Cold Weater, Cool Car: The Voluptuous Porsche 928

It’s freezing cold outside here in the great state of Minnesota, so I selected an icy blue car for us to look at today.  I found this one sitting in the back lot at a used car dealership along with a few other vehicles that looked like they needed a bit of work.  Outwardly, this vehicle seems intact, but in view of the company it was keeping on the other side of a chain link fence that separated it and them from the cars for sale, I would guess there is some issue that is making this vehicle not quite ready to hit the used car market.  I first spotted today’s car in the early fall or late summer, and I know it continued to linger behind the chain link section for a couple months after that. So there’s a good chance it is still sitting out in the cold as I write this.  Too bad, because I kind of like these cars.

This is a 1985 Porsche 928.  Porsche made these cars starting in 1978 and ending in 1995.  Originally, it was intended for the 928 to replace the 911.  That never actually happened though.  Porsche buyers wanted what they had come to expect from the brand, and the 928 was certainly a big departure from the Porsche equation that purists tend to count on: an air-cooled smallish rear engine and rear wheel drive.   The 928 featured a big, water cooled engine positioned at the front end of the car to spin the rear wheels.  The 928 is meant as a GT, or Grand Touring car.  That is, it is not intended for off the line takedowns of other motorists (though it certainly could put plenty of other vehicles to shame in that manner), but rather, its strength is in cruising at high speeds for a long distance –or what one might call a “grand tour”.  Consider it a more unfaltering approach to spirited driving than the short burst and thrust of a car set up for burn outs and take-offs.  It all depends on how you like your thrills, I suppose; short and (prematurely?) sweet, or sustained and long lasting. 

As a touring car, the 928 placed handling high on its to do list.  To that end, the design included what is known as a Weissach axle to correct oversteer issues, which involve the rear wheels steering a bit to the outside of the turn when cornering at high speeds.  This can swing the rear end of the car out from the tracks the front wheels have set for it to follow and cause drivers to lose control and spin out.  This axle featured a linkage instead of a pivot bushing to guide the rear wheels back to the inner edge of the turn cut, to the position the front wheels wanted them to follow in the first place.  This type of set up is called passive rear steering, and is often accomplished with special bushings that react to the sideways (or lateral) force that would otherwise cause the wheels to want to steer outwardly from the turn.  In the Porsche 928, though, we have linkages instead of bushings.  And the reason I just spent a paragraph writing about it is because I think that passive rear steering is cool. 

I also happen to think that horsepower ratings are cool if they’re nigh enough.  Perhaps we should take a look at some performance specs to see if the horsies match up with the passive rear steering and the cool ice blue exterior of the car.   There were a few different engines that took up residence under the 928’s hood during its production run.  Because today’s 928 is a 1985 model, we’re only going to concern ourselves with that year’s specs.  In this case, it’s a 302 V8 (5.0L) that can take the 928 from 0-60 in 5.9 seconds courtesy of the 288 HP and 302 lb-ft of torque it produces. 

The 928 backed up its GT theme with a 2+2 seating configuration, though as with most 2+2 set ups, that “+2” is more of a really uncomfortable +2 if actual people who happen to have knees try to occupy that space…. Well, it’s the thought that counts, right?  And anyway, who cares about those back seats?  They fold flat so you can fit all kinds of stuff in the rear hatch, like luggage for your Grand Tour.  Better leave some room for extra cash, too, because if you’re traveling a considerable distance, the 928’s fuel economy might necessitate it.  13/17mpg city/highway isn’t exactly stellar, but it’s not like the 928 was designed with hyper-miling in mind anyway.  Fuel economy –pffft!  …and besides, as people here in Minnesota say (often when comparing our state to our neighboring states like Wisconsin –and not just in terms of weather, either); “it could be worse”. 

Brand new in 1985, a 928 would have cost its buyer around $50,000.  This one isn’t for sale yet, but your typical used but not used up 928 from this era (usually with around 100,000 miles or more racked up on the odometer) will probably carry a price of around $10,000-$12,000).  They may not be the Porsche purist’s dream, but 928s have an appeal that I consider perfectly valid nonetheless.  Like other well-loved Porsches, the 928 features curvaceously feminine bodywork that I have talked about previously in a post about the 911, in which I believe I compared that car to a prostitute of sorts.  Well, anyway, because the 928 carries its engine under its hood in front, that left the designers of this car with some leeway in their handling of the 928’s backside.  Going back to the purpose of the car as a GT, they decided to leave plenty of room for luggage and what not and designed an ample and very rounded hatchback butt end for the 928.  The result is what one might describe as the J. Lo of cars (a compliment that cuts both ways).  The 928 has a significant and well-rounded rump which creates a flowing and lovely contrast to the sleek, sloped front end of the car.  The 928’s form combines the razor sharpness of its blade-like front fascia with its rounded haunches and bluntly rotund bum in a way that makes the transition between these polar design lines seem not only naturally balanced, but ideal.  Porsche aficionados can say what they want about it, compared to its more distinguished kin, but if you ask me, the 928’s form is nothing short of voluptuous and completely lovely.  This isn’t some scrawny supermodel of a car, all sinew and jutting frame bits; this is a robust, full-figured design.  If the 911 is akin to Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres’ “La Grande Odalesque” as I asserted in my post about that Porsche, then the 928 is the automotive embodiment of one of Peter Paul Rubens’ ample female forms –his “Venus Frigida” comes to mind most prominently in this particular case.  Indeed, the term “Rubenesque” is a perfect adjective for the 928. 

Apparently, there just weren’t enough Porsche buyers who appreciated a car with a little junk in the trunk, because as I mentioned earlier, the 928 went extinct in 1995… Or did it?   Use your imagination to picture our 928 with some updated styling cues, modernized safety and performance technology, and 2 more doors.  What do you see?  Well, if your imagination doesn’t completely stink, you are probably picturing something that looks a lot like a Porsche Panamera (google it, because I don’t have one in my photo library to show you).  Looks like the 928’s buxom design sensibilities weren’t discarded after all.  They just went away for a bit to come back bigger and better than before (though a coupe version doesn’t seem like it would be a bad idea, just sayin’).