Relate to manual visceral engagement--only car comparable I ever bought is current E92 M3, struggled between manny 6 and semi-auto 7 sp. In the end just HAD to have the third pedal, mechanically linked to the drive train. Wouldn't be the same without manual.
I don't care what anyone says about the 928. It's positively gorgeous. I've been in love with the 928 from the moment I first saw one. I would always prefer a 928 over any 200mph multi-million super car. Thank you.
It was absolutely better suited in every way for American roads & drivability VS the 911. The 928 would have (and should have) been sold as the best actually usable drivable reliable GT on the market, but of course it wasn't.. And that's terrible. It was and still is a great car
@@HernanSpeed My 1 and only caveat would be to run away as fast as you can from an early mechanical injection 928 no matter how cherry the car is (any car with mechanical Jetronic for that matter, period). Unless the price is right and it's worth every nickel swapping over to Bosch multiport, or making your own (not naming any brands). And throw away the fuel distributor, lines and nozzles. Set fire to the trash can. And ignore everyone who cries "I needed that fuel distributor!!"
I drove a 928S4 as my daily driver for over 7 years. I loved it. It cornered like it was on rails. Mine had the standard transmission. Lots of fun. Lots of power. And I learned a lot from other 928 drivers over that time. For instance, this was the car that the Porsche engineers and production line folks in Stutgardt all wanted to own. 80% of the cars in the employee lot were 928s. This is the first car in many years that was built from the ground up by Porsche as a Porsche. I could put my child easily in the back seat. I sold this car when my wife was pregnant with twins. I traded it in on a minivan. THAT trade was emblematic of my changing status in life - fun loving young man becoming a serious dad. I would own one again.
The 928 was actually quite a capable car. This thing could go 100 mph+ on the Autobahn all day long, no problem. Ans it would do it comfortably and sit stable on the road compared to many of the "supercars". Extremely underrated car.
People used to constantly meandering down the road in a rear-engined Porsche found a stable car (front engine/rear transaxle) "boring." A bunch of engineers at Porsche tried to engineer a better car, and a bunch of traditionalists/purists threw a long tantrum.
In the late 70s, Kool cigarettes raffled off a 928. I was eleven, loved the look of the car, and pestered my mom to send in a stack of tickets I had clipped out of Kool ads. I recently asked mom if she really mailed those in but she pretended like she didn’t know what I was talking about. I’ll never recover from the betrayal!
It was around 1980 - I was on a long lonely highway in the middle of nowhere - and behind me came a red 928 doing 110+ - it passed me like I was standing still - and was out of sight just a couple of minutes later - It was such a beautiful thing to see - a touring car actually touring at over 100. I've had a thing for 928's ever since.
Back in the day, I worked in the service dept. of a Porsche dealer, drove many 928's. People didn't compare them to the 911. The 911 was a track car with license plates. The 928 was an Autobahn missile that was extremely comfortable to drive for tall people. I liked the smoothness, the tall gears, and the power to get beyond cruising speed in a relatively short time. Hypothetically one could be going 150mph, whilst playing around with the radio, and feel safe.
The 928 is a car to which you wouldn't add or subtract anything. The design is still fresh. Those who know these cars regard it as Porsche at its pinnacle. A clean sheet design that was light years ahead of the competition upon its debut. Sadly, for most car enthusiasts, it will always live under the shadow of the 911. Having driven both, I can firmly say that I would choose a 928GTS over the 911, and frankly, many other modern sports and GT cars.
GTS has earned a lot of respect during the last years. It's already almost in the standard 993/964 price category. The best low mileage cars go for $100K. That was unthinkable 10 years ago. Cheers. Lovely car.
I agree. But 928 GTS is very appreciated these days. Maybe not as expensive as 964/993 just yet, but it's getting closer. Good ones sell for over 100K. It's getting more and more appreciation every day. Good GT's too. And what a timeless design it is.
Our local rich kid (who was a couple of years ahead of me in school) pulled into the student lot in a brand new 82 white 928s and the entire student body went over to check it out. Unbelievable how amazing that car was to all of us. Love them to this day.
As a kid watching Tony Montana running out of that Miami nightclub after a fierce shootout then jumping into his 928 flipping the lights before driving away made me fall in love with this fine piece of German engineering.
About 5 years ago I was walking my dog in Santa Monica and came across a guy in his garage working underneath his 928. I asked him what he was doing. He replied , removing the transaxle. I said Oh ya I've done that before. Long story short , I spent a few hours helping him get it out as it was obvious he was struggling. Turns out his car was the one in Scarface and he had aquired it years ago. Don't know if his claim was true but I like to believe I worked on Tony Montana's 928.
I remember that great night club shoot out then Scarface jumps into his 1st generation silver 928, wow! At the time I thought ‘At last, the car of my dreams has made it to Hollywood, what took it so long? ‘ 😂 I say that because on my teenage years I was nearly knocked off my bicycle in 1979 by a 928 on my morning newspaper delivery round. The driver slowed down to make sure I was alright, but I sped up on my bike to catch the name of this UFO on wheels. All I saw was Porsche engraved in the rear bumper. It was 3 weeks before I found out what the model was called. I’ve been smitten ever since…
I had a 10 year old 928 in 1994, my wife was pregnant so it had to go, once our two kids were grown up my daughter had a picture of the 928 that I took with our dog in the drivers seat wearing sunglasses taped to her door and my son said "dad, why did you get rid of this?" I said because of you 🙂
I have a 928 GTS with manual transmission. It’s a great car for traveling on long distance, and that is how we use it. You even can sleep surprisingly comfortably in it. Have a ride across the alps, than along the shore down to south of Italy and you had a great day - we love it.
I am probably one of those weird 80's-90's kids who never liked the 928. Now I respect what it is and what the engineers were doing, but it never caught my interest as a child.
I bought my first Porsche around 1990 and it was a 1989 model... I had originally been looking for a 928 S4 with a manual transmission, but every 928 that came through the dealership was an automatic, a 928 or 928S model... I ended up with a 944 Turbo and was quite happy with it... We used to say about the 2+2 seating in them that it stood for "2 people plus 2 bags of groceries"...
There are many reasons why I like the Porsche 928, its design, the build quality, its history, few cars have those qualities. car of the year, set speed records in several places such as la salt de utah and the 24 hrs nardó in italy. it was handmade where each car took 3 weeks. It was the first car to bring all the modern technologies where today's cars have adopted. it's a futuristic car, pedigree, strong, can do a lot of miles and still look like new. when you get inside the 928 it's a strong smell of the quality of the leather. the engine roars, truly I tell you it is a handmade masterpiece.
Lovely and accurate description. I have a stock 1987 S4 in Grand Prix white and couldn’t agree more. Built like a tank, but still agile and fast. Feels surprisingly modern to drive despite its age. I hope I never have to sell mine. It’s a work of art.
I owned one of these for a number of years in a very rare manual, a mirror image of the one in Risky Business. It was quite fast in it's day. It looked fantastic and it was however incredibly comfortable, you could do a 1000 mile trip, then get back in and do another 1000, it was the ultimate in fast GTs.
Definitely two different cars, 928 auto vs 5 speed. I owned an 89 928 auto for 16 years and loved it, but picked up a 91 GT 5 speed 10 years ago and its a totally different driving experience, pure fun! Now days, every where I go with it , Cars and Coffee or car shows, it draws a crowd. It was way before its time when it came out.
I’ve always been a huge 928 fan. I never thought I’d ever own a Porsche. As a small town Canadian kid, an “imported sports car” was a far and distant dream. These days… I currently have an ‘87 Carrera (3.2L Cab) - for 17 years now, but my first love was the 928. The iconic shape just looked fast even while sitting…. those headlights! Risky Business, Scarface and Moonlighting also helped me fall for this car. I thought it’s real competition was BMW’s 633/635/M6 and the Mercedes-Benz 500/560 SEC (Two other cars I love). Thanks for sharing your impressions.
I've owned 9 Porsche's over the past 22 years, including 911 Turbo's & 2 manual 86 928's. I must say and admit that out of all of them, the 928 was Porsche's Pinnacle & at the time was the true definition of a Super Car. It literally did everything well & it did it better than any other car on the market. IMHO, the 85-86 is the sweet spot of the entire 928 range because it's the last 2 years for the original body, but also the first two years of the larger & more powerful 5 liter 32V motor. What an amazing car!
I can't argue, especially seeing I own a 1986 5L 928S in near original condition. Only yesterday a young builder working on the new house next door saw me drive the 928 back from shopping and came over to admire it. Not only does my car often get positive remarks but it is surprisingly comfortable and practical - drive it to the shops, or at speed on a mountain road, and it does either extremely well.
