German GT Project: 1979 Porsche 928
Not only does this formerly brilliant grand tourer look sad, the seller’s tale is sad as well. He is beset with a serious health issue and has been liquidating his collection – never a story we want to hear. He has listed his 1979 Porsche 928 here on eBay, where the bidding has reached $3350 in a no-reserve auction. The car is located in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The seller has owned this Porsche since 2015 and the prior two owners were friends of his – all of which means that some of the car’s history is known, buttressed by plenty of receipts. The paint was damaged from outside storage and an unsympathetic detailer. The car does run, but can’t be driven thanks to a bad clutch master cylinder and a missing smog pipe. In other news, a rodent made a feast of the wiring, causing intermittency in the workings of various items. Is there any upside here? Let’s take a closer look.
The Porsche 928 was intended as a replacement for the 911 – but the strategy of replacing a sports car with a grand touring luxury machine – forget the front-mounted, water-cooled V8 engine and its affront to Porsche-philes for a moment – was questionable. While the 928 enjoyed a long production run and sold more than 60,000 copies, customers adhered to the 911 tenaciously, so both models were retained on the company’s menu. That V8 engine was a new venture for Porsche. This car was minted with a Bosch-injected 4.5-liter version, good for 220 hp in North American trim. A five speed transaxle helped balance the car’s weight distribution. As noted, this one’s clutch mechanism needs work. On the other hand, the seller notes that he had the timing chain, tensioners, and water pump replaced a couple of years ago. The car really hasn’t been run since.
The interior is another story altogether. Apparently while mechanical work was being performed, a re-upholstery job was also commissioned. The shop dragged its proverbial feet, moving the car outside due to lack of space inside, where it sat for months. Finally the shop informed the seller that the car would need to leave, as the shop owner had lost his lease. Consequently, the interior is only partially completed, and it looks like that didn’t include the driver’s seat. On the positive side of the ledger, the door locks and window lifts work; but the dash is cracked, the gauge wiring may have been attacked by the aforementioned Rodent, and the shift boot is missing.
Early 928s are distinguished by the lack of a rear spoiler, understated five-hole wheels, the occasional ‘pasha’ interior, and a 3200 lb curb weight. These characteristics mean early cars have attained a niche-y following, though this one needs a lot of expensive work to make it a decent driver. Meanwhile, the 928 has not gained much traction as a collectible despite performing the job of luxury but sporty conveyance in more than adequate fashion. I love these cars, but I would opt for a more expensive, cosmetically tidy driver. What do you think?
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Comments
A fast, great driving car that didn’t live up to it’s advertising. A good one in great shape is worth having but I can’t say I’d jump into this one in the condition it’s presently in. Nothing cheep about restoring one of these. Worked on enough of them in good condition to tell you the cost of everything is high, especially the labor. Always liked to see them come through the door for that reason alone.
Nothing more expensive than a worn out 928. No matter how hard you squint it will never be a 911 and you will never be in the black with the money you invest. Pony up for a nice one.
These have many expensive gremlins. Electronics are one, not as bad as a British car, but pretty bad. Too bad, a great car when all is working up to specs, but they suffer from an age old German curse. They are over engineered. That was part of Germanys problem during the war, great stuff, but too expensive to make and service in mass.
I had a driver-quality Euro model with auto trans for several years. Thankfully I had a friend in the Porsche parts biz, so it wasn’t too costly to keep with me doing the labour. I really enjoyed the car, and found the hatch-back handy while waiting for my new pickup truck.
As for the car here….. Sadly, it will cost far more than it’s value to even bring up to driver-grade condition. I see other 928s in similar condition within a few hours drive of my location a few times a year, usually asking about $2,500.
As an old school American muscle car lover,this is the only Porsche that I would ever own,with its injected V8 properly located in the front of the car,and mine would absolutely be a manual transmission like this one.However,this one is too far gone,and id go with an “S” model towards the end of the 928 run,say,’86ish?Until then I’ll make do with my ’95 Mustang GT 5.0…
This one managed to find a home for $4800. Best of luck to the new owner!
Best car that Porsche ever made. I was never a Porsche guy, but my wife surprised me with one as a gift. Big doors, lots of glass, V8 up front and a great cruiser. Drove mine with no issues from 1989 to 2005 without a scratch until a woman rear ended me at a stop sign. Took the insurance money and kept the car. We needed a shop truck and I thought-” A truck is just a car with a box- I have a car and I can build a box” Cut the rear clip off, bought another rear axle assembly and extended the frame, and voila we had a 6 wheel shop truck. Drove it daily for a few years until a German Porsche collector saw it and had to have it. Put it on a RORO ship in Long Beach and off to Germany it went.
https://flatsixes.com/cars/porsche-prototypes/3-porsche-wagons/
Is that it?
Sorry- it’s grotesque.
Not sure if it’s mine or a copy. Same layout, but color, wheels and some other details are different. This one looks to be very nice, mine was used as a shop truck.
Loved your story. I too drove over to Long Beach to ship off my van to a buyer in Hawaii as his had rusted out and only needed the frame and body for his original 4×4 drivetrain. Cool. That buyer of your modified porsche truck must have been real happy too!
I’ve seen photos of your “truck” … pretty darn cool!
I had an ’83 – loved it. Drove it trouble free for 2 years, then a temp sensor went out and it wouldn’t start. Would have only cost $230 if I had taken it to the dealer right away. Instead, I made it expensive by trying to trouble shoot it on my own!
It’s always sad to see a once beautiful car like this so reduced in every way. I had a 928 for 8 years and it was a beautiful car to drive decent power very trouble free and reliable. In many ways it’s not a 911 but in many ways a 911 isn’t a 928 either. I feel fortunate to have owned my 928 it was an extremely comfortable decent performing touring car!
Not to be that guy, but would an LS swap solve a lot of these issues. I do believe a company makes a conversion kit to do such a thing.
You’re not to be that guy but you couldn’t not resist could you? We know, we know..haha
I have always been a car guy and owned a speed yellow boxster for a few years , sold it for a realestate venture that left me with enough money to retire early , i obviously want to enjoy many years of this great time , what puzzles me is the number of cars listed here because of death or serious illness , areywe suppose to be immunized with all these vaccines ?