They couldn't unseat the 911, all they could do was save Porsche's bacon.

And I'll again point out that the 991 has nearly precisely the weights and measures of the 928.

991:
928 (early):
911 (early)
So, yeah, basically the 911 survived all those cars and all those changes so that it could become the 928. Lapine and Moebius got it right in 1975, it just took the 911 crowd another 40 years to realize it.

 

These articles that pit one model against the other are a sad trope at this point and almost gratuitous. That said...its hard to argue with success. The newest 911 GT2 RS is one of the fastest production cars ever to take on Nuremburg. Same basic design, evolved. The 928 is a well rounded GT and along with the XJS, 850i, DB7 they occupy an odd and somewhat under appreciated space. Bottom line... none of these GT have the broad appeal or passion that an all out factory light weight race car varient with success on the track creates. That's never going to change. 928 development is stopped.

I recently did a track day at Limerock park. Lots of sports cars were racing and many 911s. They are Instanly recognisable. Very competitive, fast and look right doing it. There is a certain purity to them that I didnt get until I saw them in diffrent stages of race trim at the track.
.

 

 

 

^^ Now that I agree with. 911s are for posers, 928s are for people who know what they have.

I will say this. The real 911 died in 1998. While the soul of the 928 lives on.

 

Here's my impression of the modern 911 variants.

 

My dear old departed father used to say " Son.....the 928 is the thinking mans Porsche".

 

I'm glad the 928 "failed" and ended production in 1995. I'd hate to imagine what diesel / hybrid, 4,000lb bastardized unit we would be lining up next to had the model line continued.

 

I've owned a few 911s and i've owned a few 928s. Thing is, a 911 I will use for any occasion and enjoy it. A 928 I have to think about taking it out, and the occasion for use. Its a different kind of enjoyment, a more 'mature' enjoyment. Often being mature or acting old is boring.
I smile much more driving a 911, its more visceral enjoyment. I think more in a 928, it encourages reflection.
The 928 appeals to the contrarian in me. I like body-shocking people (that think they know Porsches) who see it and ask about it.
The 911 just is. And its more addictive and obvious.
If i could keep just one Porsche, it would be the 911.
100%.

 

 

Entertaining thread here with some great, creative photoshop work!!! (We got some colleagues here that are really good with that!)

Now, hard to argue with success and the winners always write history. But, some generalizations always do seem to come up:
1.) the tool/thinking man's element of the 928. (Example: high number of engineers (like me) that buy 928s)
2.) the morphing of the 911 into an approximate 928
3.) the show-off element of a 911
4.) non-comparability of the cars (GT vs. sports car)

All of it is a little true. I am more in the situation that I have a limited amount of time and I have gotten to understand one kind of 80s super car. I simply don't have time or energy to understand another kind. So, I'm stuck with 928s! :-) But, I appreciate the other kinds too. I think an 80s 911 would be cool to have (as well as about 5 other classics I'd like to pick up)!! But, it's not gonna happen for me.

 

The 911 probably survived because it was completely different than anything else available back then, or even today with it's rear engine and rear drive (in the purest forms). Though we all know the 928 to be very unique, those who don't know see it as a front engined, rear wheel drive car of which there were a lot more choices of that configuration - Camaros, Corvettes, GTOs essentially all the muscle cars of the 80s and 90s. Fancier, but similar, Jaguars, BMWs, Ferraris, Astons, etc

For anyone who wanted a completely different engine/drive/balance configuration and driving dynamic, it was, and pretty much still is the 911, at least prior to the 991 series where it got too big and numb.

 

 

Another thing that occurs to me is that the thesis statement is incorrect: "Cars that came with brass in pocket but couldn't unseat the 911."

With the exception of the 928, Porsche has never intended a car to replace the 911; they were all meant to expand the lineup.