I rebuilt a totaled 928 in 1985. It was one of the strongest cars I have ever seen. Had it mounted on a floating post frame machine and it was really difficult to bend it back in shape! Horrible to service as all the systems were stacked upon one another. Just a nice, difficult car.
I completely agree, drove a very poor example with extremely high miles and although the car was far from mechanically sorted I couldn’t get over the bank vault solidity it still had….. no clunks, squeaks or rattles. Very impressive, particularly as they are hatchbacks which are notoriously creaky
Solid as granite. A nightmare to rebuild but if you don't have to do that , a wonderful car that still dominates the road 40 years on. Not that hard to work on. Ask me how I know!
Does putting in an LS3, as I've seen some by some, solve many problems, or simply add to the problems? I have the impression that the wiring loom needs to be changed entirely for reliability?
I visited Tony Lapine at Weissach when the 928 was being developed. He was head of Porsche Design at the time and the 924 had just been introduced. He wouldn't allow me to go into the room where the 928 was being designed, When I opened the door to go in he almost had a coronary and called me back. I knew generally what was going on but it was still secret!
I loved my 1990 928GT. Absolutely fantastic car. I owned it for 16 years and sold it with 424,000km on it. Manual transmission in all GT’s and hotter cams than the S4.
I first owned a couple of 924:s, also underrated, a couple of 944:s, one 911 and then a 928 my 1985, and one 1986, then tha last one a 1987. Loved the 928:s, went twice from Sweden to Spain. Cruising at 180 km/h (120 Mph?) on Autobahn was unbelievable pleasant. Never any mechanical, drove them on studded tires in the winter - perfect balanced car made it a pleasure.
I drove the first version of the 928 in Dallas in 1979. It had been sitting on the used car section of a local Mercedes dealer for six months, I knew they were anxious to get rid of it and could probably get to test drive it. My dad and i had a scheme where he would drive up to a car dealer in his Fleetwood Cadillac and he would chat with the salesman while a companion and I would go drive sports cars. The dealer was in north Dallas next to an industrial park which was deserted on Saturdays. It had wide streets to accommodate large trucks so it was a great place to rip around in a sports car.. My buddy Asko taught me how to hang the tail out in a 74 Alfa Spider that had also languished on their used car lot. The car wouldn't start and I had to tell the salesman where the battery was and convinced him to check the water in the battery ( I said "just pull one cap" which turned out to be low). After filling ALL of the cells the car jumped off and away we went.I put my Alfa training to good use and slid it all over the industrial park. It had a dogleg 5 speed which I preferred having learned to drive a stick in a 66 912. It had been widely reported that the 928 had tamed the 911 tail happiness which we tested with abandon. I REALLY LIKED handling of the car but thought it needed another 100 horsepower, which it eventually got. This being Dallas, where German cars were dearly loved, I got to talk to several 928 owners about their cars. They ALL had electrical problems. The cars were not easy to service and had the same accessibility as a current diesel Ford pickup. Alas, I realized that it was not a car for me. The lack of sales success, at least in this area where there is a very low tolerance for unreliability, was probably more due to its inherent problems than the water-cooled front engine.
Lots of people bought 928s in Europe and used them to cross the continent. It sure didn't feel like failure to its lucky owners. It was low, elegant, very snug and fast. It was beautifully finished and reasonably comfortable. The GTS in particular was a great car. I used to drive 1500 km in one day and it felt absolutely thrilling.
I love my 1981 5 speed manual 928! It's everything I want in a classic sports car. Comfortable, looks amazing, one of the best sounding engines, fun to drive on back roads and highway. Maybe I'll stop by at your next Cars and Coffee.
I bought my first 928 when I first come to Washington DC in 1983, I felt in love with it. Then in 1987 I got my second 928, my third in 1990 and finally in 1995 got the 928 S4 that I still have today. Never sold it because I promised to my son Robert that I would give this car to him. We both love it. I moved to my first 911 Carrera, which is a totally different concept. Porsche is like the old add says, like peanut butter in your mouth. Once you taste it, you don’t want anything else. I had always curious as to why Jay Leno never reviewed a 928. Now I know. In spite of that… I am in love with what my son and to this day call Mr. Muscle.
This was a great discussion! I’ve had my 1990 944s2 Cabriolet for two decades. Never been a 928 fan….but sitting there in Polar White, under those lights, it appears to be doing “light speed” sitting absolutely still! Bravo-Zulu on a great automobile discussion!
@@richcampbell6808 Well, maybe…maybe not. I’m not sure what your point is. Mine appears brand new….runs like the day I took ownership. That does require keeping up with the maintenance. And, the more of them “at the dump”, the more mine is worth. I’ve been offered $18k….mine is a convertible in a unique color….but I declined the offer, as I still love driving it.
@@captaincoyote1792 I loved the 944 . I had a black one 5 speed . My father had a 944 turbo. Not hating on the car just not many around in great condition. I liked the convertible because it had the 944 turbo front end instead of the big bumpers.
944 was OK.. good car don't get me wrong, just nothing to write home about. The thing to remember about the 944 was Porsche (Germany in general) trying to birth their whole "entry level" schtick nonsense aimed at those who just flat didn't want something like a 911 period. I recall the 944 having a lot of teething troubles state-side, and the 928 costing way too much which put both cars practically out of market to most people therefore they sold in low numbers and are largely forgotten about by the non-car people. A later good condition 944 with an aluminum LS swapped in, can't be beat I'll give it that. That's the closest I can get today to a "classic feel" GT car, a VERY GOOD poor man's 928
I used to deal in older 911SC's as a hobby. I used to refer to 928's as "boat anchors", almost couldn't give them away in years past. Cool looking car though! Glad they are making a comeback.
I was 21 when the 928 was released and to me at that time it represented success and sporty all in the same package. Porsche was smart to make the 924, 944, 928, etc., as those cars got a lot of people into the brand that wanted the Porsche image but didn't want to buy a 911. Another benefit of making those models back then is now there's used Porsches that younger people without a trust fund can actually afford. Cheers!
I've owned several versions of the 928 and it was a very trackable car. The faster you go is the smaller it gets....lol. My last iteration was a 1987 928 S4 5spd with limited slip, a SuperCharger (500hp) and lightened by 600 lbs. Add a cage for body stiffness and the car was a rocket that sounded like thunder. I'm driving a GT4 now and I still miss the 928.
@@HernanSpeed One of my sons has one as well. The other drivers would line up on the wall of the front straight to hear us race between the concrete walls. They make your stomach vibrate!
I was “blessed” that my 12 cylinder Jaguar had so many flaws, that I had to make the decision to change to a more reliable vehicle. At the time I was thinking between a Mercedes or 7 series of BMW, but both cars had waiting time (not instantly deliverable), which was not something I considered, so I went to Porsche, to see how it played out with the 928, which was also a fairly new model, I had seen on the streets (mid 1979). At Porsche in Essen/Germany, they also told me, that if I wanted one, there would be a 3 month waiting time, but they had one, where the customer had spect it to his pleasure, but had not taken it in the end, and if I would take this car, I could have it immediately. I looked at the car, and decided to take it, as they (Porsche in Essen) would even give me a discount. What a blessing this was ! I loved the car right from the beginning : a perfect handling and reliable car, which even at really heigh (top speeds on the Autobahn, was never tired from driving, even after 700+ miles stretches. After 3 years and about 180,000 miles on the tachometer, during a scheduled maintenance visit, “my” Porsche salesman showed me the new 911 Carrera Cabrio (just presented), and “convinced” me to order one, which I should get delivered after the “Summer-pause “. So I ordered one to my spec’s - white, with white leather interior and white Cabrio roof. When I got it, the waiting time for a Carrera Cabrio was meanwhile close to one year, and the white colored Cabrio roof was not an option anymore, so I had a pretty unique 911 as my new car. Now, having driven the 928 previously, this car was not comparable at all: very loud, “nervous”, road holding in comparison to the 928 (which was excellent) , very poor, because the 928 was like a train on tracks never trying to “break out”, while the 911 tended to break out with his back, so I couldn’t understand the people/drivers, who were soooo convinced, that the 911 was the way to go. Long story short : at my first scheduled maintenance with the 911, I asked the salesman, if he would take it back, and at what price, and sell me a new 928 S instead. I was surprised, that he offered me 25,000 DM (Deutsche Mark) more, than I had paid for it, and sold me the 928 S for less… What a happy ending for me ! Unfortunately I had to sell my loved 928 S, because I moved to Italy, which at that time “punished” everyone with extra taxes, if the engine had more than 2,000 cc… From Italy I moved to the United States, where sports cars don’t make any sense (in my humble opinion), since if you drive them as supposed, you lose your license quickly, and also risk your and all the incapable drivers lives… It actually hurts me to see people driving very capable cars, blocking lanes on highways with 2, 3 and more lanes per direction doing 70 and less miles/hr. I’m still in love with 928’s, because they were wort every penny ! ❤ …and no, I don’t think the manual shifting ones are the better choice, as the automatic shifting ones were damn good, even if in my early years I was driving only manual gears. The 928’s automatic gear was exceptionally responsive, maybe it’s due to the fact, that the mechanics in the US are not as capable to fine tune this kind of cars…
Really enjoy you guys together. I was hoping for a deeper dive into the car. I have always loved the 928. I don’t know if I would ever own one though. I fear the cost to own and the parts availability.
