Porsche 928 from 1977 - a milestone on the road to Porsche diversity

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Porsche 928 from 1977 - a milestone on the road to Porsche diversity

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Created on January 6, 2012

Text:

Stefan Fritschi

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

38

Porsche AG

20

Bruno von Rotz

11

Stefan Fritschi

3

Archiv

43

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Porsche 928 (1977) - the interior was unique, the steering wheel can also be found in other Porsche models of the time

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Porsche 928 (1978) - with a 928 you are still well 'dressed' today

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Porsche 928 (1978) - in front of a historic car backdrop in the canton of Thurgau

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Porsche 928 (1978) - only the original 928s had this unadulterated shape, later followed by side protection strips, spoilers and other accessories

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the headlights look better when folded down

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the 928 was really wide for its time

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG Mai Foto-Galerie 2026

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the 928 looked more aerodynamic than it was

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the 928 was fast, but not as fast as the Porsche people had hoped for

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Porsche 928 (1978) - it was at home in the fast lane

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the shape is absolutely timeless

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Porsche 928 (1978) - still drives like a modern car today

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Porsche 928 (1978) - feels at home in curves and on straights

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Porsche 928 (1978) - a real Gran Turismo

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Porsche 928 (1978) - in the light of the setting sun

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Porsche 928 (1978) - brilliant design result, never before and never since has Porsche been so bold

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Porsche 928 (1978) - rear and front view

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the probability of seeing two original 928s side by side like this is low

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the original 928 sits relatively high at the front, which was not to its advantage visually

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the 928s of the first generation were a bit leggy

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Porsche 928 (1978) - all rounded, hardly a straight line

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Porsche 928 (1978) - driver-oriented cockpit design

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Porsche 928 (1978) - high opening rear door

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Porsche 928 (1978) - round rear end - there was hardly a role model for it

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Porsche 928 (1977) - only the early 928s had the telephone-style rims

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Porsche 928 (1978) - Interior with large steering wheel and psychadelic upholstery design

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the design of the upholstery fabric characterizes the interior

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Porsche 928 (1978) - clearly attributable to the seventies - Pink Floyd and Vandergraaf Generator ring through here

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Porsche 928 (1978) - clear arrangement of the instruments

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the space in the back was designed more for children

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the longitudinally mounted eight-cylinder V-engine

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Porsche 928 (1978) - Swabian engine construction

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the 'engine design' has something archaic about it

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Porsche 928 (1978) - you can hardly see the engine for all the pipes and cables

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the famous telephone styling wheels

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Porsche 928 (1977) - even the integrated front bumpers forgave small bumps

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Porsche 928 (1977) - the headlights were characteristic of the 928

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Porsche 928 (1977) - folded-out headlights

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Porsche 928 (1977) - the front headlight in the rest position

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Porsche 928 (1977) - unusual lines on the hood

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Porsche 928 (1977) - the round rear was malleable and forgave even small bumps

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Porsche 928 (1977) - unique rear lamp design

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Porsche 928 (1977) - these rear lights were only available on the 928

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the rear lights characterize the entire rear part of the car

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Porsche 928 (1977) - almost like sculptures

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Porsche 928 (1977) - Front with dominant auxiliary and main headlights

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Porsche 928 (1977) - Lettering on the tailgate

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Porsche 928 (1977) - these modelcars were modeled after the original 928 shown here

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Porsche 928 (1977) - this model car was modeled after the original 928 shown here

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Porsche 928 (1977) - image of a pre-production vehicle - incorrectly used as a press photo

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Porsche 928 (1977) - picture of a pre-production model during test shots - mistakenly sent as part of the press kit

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Porsche 928 (1977) - picture of a pre-production model during test shots - mistakenly sent as part of the press kit

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Porsche 928 (1977) - picture of a pre-production example with visible quality defects - mistakenly sent as part of the press kit

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Porsche 928 (1977) - picture of a pre-production model from behind - mistakenly sent as part of the press kit

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Porsche 928 (1977) - the smooth front of the 928

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Porsche 928 (1977) - a significant part of the fascination only becomes apparent when driving

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Porsche 928 (1977) - early promotional picture from Porsche

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Porsche 928 (1977) - early production vehicle - note the different gap dimensions left and right

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Porsche 928 (1977) - Transparent drawing

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Porsche 928 (1977) - The transaxle unit, seen from the side

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Porsche 928 (1977) - The transaxle unit, seen from above

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Porsche 928 (1977) - Rear axle suspension

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Porsche 928 (1977) - early factory photo of the 928

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Porsche 928 (1977) - there were hardly any role models for this design

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Porsche 928 (1977) - classic three-quarter view - early factory picture

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Porsche 928 (1977) - impressive V8 engine

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Porsche 928 (1977) - Engine seen from the front

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Porsche 928 (1977) - Engine seen from the right

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Porsche 928 (1977) - Test drive with the original 928

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Porsche 928 (1977) - wheel suspension and Weissach axle

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Porsche 928 (1977) - rear seat - looks more comfortable than it is

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Porsche 928 (1977) - pre-production model without center in the rims - photo was taken as a test shot and was mistakenly included in the press documents

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Porsche 928 (1978) - the 928 looked bigger than it was

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Porsche 928 (1978) - view-through drawing - seen from diagonally above

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Porsche 928 (1978) - Transparent drawing

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Porsche 928 (1978) - Transparent drawing

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Porsche 928 S (1979) - Klaus Ludwig laps the Nürburgring faster in the 928 S than in the Carrera

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Porsche 928 (1979) - 928 and 928 S side by side

