Porsche 928, Complete History

The Car That Was Supposed to Kill the 911

The Porsche 928 is one of the boldest bets in automotive history, a car born from the conviction that the 911 had to die. In the early 1970s, Porsche’s management, led by chief executive Ernst Fuhrmann, believed the rear-engined, air-cooled 911 was an engineering dead end. Tightening emissions regulations, noise standards, and crash safety requirements would eventually make the 911’s fundamental layout untenable. Porsche needed a clean-sheet replacement: a modern, front-engined, water-cooled grand tourer that could carry the company into the 21st century.

The result was the 928, and it was magnificent. It was also, in the end, a commercial failure relative to its ambition. The 911 survived, evolved, and became the most iconic sports car in the world. The 928 was quietly discontinued after 18 years and approximately 61,056 units. But the story of why it existed, how it was built, and what it achieved is one of the most fascinating chapters in Porsche’s history.

Origins and Development (1971-1977)

The 928 project began in 1971 under internal designation “Projekt 928.” Ernst Fuhrmann had recently joined Porsche as chief executive from the motorcycle manufacturer Koenig, and he brought a clean-room engineer’s perspective to the company’s future. The 911, he reasoned, was approaching its limits. The rear-engine layout made crash compliance increasingly difficult. The air-cooled flat-six was loud and would struggle with tightening noise regulations. The handling characteristics, while beloved by skilled drivers, were intimidating for the broader luxury GT market that Porsche needed to capture for growth.

Fuhrmann’s vision was a proper luxury grand tourer: front engine for better crash structure and luggage space, water cooling for refinement and emissions compliance, V8 power for smooth, effortless performance, and a transaxle layout (gearbox at the rear) for ideal weight distribution. The 928 would sit above the 911 as Porsche’s flagship, eventually replacing it entirely.

The styling was entrusted to Wolfgang Mobius, working under design chief Tony Lapine. The brief was aerodynamic, modern, and unmistakably Porsche without aping the 911. Mobius created a shape that was startlingly futuristic for the mid-1970s: a smooth, rounded nose with flush-fitting pop-up headlights, a steeply raked windscreen, a flowing roofline that tapered into a Kamm tail, and a wide, planted stance. The body panels were a mix of steel (for the main structure) and aluminium (doors, bonnet, front guards) to keep weight in check while maintaining structural integrity. The design was wind-tunnel tested extensively, achieving a drag coefficient of 0.39, excellent for its era.

The engine was an entirely new design: the M28, a 90-degree V8 constructed entirely from aluminium alloy. It displaced 4,474cc, used a single overhead camshaft per bank, Bosch K-Jetronic continuous fuel injection, and produced 240 horsepower. For context, this was more power than any 911 short of the Turbo. The M28 was oversquare (bore larger than stroke), designed to rev freely and deliver its power in a smooth, linear fashion, the antithesis of the peaky, characterful flat-six.

The chassis innovations were equally significant. The engine was mounted well behind the front axle for better weight distribution, driving the rear wheels through a torque tube (a rigid aluminium tube enclosing the propeller shaft) to a rear-mounted transaxle. This gave the 928 a near-perfect 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution. At the rear, the Weissach axle, named after Porsche’s research and development centre, used compliant suspension bushings arranged so that under braking, the rear wheels would toe in slightly, providing a self-correcting stability effect. It was a genuine engineering innovation that made the 928 feel planted and secure at high speeds in a way that the contemporary 911 simply could not match.

Launch and Early Reception (1977-1979)

The 928 debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1977 and the automotive press was overwhelmingly positive. Here was a Porsche that didn’t try to kill you in the wet. The ride was comfortable, the cabin was quiet and luxurious, the V8 was smooth and powerful, and the handling was balanced and approachable. It felt like a significant leap forward.

The ultimate validation came in 1978 when the 928 won the European Car of the Year award, the only sports car ever to receive this honour (before or since). The award was typically given to practical, mass-market cars, Fiat 127s and Renault 16s, and the 928’s victory was a testament to how impressed the automotive press was by its engineering sophistication.

Sales, however, told a different story. The 928 was expensive, significantly more so than the 911. In Australia, a 928 listed at roughly twice the price of a 911 SC. For that money, buyers expected perfection, and the early cars had teething problems. The K-Jetronic fuel injection was finicky. The automatic transmission (a 3-speed Mercedes unit, the most commonly specified option) felt dated in a car that was supposed to be the future. And the interior, while more luxurious than any previous Porsche, was not yet at the level of the Mercedes SL or Jaguar XJ-S it was competing against.