I once test drove a 928 S back in 1982. I had to stop to let the traffic pass, forgot the gear in the 5th and moved on. The car wouldn't flinch, it drove like it was in the 1st gear. I made 260 kmh, when the dealer asked me to take it easy. It has always been my dream car.
Donald and Jay, if you're listening, I will happily bring my 6.5 liter stroker GTS 5-speed up to Burbank, and disabuse you about the 'not enough power' notion...
If you're local, stay tuned for the next Audrain Youngtimers event, coming Spring of 2023! We'd love for you and your 928 to join us in celebrating cars of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s!
I loved working on mine until my arthritis pretty much made working constant pain. The only real flaw I remember was the rats next of gray wires behind the fuse relay panel, and the thrust bearing failures that destroyed the engines on automatic cars. Thankfully, someone came out with special clamps to prevent that, but only after many years of the problem being known. Porsche should have at least designed that clamp and released it as a tech service bulliten.
Great content and discussion by two experts with little to no seat time in a 928. They were both spot on about how the public perceived the 928. However if they spent a weekend in one at the time, it would have been enlightening for them. It was actually a glorious car to drive at the time and still holds up well. I've owned 3 928s over the years and nothing has captured the true GT feel until I got my Aston Martin Vantage V12S. The 928 is not the fastest or best handling, however it does everything so well. You can carve up the twisties with confidence and still finish the day with an 8 hour drive and not feel fatigued. Little touches like the passive rear steering are cool.
@@MagicAyrtonforever for who? For the inexperienced? Maybe. I was 17 years old the first time I worked on a 928. Easy then, easy now. Now, some basic knowledge of cars is required..
I always enjoy listening to both of these gentlemen presenting facts and giving their opinions. Mr. Leno has talked about individuals inaccurately think car design and building it is simple. He mentioned the New Coke campaign which turned into a controversial calling card. Auto manufacturers have to 1. Keep customers 2. Keep pleasing customers 3. Attain new customers (who apparently don't care for the current product) and let's not forget the legislative consequences of safety, pollution, fuel economy, etc. How different would this car have become had VW not looked to Porsche design for the Beetle replacement - which became the 924?
A guy I worked with in an international oil production company smuggled in a 1980 928 s manual right hand drive was my first experience in one and it was impressive,then I rode in a california 928 auto and it wasn't the same car,just three years ago was the last time to buy one.
I recently sold my 1986 928S Strosek Edition wide-body. Sellers remorse, but I’m glad it went to another enthusiast. The 928 was a “quick” comfortable car and would turn heads and start conversations everywhere I’d go. It was nice to be able to take my wife with me and our kids fit fine in the backseats (even though I didn’t like them not having shoulder belts). We had fun in that car as a family and a lot of great memories. I actually made a video about it and have it here on RUclips on my channel.
A lot of people don't even know of the concept of "grand tourer" and only have the mental concept of "sports car." Which can be bad news for a grand tourer when people start judging it as a sports car. All of which amuses me because so many people want to be seen in a sports car, but in reality, want a grand tourer, and the number of people really showing up for a lightweight, smaller sports car is really quite small. Also amusing/frustrating was that at the time, the automotive press was moaning about how heavy the 928 was. Well, the 911 never was all that light, and now almost everything's heavier than those 928's were.
I so remember when I worked at a Porsche dealership. The 928 was just arriving and when Porsche invited all of the Dealership owners to show them what was coming. They were allowed to purchase one at that meeting. When the one my dealer's owner purchased finally arrived he had not been driving it much it was consuming coolant. Turned out I got to check out and found the heater core leaking. Ordered the core and we were informed to make sure. We did and when the core arrived there was a little German guy with a stopwatch. I will explain. That is something that had not been done yet and there was no warranty time in the manuals. I was enlightened when I went about replacing the heater core that the man with the stopwatch would start it when I had my hands on the car working on the job. When I stopped to go get another tool he would stop the stopwatch. So the time is determined by only the time actually hands on spent working on the car. Kinda makes sense. To shorten the story since I was the first one to do a heater core there were no procedures so I am flying by the seat of my pants. Now once I am done they actually have a warranty time in the manuals. As I remember it the time worked out to be 17 hours start to finish. The next model year that changed because of design changes in the car. Removing the dashboard to do that and all that went with it was no fun.
Leno and Osborn are a fantastic dynamic duo. The two of them and Nick have brought the roaring 20's back to Newport. In so many ways the Automobile is a symbol of universal peace and freedom, when war strikes the first thing to shut down are the automotive factories for retooling to make machines of war. Automobiles are the truest example of what man kind is capable of producing when we focus on goals of a global humanitarian nature and put our work, talent and resources into expanding the freedoms of our fellow man.
Excellent! 2 informed, intelligent car guys sharing their views. I Love it! The 928, esp. the later GTS version, is a stand-out car, blending luxury & performance very well. A 'personal luxury' car or GT, rather than a true 'sports car'. There's market for each. In my earlier years, I'd scoff at the lack of 'sport' in this model. At this point, I can appreciate the GT blend. Jay - I encourage you to reconsider. Of course a manual trans allows for more visceral driver involvement, but a good AT isn't necessarily a bad thing. Case in point - my ride is a lovely '98 Lexus SC300 - a personal luxury GT. Only c. 5% of these were 5-spd. manual. Mine is AT, so yes - driver involvement is reduced a bit, but what a sweet ride w/ many virtues. btw - the 1st gen. NSX, up to 290 HP in later versions, was/is a jewel in many respects & sent Ferrari & Porsche back to the drawing board.
Agree. Why is Jay so worried about the back seat? It's a grand tourer (meaning in its time a car meant for basically one or at most, two persons). It is not a family car/tourer.
Great video gentlemen! i especially like your point that most of us don't or can't drive our cars 9/10's on the street, but we get enjoyment in how the car feels when we drive it! As far as the 928 goes in my humble opinion, it was Porsche trying to branch out and follow the trend of the time for a modern GT car. Every once in a while an auto maker will create a niche in the market like the crossover, but most it sems try to jump on the bandwagon in order to sell to a new market.
The first car I fell in love with as a kid. The first car poster on my bedroom wall. I’m pretty sure it was the most advanced car when it was launched, if not, one of the most advanced. Beautiful shape and lines. Literally my favourite GT car of all-time. I still want one. Some day
Great video, getting to the "Nitty-Gritty" of automotive preferences on your likes and dislikes of a sport car, whether it be a rear engine car , a front engine, having back seats and manual vs automatic transmission. Gear heads can spend a Saturday afternoon conversation about this subject. I'm with Jay Leno as favoring a manual transmission in a sports car. That connection you have when your rowing through gears and shifting when YOU want to shift. The art of learning to drive a manual transmission should never die but it looks like car manufacturers belive otherwise. Nice content gentlemen, keep up the great work.
928 is my favourite car ever made. I have a 1979 red (indischrot) 928. I also had the S, S4 and GTS. But the Urmodell (1st model) is my favourite. The interior fits perfect to the time and driving it is a real time capsule. The GTS is the most perfect one, drives like a new car. But as a classic enthusiast, I would always go with the 1978-1979 models.
I bought a 928S4 and used it for it’s design purpose. Had a business in Dallas and lived in Florida turned I10 into the autobahn often. Had another business in DC same with I95. Loved the car kept it 10 years. Serviced by EUROTECH Winter Park.
My brother bought a used 1983 928GT in 1993. I rode in the back for a 100 mile trip (twice) and though it was tight, I did survive. I also got to drive it quite a bit. I got it up to 120mph once, and it drove very smoothly at that speed. Pretty exciting and a little scary for me though! He ended up track racing it quite a bit until he felt it was just too expensive to maintain. Tires were already $350 each by the early 2000s.
@@brushstroke3733 S's are very cool -- best looking, in my mostly worthless opinion! Do you remember what the interior looked like? It wasn't the psychedelic checkerboard ("pasha"), was it?
