Pick of the Day: 1980 Porsche 928

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While giving a ClassicCars.com auction tour at the Bonhams auction in Arizona, I briefly spoke to the group about a pair of Porsche 928 cars. One was a perfect survivor condition example with a 5-speed manual gearbox, original paint, and a Pasha interior, and the other was a decent driver. Both were sunroof delete models which to me is important, as I do not fit in sunroof cars.

I told the group that the 928 has always been one of my all-time favorite Porsche road cars ever since I drove one for the first time when I was 17 years old. No, it is not a 911, which is a pure sports car, but instead is possibly the finest GT car of the 1970s and 80s. The build quality of the cars is second to none, the V8 engine sounds amazing, the comfort of the interior is better than any Porsche model built at the time, and the futuristic (for the time) styling seems to get better with each passing year. I bid on the second car, but stopped when the price got to a point that I started to wonder if the car had any recent service history.

The 928 was introduced to the world in 1978 and was Porsche’s first clean sheet design since the introduction of the 356. You can argue that the 911 was a new design but if you look hard enough it is in its basic form an extensive revision of the 356. The car was commissioned by Ferdinand Porsche and aimed at the Mercedes and BMW market. The car offered luxury combined with performance but still has the Porsche feel and look. The mistake made with the car is that Porsche at one point thought of the 928 as a replacement for the 911, which it never would be.

The Pick of the Day is one of these fantastic GT cars, a 1980 Porsche 928 finished in Grand Prix White paint over a black leather interior. 

According to the O’Fallon, Illinois, dealer representing this car it has covered only 40,600 miles from new and is original aside from service items, including a few nice upgrades.

They also state that in 2020 maintenance included replacement of the timing belt, water pump, fuel pump and filter, air intake hoses, air filter, airbox straps, fuel injectors, ignition coils, spark plug wires, spark plugs, distributor cap, distributor rotor, new battery, and hood pad. In addition, the transaxle was also recently rebuilt, and the torque converter was replaced. The A/C system was recently serviced and blows strong and cold; however, the climate control unit is stuck on the cold setting and its heating function is currently inoperative. They state that this can be easily fixed by replacing the climate control unit, which is readily available and inexpensive. I think they may be right, but this should be checked to be sure that it is not a $3,000 job. At the same time the coolant expansion tank and radiator were replaced with aftermarket all aluminum units.

These cars are simply amazing to drive at speed and to this day remain the best 70s-80s GT I have ever driven.

The asking price for this 928 is a very reasonable $29,000, especially when you consider the recent service items that have been attended to. The owner of this car knew what the trouble spots on an older 928 can be and seems to have addressed them properly.

If you want a classic Porsche, but want a GT instead of a sportscar, look no further than this 928.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.