Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1979 Porsche 928.
I can still remember the very first time I got to drive a Porsche 928. The year was 1982, and I was 16 and working at a Porsche repair shop in Tucson called Red Line Service. Red Line is still in business and is one of the best shops in southern Arizona for Porsche work. We had just finished a minor service on a 1979 928 and were delivering it to the owner. Chuck, my boss at Red Line, threw me the keys to the 928 and had me follow him in his 1969 911T over to the owner’s home. I was stunned by the overall quality of the car. It was a 1979 928, just like this one. The way the doors shut, like a bank vault, and the way every single control seemed to be in the perfect location was quite impressive to my 16 year old self. Turning the keys and hearing the SOHC Porsche V8 under the hood let me know that this car was quite different from the other Porsche cars I had thus far driven. I was at this point a pretty much air-cooled Porsche fan, but that 928 had me reconsidering everything I thought about what makes a Porsche. The 928 was 100 percent a Porsche, just one designed differently and for a different purpose.
We raced up Pontatoc Road and I was stunned at the sheer grip the 928 had. There was absolutely no body lean at all and the car was so perfectly balanced that I attacked each corner going faster each time. The gearbox linkage was a bit vague but it was next to impossible to put a foot wrong driving this amazing car. It was fast, comfortable, and powerful enough that I had no thought of trying to push the limits of the car. We arrived at the owner’s house, delivered the car, and then drove back to the shop in Chuck’s 911T.
During the drive back he asked me what I thought about the car, and I told him that the 928 had to be the best GT car ever built. He smiled and told me that I had hit the nail on the head. He explained that while the 911s were sports cars, the 928 was a true GT car, something different but just as great as any other Porsche. To this day I honestly feel that the Porsche 928 is the finest classic 1970s-1990s GT car ever built.
The 928 we have here is a 1979 model finished in Black with a Saddle leather interior and is located in Gladstone, Oregon.
The seller describes the car as being optioned with fog lamps, a power sunroof, 16-inch alloy wheels, front and rear center consoles, power windows, and a Blaupunkt stereo. It is powered by a 4.5-liter V8 mated to a five-speed manual transaxle equipped with a new clutch. It is offered by the selling dealer with a clear title.
The seller states that the black exterior features pop-up headlights, fog lamps, a sunroof, and a rear window wiper. The dealer notes that the paint is thin and shows checking in certain areas. My guess is that this car is still in its original paint. The car rides on its original flat disc factory aluminum 16-inch wheels wrapped in Federal Super Steel 595 tires. I would replace the tires with something more appropriate if I were buying the car.
The interior is described as optioned with saddle perforated leather high-back bucket seats up front, dual seats in the rear, and matching trim for the door panels, dash, center consoles, and carpeting. The seats and the carpeting, as well as the door panels and headliner, all look to be in excellent condition. Features of this 928 include aluminum door sills, power windows, power steering, air conditioning, an analog clock, a Blaupunkt AM/FM/cassette radio, and a cargo net. The dash reportedly has some cracking, something quite common in the 928.
The VDO-branded instrumentation includes a 170-mph speedometer, a 7,600-mph speedometer, and gauges for the fuel level, coolant temperature, oil pressure, and voltage. The six-digit mechanical odometer reads 130,228 miles, which the selling dealer reports to be accurate.
Recent services include brakes, replacement of the clutch, new shifter bushings, and a safety inspection. The engine compartment looks to be both clean and correct with no glaring issues or incorrect parts visible though it looks like the Porsche crest has come off of the intake manifold at some point, something else easily dealt with that I personally would correct.
What is most amazing about the 928 is that even though the car was launched 45 years ago, the design looks as fresh and new as it did when new. The 928 is a car design that somehow seems to look even better and more current with each passing year, and it also gains more respect, and becomes more valuable, each year. I think that as more people learn about the overall excellent drivability and build quality of the car that they get interested in the 928, and if you want the car that is the best GT of the era, the 928 is the car to pick. When the car was new many journalists called it Porsche’s Corvette. This is not an accurate description at all. What the 928 was when new and remains today is Porsche’s take on a car like an Aston Martin, and the 928 is a better car than any Aston of the era.
The auction for this 1979 Porsche 928 ends Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at 12:45 p.m. (MST)
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