I'm a 911 guy. I own a 73 911T Targa since new all original. I love it! That said the 928 was an awesome car for the time. Drove several, great driving dynamics. My only issue with it? It looked far too much like the 924-944. A little sleeker but had that lower end look (at least to me. Would I buy one now? Hmmmm As to the "It's not a Porsche crowd - - well we all have our opinions.
Glad I found this channel! Growing up a Neihbor (I was 12 or so 1985) had a 928. I thought it was the coolest car ever. I would love to buy one now but mechanically they’re nightmare’s.
Great video 👍 The pre GTS early 90’s GT (manual) was for me the sweet spot…hotter cam rather than bored out engine, very sporty set up and very enjoyable to drive and press on. 👌
I totally dig the original 928, and the '83-'86 928s most of all. The '87 cosmetic "rounding" spoiled the beauty, especially in the front. It looks like it melted.
Jay talks about everything but the 928. Appreciate this wasn’t a technical deep dive but more an emotional discussion, but the 928 was the first ground up Porsche design and introduced technology adopted in the later 911’s.
There is something to be said about a good looking sports car. The 928 is very sharp. The 911 is a Beetle on steroids. The 928 design turns heads. Just like my Ftype today. It may not be the absolute fastest car, but it is beautiful and luxurious and is a legitimate sports car.
I personally think 2+2 are practical. It has small back seats to move people short distances, in the 2% of the time, you will need that with a sports car.
When the 928 came out, it was the flagship. The luxury "Doctor's car". True Porsche fanatics sniped "It's not air cooled so it's not a Porsche". The all aluminum bodied 928 is a leap forward over previous cars. But like you said with Harley, if you put an engine in a Harley that had twice the power without the "potato" sound and cut the weight in half, they'd sell 6 of them a year, then cut production. Same with any water cooled Porsche. (Volkswagen) 924 and 944 always depreciated like crazy while the 911 and even the (Volkswagen) 914 didn't nearly as much. Moving to water cooled 911's introduced the IMS bearing catastrophy. Turbo and GT cars didn't use the IMS, so became the reliable 911.
Am I weird to admit that the Ferrari 400 and the Porsche 928 are possibly my two favourite cars? (Porsche 928 possibly the best looking rear end on pretty much any car ever built)
I second a lot of the sentiment; The 928 was a beautiful car in it's day, it's a beautiful car today, and one that has held up better mechanically than almost any other car of the era. This was Germany's last real "German car" if you will.. Before they adopted VW's disposable car attitude (I'm looking at you, BMW!). I remember when these first came out thinking "this is special, it's different, it's everything the 911 *isn't* and that's a *good* thing". I blame the marketing of the day. They just didn't aim for the right demographic
I bought a 1984 Porsche 944 about 15 years ago with 72,000 miles on it for $3200. Mechanicaly sound. Had it repainted for $3200. A guy down the road from me has an original 928. Sounds awesome. .. I still kick his as on winding roads of Maine.
It only has 79,000 miles on it now. I only drive it one weekend in the spring and one weekend in the fall. Usually to Vermont (family there) via New Hampshire Kangumangus Highway through the White mountains. The 944 was built for it.
I was the proud owner of an early '80's 944 with a similarly stupid back seat. As it was explained to me, the back seat changed the car's tariff category. Two-seater sports cars had high tariffs. With the back seat, even unusable, the tariff was lower. I don't know if this was true for the 944, or the 928. It's just what I was told.
I've owned a '94 GTS since 1999. It wants to be driven (which I don't do as it has 47K miles). I have had some issues with it, but can't see it leaving the collection. When I take it out, the car turns heads (not easy to do in Los Angeles) and for me, a good combination of ride, comfort, and performance.
I get the same “turns heads in L.A.” with my inherited pristine 944. Not a modern car to drive, but it’s fun because it’s so different and gets attention.
I didn't realize what a rare sight the car would be, until a small crowd collected around me when I was in a traffic jam behind an accident, and people were getting out of their cars to look at my 928. I first heard, 'HOly shit, it's a 9-2-8!' It was the first time I ever noticed that lots of other car guys out there have never even seen one. First time I ever felt like a celebrity!
something magical about the 928. Never liked the first version's stying but the rounder one was gorgeous but has there ever been a car that with the addition of a spoiler looked sublime? Alas, the 15 mpg meant and still means I can't justify owning one.
Many years ago Road&Track published a series of drawings showing the morphing of an AMC Pacer into a 928. The lines are all there, just in different proportions.
Love this channel. No drama or annoying generic rock music, just cars and genuine car people
We're glad you enjoy! More exhibition highlights with Jay are on their way, stay tuned!
Yessum, Porche 928 was a nice copy of Camaro/Firebird...
I have seen Osborne in person at a car show. Is the same person with a up beat with a great since of humor.
Relate to manual visceral engagement--only car comparable I ever bought is current E92 M3, struggled between manny 6 and semi-auto 7 sp.
In the end just HAD to have the third pedal, mechanically linked to the drive train. Wouldn't be the same without manual.
generic blues-rock, the bane of my car video viewing experience.
I don't care what anyone says about the 928. It's positively gorgeous. I've been in love with the 928 from the moment I first saw one. I would always prefer a 928 over any 200mph multi-million super car. Thank you.
👍♥️ Totally.
I have always wanted one from day one. A Porsche is a Por- sha. Love to hear Jays stories.😁 💙💙😎👍😎🔥🔥
It was absolutely better suited in every way for American roads & drivability VS the 911. The 928 would have (and should have) been sold as the best actually usable drivable reliable GT on the market, but of course it wasn't.. And that's terrible. It was and still is a great car
Correct! 💯💯
@@HernanSpeed My 1 and only caveat would be to run away as fast as you can from an early mechanical injection 928 no matter how cherry the car is (any car with mechanical Jetronic for that matter, period). Unless the price is right and it's worth every nickel swapping over to Bosch multiport, or making your own (not naming any brands). And throw away the fuel distributor, lines and nozzles. Set fire to the trash can. And ignore everyone who cries "I needed that fuel distributor!!"
I drove a 928S4 as my daily driver for over 7 years. I loved it. It cornered like it was on rails. Mine had the standard transmission. Lots of fun. Lots of power. And I learned a lot from other 928 drivers over that time. For instance, this was the car that the Porsche engineers and production line folks in Stutgardt all wanted to own. 80% of the cars in the employee lot were 928s. This is the first car in many years that was built from the ground up by Porsche as a Porsche. I could put my child easily in the back seat. I sold this car when my wife was pregnant with twins. I traded it in on a minivan. THAT trade was emblematic of my changing status in life - fun loving young man becoming a serious dad. I would own one again.
True, Porche 928 was a nice copy of Camaro/Firebird...
Serious Dads keep the porsche.
Trading a 928S4 for a minivan....ouch
@@richcampbell6808 ....you mean divorced dad's....lol
@@BuzzLOLOL .....meth is bad...mmmk
The 928 was actually quite a capable car. This thing could go 100 mph+ on the Autobahn all day long, no problem. Ans it would do it comfortably and sit stable on the road compared to many of the "supercars".
Extremely underrated car.
People used to constantly meandering down the road in a rear-engined Porsche found a stable car (front engine/rear transaxle) "boring." A bunch of engineers at Porsche tried to engineer a better car, and a bunch of traditionalists/purists threw a long tantrum.
But the car was so over complicated that not even Porsche wanted to fix it.
"Extremely underrated car." - 100%
Yep and was fastest car in the world for a time
woo woo woo !!!
In the late 70s, Kool cigarettes raffled off a 928. I was eleven, loved the look of the car, and pestered my mom to send in a stack of tickets I had clipped out of Kool ads. I recently asked mom if she really mailed those in but she pretended like she didn’t know what I was talking about. I’ll never recover from the betrayal!
You should probably stop talking to her. 😂
ALL women are liars and cheats......
It was around 1980 - I was on a long lonely highway in the middle of nowhere - and behind me came a red 928 doing 110+ - it passed me like I was standing still - and was out of sight just a couple of minutes later - It was such a beautiful thing to see - a touring car actually touring at over 100. I've had a thing for 928's ever since.
I had one merge in front of me on I-5 in Oregon... Just like the Autoweek ad, it took off like a rocket and just flat disappeared.....
Same thing happened to me. Came out of nowhere like a damn rocket but passed with so much grace! I was in awe!
Back in the day, I worked in the service dept. of a Porsche dealer, drove many 928's. People didn't compare them to the 911. The 911 was a track car with license plates. The 928 was an Autobahn missile that was extremely comfortable to drive for tall people. I liked the smoothness, the tall gears, and the power to get beyond cruising speed in a relatively short time. Hypothetically one could be going 150mph, whilst playing around with the radio, and feel safe.
I once got mine up to 165. It started to get a little “lite” around 150.
The 928 is a car to which you wouldn't add or subtract anything. The design is still fresh. Those who know these cars regard it as Porsche at its pinnacle. A clean sheet design that was light years ahead of the competition upon its debut. Sadly, for most car enthusiasts, it will always live under the shadow of the 911. Having driven both, I can firmly say that I would choose a 928GTS over the 911, and frankly, many other modern sports and GT cars.
GTS has earned a lot of respect during the last years. It's already almost in the standard 993/964 price category. The best low mileage cars go for $100K. That was unthinkable 10 years ago. Cheers. Lovely car.
I agree. But 928 GTS is very appreciated these days. Maybe not as expensive as 964/993 just yet, but it's getting closer. Good ones sell for over 100K. It's getting more and more appreciation every day. Good GT's too. And what a timeless design it is.
Our local rich kid (who was a couple of years ahead of me in school) pulled into the student lot in a brand new 82 white 928s and the entire student body went over to check it out. Unbelievable how amazing that car was to all of us. Love them to this day.
As a kid watching Tony Montana running out of that Miami nightclub after a fierce shootout then jumping into his 928 flipping the lights before driving away made me fall in love with this fine piece of German engineering.
About 5 years ago I was walking my dog in Santa Monica and came across a guy in his garage working underneath his 928. I asked him what he was doing. He replied , removing the transaxle. I said Oh ya I've done that before. Long story short , I spent a few hours helping him get it out as it was obvious he was struggling.
Turns out his car was the one in Scarface and he had aquired it years ago. Don't know if his claim was true but I like to believe I worked on Tony Montana's 928.
I remember that great night club shoot out then Scarface jumps into his 1st generation silver 928, wow! At the time I thought ‘At last, the car of my dreams has made it to Hollywood, what took it so long? ‘ 😂 I say that because on my teenage years I was nearly knocked off my bicycle in 1979 by a 928 on my morning newspaper delivery round. The driver slowed down to make sure I was alright, but I sped up on my bike to catch the name of this UFO on wheels. All I saw was Porsche engraved in the rear bumper. It was 3 weeks before I found out what the model was called. I’ve been smitten ever since…
Montana or Mr. Wolfs NSX..both are cool AF.
You said my experience to T
@@steenjensen8183If It was that champaign metallic gold, with fog lights-!! It probably was
I had a 10 year old 928 in 1994, my wife was pregnant so it had to go, once our two kids were grown up my daughter had a picture of the 928 that I took with our dog in the drivers seat wearing sunglasses taped to her door and my son said "dad, why did you get rid of this?" I said because of you 🙂
The 928gts is a superb piece of machinery. One of the finest automobiles ever made.
Yes it is.
I have a 928 GTS with manual transmission. It’s a great car for traveling on long distance, and that is how we use it. You even can sleep surprisingly comfortably in it.
Have a ride across the alps, than along the shore down to south of Italy and you had a great day - we love it.
I've always liked the design of the 928 since its inception. It truly has a unique shape.
First modern car, with its hidden bumpers
Its front end looks like a shark...nothing like the boring modern cars that look basically the same
@@04dram04 Hidden? Lol. Not
@@richcampbell6808 he means bumper covers, meaning the crash absorbent bits are under the body extension covers, hence hidden.
@@Arayig1982 Not the back bumpers from 1978 to 1986.
The 928's appearence in the film Risky Business was also a huge reason the car was so popular with kids of the 1980's.
And Scareface! 💪💪
And weird science :-D
I was young in the 80s, but my matchbox car 928 was just my favorite.
I am probably one of those weird 80's-90's kids who never liked the 928. Now I respect what it is and what the engineers were doing, but it never caught my interest as a child.
Oh huh, Porche 928 was a nice copy of Camaro/Firebird...
I bought my first Porsche around 1990 and it was a 1989 model... I had originally been looking for a 928 S4 with a manual transmission, but every 928 that came through the dealership was an automatic, a 928 or 928S model... I ended up with a 944 Turbo and was quite happy with it...
We used to say about the 2+2 seating in them that it stood for "2 people plus 2 bags of groceries"...
There are many reasons why I like the Porsche 928, its design, the build quality, its history, few cars have those qualities. car of the year, set speed records in several places such as la salt de utah and the 24 hrs nardó in italy. it was handmade where each car took 3 weeks. It was the first car to bring all the modern technologies where today's cars have adopted. it's a futuristic car, pedigree, strong, can do a lot of miles and still look like new. when you get inside the 928 it's a strong smell of the quality of the leather. the engine roars, truly I tell you it is a handmade masterpiece.
Lovely and accurate description. I have a stock 1987 S4 in Grand Prix white and couldn’t agree more. Built like a tank, but still agile and fast. Feels surprisingly modern to drive despite its age. I hope I never have to sell mine. It’s a work of art.
I owned one of these for a number of years in a very rare manual, a mirror image of the one in Risky Business. It was quite fast in it's day. It looked fantastic and it was however incredibly comfortable, you could do a 1000 mile trip, then get back in and do another 1000, it was the ultimate in fast GTs.
Porsche was just beginning to broaden the scope of their market. Now they have luxury cars & SUV's
928 GTS. Nice, that's definitely one of the really desirable models to get. Not a lot of those around.
Definitely two different cars, 928 auto vs 5 speed. I owned an 89 928 auto for 16 years and loved it, but picked up a 91 GT 5 speed 10 years ago and its a totally different driving experience, pure fun! Now days, every where I go with it , Cars and Coffee or car shows, it draws a crowd. It was way before its time when it came out.
Yeap, 928’s draw crowds everywhere!
It draws a crowd because it's one of the nicest GTs in the country. ;)
I’ve always been a huge 928 fan. I never thought I’d ever own a Porsche. As a small town Canadian kid, an “imported sports car” was a far and distant dream. These days… I currently have an ‘87 Carrera (3.2L Cab) - for 17 years now, but my first love was the 928. The iconic shape just looked fast even while sitting…. those headlights! Risky Business, Scarface and Moonlighting also helped me fall for this car. I thought it’s real competition was BMW’s 633/635/M6 and the Mercedes-Benz 500/560 SEC (Two other cars I love). Thanks for sharing your impressions.
Ferrari Mondial also.
First ju get the money. Then ju get the Porsche. Then ju give the money to the Porsche mechanic.
There’s nothing like a Porsche 928! 🔥🚀🚀
I've owned 9 Porsche's over the past 22 years, including 911 Turbo's & 2 manual 86 928's. I must say and admit that out of all of them, the 928 was Porsche's Pinnacle & at the time was the true definition of a Super Car. It literally did everything well & it did it better than any other car on the market. IMHO, the 85-86 is the sweet spot of the entire 928 range because it's the last 2 years for the original body, but also the first two years of the larger & more powerful 5 liter 32V motor. What an amazing car!
Well aren' t we a little bit special!😂😂😂😂😂3
I can't argue, especially seeing I own a 1986 5L 928S in near original condition. Only yesterday a young builder working on the new house next door saw me drive the 928 back from shopping and came over to admire it. Not only does my car often get positive remarks but it is surprisingly comfortable and practical - drive it to the shops, or at speed on a mountain road, and it does either extremely well.
I rebuilt a totaled 928 in 1985. It was one of the strongest cars I have ever seen. Had it mounted on a floating post frame machine and it was really difficult to bend it back in shape! Horrible to service as all the systems were stacked upon one another. Just a nice, difficult car.
I completely agree, drove a very poor example with extremely high miles and although the car was far from mechanically sorted I couldn’t get over the bank vault solidity it still had….. no clunks, squeaks or rattles. Very impressive, particularly as they are hatchbacks which are notoriously creaky
Solid as granite. A nightmare to rebuild but if you don't have to do that , a wonderful car that still dominates the road 40 years on. Not that hard to work on.
Ask me how I know!
Just how hard was the frame repair mine has a bent frame in front of the axel
Does putting in an LS3, as I've seen some by some, solve many problems, or simply add to the problems? I have the impression that the wiring loom needs to be changed entirely for reliability?
I visited Tony Lapine at Weissach when the 928 was being developed. He was head of Porsche Design at the time and the 924 had just been introduced. He wouldn't allow me to go into the room where the 928 was being designed, When I opened the door to go in he almost had a coronary and called me back. I knew generally what was going on but it was still secret!
I loved my 1990 928GT. Absolutely fantastic car. I owned it for 16 years and sold it with 424,000km on it. Manual transmission in all GT’s and hotter cams than the S4.
I didn't know they made purple denim like that, this was a pleasure to watch. Interesting to see any discussion about the 928 but its time has come!
Yesss
indigo.
I was scouting the comments for just this lol, they must have bribed Jay or he spilled chocolate mousse.
I first owned a couple of 924:s, also underrated, a couple of 944:s, one 911 and then a 928 my 1985, and one 1986, then tha last one a 1987. Loved the 928:s, went twice from Sweden to Spain. Cruising at 180 km/h (120 Mph?) on Autobahn was unbelievable pleasant. Never any mechanical, drove them on studded tires in the winter - perfect balanced car made it a pleasure.
I drove the first version of the 928 in Dallas in 1979. It had been sitting on the used car section of a local Mercedes dealer for six months, I knew they were anxious to get rid of it and could probably get to test drive it. My dad and i had a scheme where he would drive up to a car dealer in his Fleetwood Cadillac and he would chat with the salesman while a companion and I would go drive sports cars. The dealer was in north Dallas next to an industrial park which was deserted on Saturdays. It had wide streets to accommodate large trucks so it was a great place to rip around in a sports car.. My buddy Asko taught me how to hang the tail out in a 74 Alfa Spider that had also languished on their used car lot. The car wouldn't start and I had to tell the salesman where the battery was and convinced him to check the water in the battery ( I said "just pull one cap" which turned out to be low). After filling ALL of the cells the car jumped off and away we went.I put my Alfa training to good use and slid it all over the industrial park. It had a dogleg 5 speed which I preferred having learned to drive a stick in a 66 912. It had been widely reported that the 928 had tamed the 911 tail happiness which we tested with abandon. I REALLY LIKED handling of the car but thought it needed another 100 horsepower, which it eventually got. This being Dallas, where German cars were dearly loved, I got to talk to several 928 owners about their cars. They ALL had electrical problems. The cars were not easy to service and had the same accessibility as a current diesel Ford pickup. Alas, I realized that it was not a car for me. The lack of sales success, at least in this area where there is a very low tolerance for unreliability, was probably more due to its inherent problems than the water-cooled front engine.
Lots of people bought 928s in Europe and used them to cross the continent. It sure didn't feel like failure to its lucky owners.
It was low, elegant, very snug and fast. It was beautifully finished and reasonably comfortable.
The GTS in particular was a great car. I used to drive 1500 km in one day and it felt absolutely thrilling.
I love my 1981 5 speed manual 928! It's everything I want in a classic sports car. Comfortable, looks amazing, one of the best sounding engines, fun to drive on back roads and highway. Maybe I'll stop by at your next Cars and Coffee.
This Sunday, October 16th, at the Newport Polo Grounds! Come on down, we'd love to see your 928!
That’s a great year 928!
I'm guessing you don't have to work on it then!! 🙂
@@MagicAyrtonforever 928’s are super easy to work on, for car guys
The most dismissed and underrated GT ever. A master piece from 1978 no less!
I bought my first 928 when I first come to Washington DC in 1983, I felt in love with it. Then in 1987 I got my second 928, my third in 1990 and finally in 1995 got the 928 S4 that I still have today. Never sold it because I promised to my son Robert that I would give this car to him. We both love it. I moved to my first 911 Carrera, which is a totally different concept. Porsche is like the old add says, like peanut butter in your mouth. Once you taste it, you don’t want anything else. I had always curious as to why Jay Leno never reviewed a 928. Now I know. In spite of that… I am in love with what my son and to this day call Mr. Muscle.
This was a great discussion! I’ve had my 1990 944s2 Cabriolet for two decades. Never been a 928 fan….but sitting there in Polar White, under those lights, it appears to be doing “light speed” sitting absolutely still! Bravo-Zulu on a great automobile discussion!
Where's 944 now? 928 are skyrocketing in price. Gts 928 going for over $150 k now. Most 944s and 924s are at the dump .
@@richcampbell6808 Well, maybe…maybe not. I’m not sure what your point is. Mine appears brand new….runs like the day I took ownership. That does require keeping up with the maintenance. And, the more of them “at the dump”, the more mine is worth. I’ve been offered $18k….mine is a convertible in a unique color….but I declined the offer, as I still love driving it.
@@captaincoyote1792 I loved the 944 . I had a black one 5 speed . My father had a 944 turbo. Not hating on the car just not many around in great condition. I liked the convertible because it had the 944 turbo front end instead of the big bumpers.
944 was OK.. good car don't get me wrong, just nothing to write home about. The thing to remember about the 944 was Porsche (Germany in general) trying to birth their whole "entry level" schtick nonsense aimed at those who just flat didn't want something like a 911 period. I recall the 944 having a lot of teething troubles state-side, and the 928 costing way too much which put both cars practically out of market to most people therefore they sold in low numbers and are largely forgotten about by the non-car people. A later good condition 944 with an aluminum LS swapped in, can't be beat I'll give it that. That's the closest I can get today to a "classic feel" GT car, a VERY GOOD poor man's 928
You’ve got to go DRIVE one! You’ll love it!
I used to deal in older 911SC's as a hobby.
I used to refer to 928's as
"boat anchors", almost couldn't give them away in years past.
Cool looking car though!
Glad they are making a comeback.
The exhaust wail on these things as they reach redline is absolutely incredible. One of my top five favorites.
The problem with the Porsche 928 is simple. You need to own one to understand its greatness. In this video Jay Leno reveal his has never owned one...
I was 21 when the 928 was released and to me at that time it represented success and sporty all in the same package. Porsche was smart to make the 924, 944, 928, etc., as those cars got a lot of people into the brand that wanted the Porsche image but didn't want to buy a 911. Another benefit of making those models back then is now there's used Porsches that younger people without a trust fund can actually afford. Cheers!
I've owned several versions of the 928 and it was a very trackable car. The faster you go is the smaller it gets....lol. My last iteration was a 1987 928 S4 5spd with limited slip, a SuperCharger (500hp) and lightened by 600 lbs. Add a cage for body stiffness and the car was a rocket that sounded like thunder. I'm driving a GT4 now and I still miss the 928.
There’s nothing like a Porsche 928, especially at the track! 🔥🚀🚀
@@HernanSpeed One of my sons has one as well. The other drivers would line up on the wall of the front straight to hear us race between the concrete walls. They make your stomach vibrate!
@@superdave2316 they sound incredible, especially when you open up the exhaust!
@@HernanSpeed Try 3" stainless duals with only an x-pipe to balance the flow. You will think you are in car heaven!
X pipe, hollowed cats and an RMB. My S4 5 speed sounds fantastic in the straights. The flaggers agree.
I was “blessed” that my 12 cylinder Jaguar had so many flaws, that I had to make the decision to change to a more reliable vehicle. At the time I was thinking between a Mercedes or 7 series of BMW, but both cars had waiting time (not instantly deliverable), which was not something I considered, so I went to Porsche, to see how it played out with the 928, which was also a fairly new model, I had seen on the streets (mid 1979). At Porsche in Essen/Germany, they also told me, that if I wanted one, there would be a 3 month waiting time, but they had one, where the customer had spect it to his pleasure, but had not taken it in the end, and if I would take this car, I could have it immediately. I looked at the car, and decided to take it, as they (Porsche in Essen) would even give me a discount. What a blessing this was ! I loved the car right from the beginning : a perfect handling and reliable car, which even at really heigh (top speeds on the Autobahn, was never tired from driving, even after 700+ miles stretches. After 3 years and about 180,000 miles on the tachometer, during a scheduled maintenance visit, “my” Porsche salesman showed me the new 911 Carrera Cabrio (just presented), and “convinced” me to order one, which I should get delivered after the “Summer-pause “. So I ordered one to my spec’s - white, with white leather interior and white Cabrio roof. When I got it, the waiting time for a Carrera Cabrio was meanwhile close to one year, and the white colored Cabrio roof was not an option anymore, so I had a pretty unique 911 as my new car.
Now, having driven the 928 previously, this car was not comparable at all: very loud, “nervous”, road holding in comparison to the 928 (which was excellent) , very poor, because the 928 was like a train on tracks never trying to “break out”, while the 911 tended to break out with his back, so I couldn’t understand the people/drivers, who were soooo convinced, that the 911 was the way to go. Long story short : at my first scheduled maintenance with the 911, I asked the salesman, if he would take it back, and at what price, and sell me a new 928 S instead. I was surprised, that he offered me 25,000 DM (Deutsche Mark) more, than I had paid for it, and sold me the 928 S for less… What a happy ending for me ! Unfortunately I had to sell my loved 928 S, because I moved to Italy, which at that time “punished” everyone with extra taxes, if the engine had more than 2,000 cc… From Italy I moved to the United States, where sports cars don’t make any sense (in my humble opinion), since if you drive them as supposed, you lose your license quickly, and also risk your and all the incapable drivers lives… It actually hurts me to see people driving very capable cars, blocking lanes on highways with 2, 3 and more lanes per direction doing 70 and less miles/hr.