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Porsche 928 S (1980) - the S model can be recognized by the spoilers and protective strips

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Porsche 928 S (1980) - See-through drawing of the S model

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Porsche 928 S (1980) - without telephone styling wheels

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Porsche 928 S (1980) - unchanged silhouette

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Porsche 928 (1980) - on the 5000-km European test

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Porsche 928 (1980) - on a marked-out ECE city cycle course for fuel consumption measurements

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Porsche 928 (1980) - Final assembly at the Zuffenhausen plant - Interaction of sophisticated manual work and highly complex production technology

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Porsche 928 (1980) - the shape remained untouched during the first few years

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Porsche 928 S (1981) - spoiler lip front, rear spoiler rear

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Porsche 928 (1981) - also looks good on an airfield

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Porsche 928 S (1982) - record performance - 6,033 kilometers in 24 hours, corresponding to an average of 251.4 kmh

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Porsche 928 GT (1990) - later models were no longer as pure in form, but had other advantages

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Porsche 928 (1980) - in its original form

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Porsche 928 (1978) - no bumper visible in the strict sense, the rear surface was flexible

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Porsche 928 (1978) - Transparent drawing

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Porsche 928 S (1980) - aerodynamically optimized

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Porsche 928 S (1980) - with tear-off edge for the first time

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Porsche 928 S (1992) - those who achieve a lot can treat themselves to something special

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Porsche 928 S (1985) - Transparent drawing

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Porsche 928 GT (1990) - from the front, the sports car hardly changed over the entire construction period

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Porsche 928 S4 Clubsport (1988) - lighter and with less comfort

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Porsche 928 GT (1990) - with a powerful wing

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Porsche 928 S4 Clubsport (1988) - lighter and with less comfort

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Porsche 928 GTS (1995) - was probably only exceptionally ordered in this color

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Porsche 928 S4 (1987) - with clearly separated rear spoiler

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Porsche 928 S4 (1987) - timeless silhouette

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Porsche 928 S4 (1992) - it outperforms most in acceleration

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Porsche 928 S4 (1991) - Transparent drawing

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Porsche 928 GTS (1992) - Transparent drawing

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Porsche 928 GT (1991) - Transparent drawing

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Porsche 928 (1978) - vor historischer Auto-Kulisse im Kanton Thurgau

Porsche 928 (1978) - nur die Ur-928-er hatten diese unverfälschte Form, später folgten Seitenschutzleisten, Spoiler und andere Zutaten

Porsche 928 (1978) - eingeklappt sehen die Frontscheinwerfer besser aus

Porsche 928 (1978) - der 928-er war richtig breit für seine Zeit

Porsche 928 (1978) - der 928-er sah aerodynamischer aus, als er war

Porsche 928 (1978) - der 928 war schnell, aber nicht so schnell, wie ihn sich die Porsche-Leute erhofft hatten

Summary

At the beginning of the 1970s, the 911 era seemed to be coming to an end and a successor had to be developed. In 1977, Porsche presented the 928 and ventured into a new vehicle category, the Gran Turismo. This approach was not understood at the time, but today we know that the idea was right. The realization quickly grew that the concept was Porsche-like through and through and left nothing to be desired in terms of body layout, technology or design. Why the Porsche 928 was nevertheless not really successful and what its strengths and weaknesses were, but in particular how a Porsche 928 drives, is shown in this report, which has been supplemented with almost 100 photos, several sales brochures and audio examples, as well as the original owner's manual.

This article contains the following chapters

Development history with U-turns
Headwinds from the energy crisis
Difficult search for a shape
World premiere at the 1977 Geneva Motor Show
Model update and departure from pure form
Enduring success with birth defects
Unorthodox 928 design and still Porsche-like
Aerodynamic blunder
Flowing shapes in the interior too
Tight space conditions despite external size
Porsche technology at its best
High-revving eight-cylinder
In-house development for the gearbox
Power-hungry three-speed automatic transmission
Neutral road holding
Impressive driving performance
Long-term car with detail problems
Maintenance backlog threatens
Experienced workshops are in short supply
Watch out for contact corrosion
Styling purism only during the first few model years
Further information

Estimated reading time: 20min

Preview (beginning of the article)

In the first third of the 1970s, big decisions had to be made in Zuffenhausen. The rear-engined Porsche 911, which had been the backbone of the brand since the beginning, was slowly but surely getting on in years. Its replacement was openly considered. Today - more than thirty years later - we know that this concept is alive and well and further away from retirement than ever. Nevertheless, the idea of building a Gran Turismo was absolutely right. You realize just how right in 2012 when you drive an early Porsche 928 extensively. You quickly realize that the concept is Porsche-like through and through and leaves nothing to be desired in terms of body layout, technology or design. And you realize that today there is a painful gap between the 911, Cayman, Panamera and Cayenne: that of a genuine Porsche GT...

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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Images of this article

Porsche 928 (1978) - vor historischer Auto-Kulisse im Kanton Thurgau

Porsche 928 (1978) - nur die Ur-928-er hatten diese unverfälschte Form, später folgten Seitenschutzleisten, Spoiler und andere Zutaten

Porsche 928 (1978) - eingeklappt sehen die Frontscheinwerfer besser aus

Porsche 928 (1978) - der 928-er war richtig breit für seine Zeit

Porsche 928 (1978) - der 928-er sah aerodynamischer aus, als er war

Porsche 928 (1978) - der 928 war schnell, aber nicht so schnell, wie ihn sich die Porsche-Leute erhofft hatten

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