A Brief History of the Porsche 928

Conceived as a replacement for the idiosyncratic Porsche 911, the V8 powered Porsche 928 took the grand tourer fight to rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and remained in production for a remarkable 18 years.  

Recently, I was wandering through another weekend car gathering minding my own business when suddenly, there it was, a car that almost changed the course of history for one of the world’s great automotive icons.

Introduced in 1977, the Porsche 928 marked a bold departure from the Stuttgart-based car maker’s traditional rear-engined sports cars. Initially conceived as a potential successor to the iconic 911, the 928 broke new ground as Porsche’s first production V8-powered car, and was designed to blend sports car performance with grand touring comfort.

Engineer Ferdinand Piëch, a grandson of company founder Ferdinand Porsche, and designer Wolfgang Möbius spearheaded the project, focusing on a traditional but un-Porsche-like grand touring layout of a front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. 

The 928 featured near-perfect 50:50 weight balance due to its innovative transaxle design (Image: Porsche)

To achieve its eventual near-perfect 50:50 weight balance, the 928 was developed with an innovative transaxle design, with the engine in the front and transmission at the rear. 

The centrepiece of this new 2+2 Porsche was its all-aluminium 4.5-litre SOHC per bank 16-valve V8 engine producing 177kW. During its impressive 18 years of production the 928 underwent substantial changes, including in engine displacement, which eventually grew to 5.4-litres with the 928 GTS of 1992, which produced a robust 257kW.

The 928’s long bonnet and the car’s slippery, aerodynamic design, including distinctive pop-up headlights and a long, flowing roofline, combined elegance with functionality.

In 1978 the V8-powered grand tourer was named European Car of the Year, becoming the first and to date the only sports car to ever win the title. While praised for its luxurious interior, handling, and performance, the 928 struggled to achieve its goal of replacing the 911 due to its higher price and diverging identity.

By the time the GTS model arrived in 1992, the 928’s V8 engine had grown from a 4.5-litre to a 5.4-litre (Image: Porsche)

Porsche produced several variants of the 928 including the 928 S, S4, and GTS, refining its performance and features over the years. However, waning demand for high-performance grand tourers led to the end of production in 1995, with over 61,000 units sold.

Today, the 928 enjoys a cult following, celebrated for its bold engineering, timeless design, and status as a pioneering chapter in Porsche’s history. It remains a testament to the brand's willingness to innovate beyond its rear-engine roots.

At the recent Berry Motorfair in Berry, NSW, we met Retro Rides fan and Porsche owner Brad, who currently has a 1984 928 S for sale. We discussed the pros and cons of the 928, including the notchy five-speed and the excellent driving dynamics.

Check out our Walk and Talk video as Brad tells us about his Porsche 928 S: