as the car it was meant to kill. Even without haggling, £35k for a front-engined Porsche V8 grand tourer with a dog-leg manual, proper provenance and the enduring loveliness of Guards Red doesn’t seem like too high a price to pay. The 911 won the war, sure. But the 928 makes an interesting counter-argument for itself even now. 

Engine: 4,664cc, V8, naturally aspirated
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 300
Torque (lb ft): 284
CO2: N/A
MPG: N/A
Recorded mileage: 141,155
Year registered: 1980
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £34,900