More fundamentally, the 911 loyalists revolted. The Porsche community had defined itself around the air-cooled, rear-engined flat-six. The 928, with its front-mounted water-cooled V8, represented everything the 911 was not. Letters to car magazines were scathing. Porsche Club members were hostile. The 928 was seen not as an evolution but as a betrayal.

The 928 S and DOHC Revolution (1980-1986)

Porsche responded to the early criticisms by developing the 928 S, which arrived in 1980 (for the European market; other markets followed in subsequent years). The S brought the most significant mechanical change in the 928’s evolution: the DOHC (double overhead camshaft) V8.

The new M28/07 engine displaced 4,664cc and featured four camshafts driving four valves per cylinder, producing 310 horsepower in European specification. The DOHC head was a major engineering effort, transforming the V8 from a smooth but unremarkable engine into something genuinely special. The power delivery was stronger, the rev ceiling was higher, and the sound was harder-edged, a metallic, purposeful bark that announced serious intent.

The S also received upgraded brakes, wider tyres, a more aggressive front spoiler, and revised suspension tuning. It was noticeably faster than the base 928, with a 0-100 km/h time dropping from 7.5 seconds to approximately 6.2 seconds in European trim.

But the 928 still wasn’t outselling the 911. Fuhrmann had left Porsche in 1980, replaced by Peter Schutz, who made the pivotal decision to keep the 911 in production rather than killing it in favour of the 928. The 928’s role shifted from 911 replacement to flagship companion, the luxury GT that sat above the 911 in the range. This was a pragmatic decision that saved the 911 but also, arguably, sealed the 928’s fate as a niche product.

During this period, the 928 made an unexpected cultural impact. In 1983, Tom Cruise drove a 928 in the film Risky Business, sliding it across the screen in several memorable sequences. The 928’s sleek profile and pop-up headlights became an icon of 1980s affluence. A generation of young men who couldn’t afford a Porsche decided they wanted one, and many of them eventually bought 928s.

The S4 and the Golden Era (1987-1991)

The 928 S4, introduced for the 1987 model year, represents the car’s maturity. Porsche’s engineers had listened to a decade of feedback and addressed virtually every criticism.

The engine grew to 4,957cc (the M28/41 and M28/42), producing 320 horsepower. More significantly, it switched from Bosch K-Jetronic to LH-Jetronic fuel injection, which improved throttle response, cold starting, and emissions. The dual exhaust system was revised for better flow, and the engine management was updated.

The body received the most visible changes since the original launch. The bumpers were smoothed and body-coloured, eliminating the separate bumper assemblies of the earlier cars. The nose was revised with integrated fog lights. The overall effect was a cleaner, more integrated design that looked significantly more modern than the pre-S4 cars. The pop-up headlights of the original were replaced (on the S4) with flush-fitting composite headlights, giving the car a sleeker, less quirky appearance.

Inside, the S4 received a dramatically improved cabin. Better materials, improved ergonomics, a more modern instrument cluster, and a level of fit and finish that finally matched the car’s price tag. Air conditioning, power seats, and a premium sound system were standard.

The 4-speed automatic (replacing the old 3-speed) was smoother and quicker-shifting. More importantly, a meaningful number of S4s were delivered with the 5-speed manual gearbox, making the car a significantly more engaging drive.

The S4 was the right car at the right time. It was fast (0-100 in 5.9 seconds), comfortable, beautifully built, and genuinely competitive with the best GTs in the world. Porsche sold the S4 alongside the 964-generation 911, and while it never outsold its rear-engined sibling, it found a loyal audience among buyers who valued refinement and long-distance capability.

The 928 GT (1989-1991)

In 1989, Porsche introduced the 928 GT alongside the S4. The GT used the same 5.0-litre V8 but tuned to 330 horsepower with revised camshafts and engine management. The suspension was stiffened, the ride height was lowered, and the manual gearbox was standard in most markets.

The GT was Porsche’s answer to the criticism that the 928 was too soft, too much GT and not enough sport. It was the most driver-focused 928 to date, sharper in its responses and more willing to be pushed hard. Production was relatively limited, fewer than the S4 or the later GTS, and the GT occupies a special place in 928 lore as the one tuned for enthusiasts rather than luxury buyers.

The GTS, The Final Expression (1992-1995)

The 928 GTS, introduced in 1992, is the definitive 928. Porsche’s engineers knew the 928 was approaching the end of its life, and they poured everything they had into making the final version the best.

The engine was enlarged to 5,397cc (the M28/49 and M28/50), the largest and most powerful V8 Porsche would fit to the 928. Output was 350 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, delivered with a smoothness and urgency that made the GTS feel like a genuine supercar. Zero to 100 km/h took 5.2 seconds, and the top speed was electronically limited to 270 km/h (de-restricted cars were reportedly capable of over 280 km/h).

The body was revised with wider rear haunches, adding 30mm to the rear track width. Cup-style mirrors replaced the earlier items. The rear end was redesigned with a more integrated bumper and light treatment. The GTS looked muscular and purposeful in a way the earlier cars had not, the wide rear arches giving it a planted, aggressive stance.

The interior was the best-appointed of any 928, with premium leather, improved instrumentation, and detail touches throughout. The GTS was available with both manual and automatic transmissions, and the manual GTS is the rarest and most desirable specification: approximately 2,831 GTS models were built in total, with manual cars representing a small fraction.

The End of the Line (1995)

The last Porsche 928 rolled off the Zuffenhausen production line in 1995. There was no fanfare, no special edition, no farewell model. The 928 simply stopped being made. Porsche was in financial difficulty in the mid-1990s, and the 928’s low sales volumes and high production costs made it untenable. The company was about to bet its future on the Boxster and the 996-generation 911, water-cooled cars that would, ironically, adopt the engineering approach the 928 had pioneered nearly two decades earlier.

Total production over 18 years was approximately 61,056 units, a fraction of the 911’s output. The 928 was never the commercial success Porsche had envisioned. It never replaced the 911. In purely business terms, it was a failure.

Legacy

And yet, the 928’s legacy is far richer than its sales figures suggest. It was the car that proved Porsche could build a world-class front-engined GT. It pioneered technologies, aluminium construction, electronic engine management, the transaxle layout, active safety systems, that would later appear across the Porsche range. The Panamera, which arrived in 2009, is the spiritual successor to the 928: a front-engined, four-seat Porsche grand tourer. The DNA is unmistakable.

The Weissach rear axle concept influenced rear suspension design across the industry. The aluminium V8 was ahead of its time. The aerodynamic bodywork set standards that influenced Porsche design for decades. The 928 was a car of firsts, built by engineers who were given the freedom to start with a blank sheet and create something genuinely new.

Among enthusiasts, the 928 has undergone a remarkable reappraisal. The car that was once dismissed as “not a real Porsche” is now recognised as one of the finest grand tourers ever built. Values, particularly for the GTS, have climbed steadily as a new generation of buyers discovers what the 928 has always offered: effortless V8 power, continent-crossing capability, beautiful engineering, and a driving experience that no 911 can replicate.

The 928 was never the wrong car. It was just ahead of its time, built for a future that Porsche’s customers weren’t ready for in 1977. Nearly five decades later, the world has caught up.

Production Summary

Variant	Years	Engine	Power	Approx. Production
928	1977-1982	4.5L SOHC V8	240 hp	~17,710
928 S	1980-1986	4.7L DOHC V8	310 hp	~19,136
928 S4	1987-1991	5.0L DOHC V8	320 hp	~16,669
928 GT	1989-1991	5.0L DOHC V8	330 hp	~2,897
928 GTS	1992-1995	5.4L DOHC V8	350 hp	~2,831
Total	1977-1995			~61,056

Timeline

• 1971: Projekt 928 development begins under Ernst Fuhrmann’s direction
• 1977: 928 debuts at Geneva Motor Show with 4.5L SOHC V8
• 1978: Wins European Car of the Year, the only sports car ever to receive the award
• 1980: 928 S introduced with DOHC 4.7L V8, 310 hp (European spec)
• 1980: Ernst Fuhrmann replaced by Peter Schutz, who decides to keep the 911 in production
• 1983: Tom Cruise drives a 928 in Risky Business
• 1987: 928 S4 arrives with 5.0L V8 (320 hp), smoothed body, and modernised interior
• 1989: 928 GT introduced, 330 hp, sportier suspension, manual gearbox standard
• 1992: 928 GTS launched with 5.4L V8 (350 hp), wider body, and upgraded interior
• 1995: Final 928 produced at Zuffenhausen. Total production: approximately 61,056 units