I’m still in love with 928’s, because they were wort every penny ! ❤ …and no, I don’t think the manual shifting ones are the better choice, as the automatic shifting ones were damn good, even if in my early years I was driving only manual gears. The 928’s automatic gear was exceptionally responsive, maybe it’s due to the fact, that the mechanics in the US are not as capable to fine tune this kind of cars…
All of us kids that were going to grade school In the 80's loved this car.
Today still!
I test drove a 928S. What a great driving experience. Love 'em.
Really enjoy you guys together. I was hoping for a deeper dive into the car. I have always loved the 928. I don’t know if I would ever own one though. I fear the cost to own and the parts availability.
I once test drove a 928 S back in 1982. I had to stop to let the traffic pass, forgot the gear in the 5th and moved on. The car wouldn't flinch, it drove like it was in the 1st gear. I made 260 kmh, when the dealer asked me to take it easy. It has always been my dream car.
Donald and Jay, if you're listening, I will happily bring my 6.5 liter stroker GTS 5-speed up to Burbank, and disabuse you about the 'not enough power' notion...
For Real! 🔥🚀🚀
I own a 85 928 with the 5-speed manual and it is a wonderful Driving Experience they are not hard to work on but Parts can be pricey
If you're local, stay tuned for the next Audrain Youngtimers event, coming Spring of 2023! We'd love for you and your 928 to join us in celebrating cars of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s!
This ☝️ is 100% correct!
I loved working on mine until my arthritis pretty much made working constant pain. The only real flaw I remember was the rats next of gray wires behind the fuse relay panel, and the thrust bearing failures that destroyed the engines on automatic cars. Thankfully, someone came out with special clamps to prevent that, but only after many years of the problem being known. Porsche should have at least designed that clamp and released it as a tech service bulliten.
Great content and discussion by two experts with little to no seat time in a 928. They were both spot on about how the public perceived the 928. However if they spent a weekend in one at the time, it would have been enlightening for them. It was actually a glorious car to drive at the time and still holds up well. I've owned 3 928s over the years and nothing has captured the true GT feel until I got my Aston Martin Vantage V12S. The 928 is not the fastest or best handling, however it does everything so well. You can carve up the twisties with confidence and still finish the day with an 8 hour drive and not feel fatigued. Little touches like the passive rear steering are cool.
My friends dad hauled 3-4 of us to soccer games all through middle and high school in a 928. Back seat WAS useful.
I still fit in the back seat. Cramped, but doable
The early model 928 is still my favorite Porsche.
About time this wonderful car is getting recognized. I love my 88 928 S4
You know it!
The 928 is the Ultimate Porsche! You really have to own one to get a good understanding off what it is 🔥🚀🚀
But a nightmare to work on, can't win them all.
@@MagicAyrtonforever they aren’t bad to work on if you’ve ever turned a wrench. Clearly you haven’t
@@MagicAyrtonforever for who? For the inexperienced? Maybe. I was 17 years old the first time I worked on a 928. Easy then, easy now. Now, some basic knowledge of cars is required..
OFF? ITS of crackhead
I always enjoy listening to both of these gentlemen presenting facts and giving their opinions.
Mr. Leno has talked about individuals inaccurately think car design and building it is simple. He mentioned the New Coke campaign which turned into a controversial calling card. Auto manufacturers have to 1. Keep customers 2. Keep pleasing customers 3. Attain new customers (who apparently don't care for the current product) and let's not forget the legislative consequences of safety, pollution, fuel economy, etc.
How different would this car have become had VW not looked to Porsche design for the Beetle replacement - which became the 924?
A guy I worked with in an international oil production company smuggled in a 1980 928 s manual right hand drive was my first experience in one and it was impressive,then I rode in a california 928 auto and it wasn't the same car,just three years ago was the last time to buy one.
I recently sold my 1986 928S Strosek Edition wide-body. Sellers remorse, but I’m glad it went to another enthusiast. The 928 was a “quick” comfortable car and would turn heads and start conversations everywhere I’d go. It was nice to be able to take my wife with me and our kids fit fine in the backseats (even though I didn’t like them not having shoulder belts). We had fun in that car as a family and a lot of great memories. I actually made a video about it and have it here on RUclips on my channel.
A lot of people don't even know of the concept of "grand tourer" and only have the mental concept of "sports car." Which can be bad news for a grand tourer when people start judging it as a sports car. All of which amuses me because so many people want to be seen in a sports car, but in reality, want a grand tourer, and the number of people really showing up for a lightweight, smaller sports car is really quite small.
Also amusing/frustrating was that at the time, the automotive press was moaning about how heavy the 928 was. Well, the 911 never was all that light, and now almost everything's heavier than those 928's were.
Not just heavier now, but much bigger…including the 911
@@HernanSpeed Oh yes, occasionally you get a chance to stand next to a 60's or early 70's 911 and then you realize!
@@theundergroundlairofthesqu9261 yes, incredible the size difference
I can't wait for the documentary about this years show. They are fantastic.
I so remember when I worked at a Porsche dealership. The 928 was just arriving and when Porsche invited all of the Dealership owners to show them what was coming. They were allowed to purchase one at that meeting. When the one my dealer's owner purchased finally arrived he had not been driving it much it was consuming coolant. Turned out I got to check out and found the heater core leaking. Ordered the core and we were informed to make sure. We did and when the core arrived there was a little German guy with a stopwatch. I will explain. That is something that had not been done yet and there was no warranty time in the manuals. I was enlightened when I went about replacing the heater core that the man with the stopwatch would start it when I had my hands on the car working on the job. When I stopped to go get another tool he would stop the stopwatch. So the time is determined by only the time actually hands on spent working on the car. Kinda makes sense. To shorten the story since I was the first one to do a heater core there were no procedures so I am flying by the seat of my pants. Now once I am done they actually have a warranty time in the manuals. As I remember it the time worked out to be 17 hours start to finish. The next model year that changed because of design changes in the car. Removing the dashboard to do that and all that went with it was no fun.
“Ok which of you guys is the U Boat Commander “😂
Leno and Osborn are a fantastic dynamic duo. The two of them and Nick have brought the roaring 20's back to Newport. In so many ways the Automobile is a symbol of universal peace and freedom, when war strikes the first thing to shut down are the automotive factories for retooling to make machines of war. Automobiles are the truest example of what man kind is capable of producing when we focus on goals of a global humanitarian nature and put our work, talent and resources into expanding the freedoms of our fellow man.
Excellent! 2 informed, intelligent car guys sharing their views. I Love it! The 928, esp. the later GTS version, is a stand-out car, blending luxury & performance very well. A 'personal luxury' car or GT, rather than a true 'sports car'. There's market for each. In my earlier years, I'd scoff at the lack of 'sport' in this model. At this point, I can appreciate the GT blend. Jay - I encourage you to reconsider. Of course a manual trans allows for more visceral driver involvement, but a good AT isn't necessarily a bad thing. Case in point - my ride is a lovely '98 Lexus SC300 - a personal luxury GT. Only c. 5% of these were 5-spd. manual. Mine is AT, so yes - driver involvement is reduced a bit, but what a sweet ride w/ many virtues. btw - the 1st gen. NSX, up to 290 HP in later versions, was/is a jewel in many respects & sent Ferrari & Porsche back to the drawing board.
Agree. Why is Jay so worried about the back seat? It's a grand tourer (meaning in its time a car meant for basically one or at most, two persons). It is not a family car/tourer.
The Lexus SC300 is basically a Supra, same drivetrain. Great cars, truly underrated
What a wonderful debate. Please do that R32 hiding in the corner!!
Jay is clearly really out of touch, with his comments on 2+2 cars. Other people dont have the luxury of having a sports car and separate 4 door car.
And a four Bentleys and five Duesenbergs...
Correct 💯
Great video gentlemen! i especially like your point that most of us don't or can't drive our cars 9/10's on the street, but we get enjoyment in how the car feels when we drive it! As far as the 928 goes in my humble opinion, it was Porsche trying to branch out and follow the trend of the time for a modern GT car. Every once in a while an auto maker will create a niche in the market like the crossover, but most it sems try to jump on the bandwagon in order to sell to a new market.
I had a Porsche 1986.5, 928S3 in Australia, and wish I never sold it, amazing car, truely understated, a beautiful car.
You guys do a great job 👏
Thanks! Glad you enjoy the videos!
Love all my 911s, but something about a 928 S4 , feels like a german corvette, blast to drive, roomy , great porsche.
You guys need more shows together!
I think the 928 is one of the greatest cars ever made.
What a great conversation!
The first car I fell in love with as a kid. The first car poster on my bedroom wall. I’m pretty sure it was the most advanced car when it was launched, if not, one of the most advanced. Beautiful shape and lines. Literally my favourite GT car of all-time. I still want one. Some day
Great video, getting to the "Nitty-Gritty" of automotive preferences on your likes and dislikes of a sport car, whether it be a rear engine car , a front engine, having back seats and manual vs automatic transmission. Gear heads can spend a Saturday afternoon conversation about this subject. I'm with Jay Leno as favoring a manual transmission in a sports car. That connection you have when your rowing through gears and shifting when YOU want to shift. The art of learning to drive a manual transmission should never die but it looks like car manufacturers belive otherwise. Nice content gentlemen, keep up the great work.
Ahhh, used to love a stick, until arthritis killed my knees, and then I had to go with automatics. Never got around to a paddle shift car.
I want a 928! Could be automatic or manual...manual is ALWAYS more fun!
928 is my favourite car ever made. I have a 1979 red (indischrot) 928. I also had the S, S4 and GTS. But the Urmodell (1st model) is my favourite. The interior fits perfect to the time and driving it is a real time capsule. The GTS is the most perfect one, drives like a new car. But as a classic enthusiast, I would always go with the 1978-1979 models.
I bought a 928S4 and used it for it’s design purpose. Had a business in Dallas and lived in Florida turned I10 into the autobahn often. Had another business in DC same with I95. Loved the car kept it 10 years. Serviced by EUROTECH Winter Park.
My brother bought a used 1983 928GT in 1993. I rode in the back for a 100 mile trip (twice) and though it was tight, I did survive. I also got to drive it quite a bit. I got it up to 120mph once, and it drove very smoothly at that speed. Pretty exciting and a little scary for me though! He ended up track racing it quite a bit until he felt it was just too expensive to maintain. Tires were already $350 each by the early 2000s.
Probably 928S. GT's were only '89-'91.
@@farginicehole513 You must be right. Thanks for the correction!
@@brushstroke3733 S's are very cool -- best looking, in my mostly worthless opinion! Do you remember what the interior looked like? It wasn't the psychedelic checkerboard ("pasha"), was it?
@@farginicehole513 No, the interior was a tan leather or vinyl. The exterior was a champagne gold kind of color.
One of my ALL-TIME FAVES
I'm a 911 guy. I own a 73 911T Targa since new all original. I love it! That said the 928 was an awesome car for the time. Drove several, great driving dynamics. My only issue with it? It looked far too much like the 924-944. A little sleeker but had that lower end look (at least to me. Would I buy one now? Hmmmm
As to the "It's not a Porsche crowd - - well we all have our opinions.
Waiting for the inevitable episode where Jay wears the bow tie and Donald is resplendent in denim....
Jay needs to spend some time behind the wheel of a 928. In this video he is acting like you’re average 911 purest.
Yeap! 💯💯
Glad I found this channel! Growing up a Neihbor (I was 12 or so 1985) had a 928. I thought it was the coolest car ever. I would love to buy one now but mechanically they’re nightmare’s.
Mechanically they are solid, electrically and vacuum system wise, now there is your nightmare (speaking from experience 1987 S4)
Great video 👍 The pre GTS early 90’s GT (manual) was for me the sweet spot…hotter cam rather than bored out engine, very sporty set up and very enjoyable to drive and press on. 👌
I totally dig the original 928, and the '83-'86 928s most of all. The '87 cosmetic "rounding" spoiled the beauty, especially in the front. It looks like it melted.
Jay talks about everything but the 928. Appreciate this wasn’t a technical deep dive but more an emotional discussion, but the 928 was the first ground up Porsche design and introduced technology adopted in the later 911’s.
Tony Lapine did a spectacular design job with the 928; it has become timeless
I’m 17 and just picked up an 85 928s five speed! Such a cool car and insanely comfortable driving
Best of luck with it, drive safely! When you and the car are ready, check out our 30 Under 30 class at the Audrain Concours!
There is something to be said about a good looking sports car. The 928 is very sharp. The 911 is a Beetle on steroids. The 928 design turns heads. Just like my Ftype today. It may not be the absolute fastest car, but it is beautiful and luxurious and is a legitimate sports car.
I personally think 2+2 are practical. It has small back seats to move people short distances, in the 2% of the time, you will need that with a sports car.
Not every trip is a five hour journey, and hear me out -- some men have children!
Yeap!
@@theundergroundlairofthesqu9261 Yeap!
When the 928 came out, it was the flagship. The luxury "Doctor's car". True Porsche fanatics sniped "It's not air cooled so it's not a Porsche". The all aluminum bodied 928 is a leap forward over previous cars. But like you said with Harley, if you put an engine in a Harley that had twice the power without the "potato" sound and cut the weight in half, they'd sell 6 of them a year, then cut production. Same with any water cooled Porsche. (Volkswagen) 924 and 944 always depreciated like crazy while the 911 and even the (Volkswagen) 914 didn't nearly as much. Moving to water cooled 911's introduced the IMS bearing catastrophy. Turbo and GT cars didn't use the IMS, so became the reliable 911.
Agree 💯💯
Yes, but those Porsche fanatics stopped sniping when they slid backwards into trees in their 911s!
Am I weird to admit that the Ferrari 400 and the Porsche 928 are possibly my two favourite cars? (Porsche 928 possibly the best looking rear end on pretty much any car ever built)
Not at all because they are two of mine as well. The Espada is my favourite Lamborghini.
I second a lot of the sentiment; The 928 was a beautiful car in it's day, it's a beautiful car today, and one that has held up better mechanically than almost any other car of the era. This was Germany's last real "German car" if you will.. Before they adopted VW's disposable car attitude (I'm looking at you, BMW!). I remember when these first came out thinking "this is special, it's different, it's everything the 911 *isn't* and that's a *good* thing". I blame the marketing of the day. They just didn't aim for the right demographic
Correct! 💪💪
I bought a 1984 Porsche 944 about 15 years ago with 72,000 miles on it for $3200.
Mechanicaly sound. Had it repainted for $3200.
A guy down the road from me has an original 928.
Sounds awesome. .. I still kick his as on winding roads of Maine.
Those were the years were you could still get great deals, they’ve exploded in prices now
It only has 79,000 miles on it now.
I only drive it one weekend in the spring and one weekend in the fall.
Usually to Vermont (family there) via New Hampshire Kangumangus Highway through the White mountains. The 944 was built for it.
That 928 would gap your 944 on a highway it wouldn’t even be close
@@928pcar i agree, but I don’t think anyone is comparing a 928 to a 944. Totally different
@@HernanSpeed The original poster was. His '84 is a 944, and his buddy has a 928.
When I was twenty-five, the 928 was my dream machine. Great power and design.
It was Porsche’s answer to Mercedes 500 SEC, thinking in USA market: V8, five liter. Absolutely gorgeous car.
It didn't help saying they were going to retire the 911 and replace it with the 928.
I was the proud owner of an early '80's 944 with a similarly stupid back seat. As it was explained to me, the back seat changed the car's tariff category. Two-seater sports cars had high tariffs. With the back seat, even unusable, the tariff was lower. I don't know if this was true for the 944, or the 928. It's just what I was told.
I've owned a '94 GTS since 1999. It wants to be driven (which I don't do as it has 47K miles). I have had some issues with it, but can't see it leaving the collection. When I take it out, the car turns heads (not easy to do in Los Angeles) and for me, a good combination of ride, comfort, and performance.
I get the same “turns heads in L.A.” with my inherited pristine 944. Not a modern car to drive, but it’s fun because it’s so different and gets attention.
Yeap, same in Miami. Turns heads wherever it goes.. Even little kids stop and point, that’s the most ‘authentic reaction’
I didn't realize what a rare sight the car would be, until a small crowd collected around me when I was in a traffic jam behind an accident, and people were getting out of their cars to look at my 928. I first heard, 'HOly shit, it's a 9-2-8!' It was the first time I ever noticed that lots of other car guys out there have never even seen one. First time I ever felt like a celebrity!
Good points nice discussion
Very interesting, civil discussion on this car. I also enjoyed the comparisons to other cars.
Jay knows his auto history. 😎👍
something magical about the 928. Never liked the first version's stying but the rounder one was gorgeous but has there ever been a car that with the addition of a spoiler looked sublime? Alas, the 15 mpg meant and still means I can't justify owning one.
Great, entertaining as educational ❤️
Many years ago Road&Track published a series of drawings showing the morphing of an AMC Pacer into a 928. The lines are all there, just in different proportions.
You have to be drunk to see any similarities.
@@0Turbox You never saw the artwork.