Jim bailey - 928 International

If this were true.." They claim it takes 3 weeks to build an S4..." does that means from one end of the assembly line to the other takes 3 weeks. The line was capable of 20 cars per day so with 5 day work weeks 15 days times 20 cars there were 300 cars in process at any given time ? And actually I am very calm about this I just think potential misinformation needs to be questioned.

jakermc

When I was buying my Ferrari I had several F-car experts look over the car with me. I pointed out several gaps in the panels primarily around the hood, headlights, and fenders and noted how the gaps varied in different places. I thought the car might have been in an accident. The experts (i.e. they do this for a living) laughed at me and said "Welcome to Ferrari ownership, its not a Porsche. The car is perfect."

pewter82

I should have put a smiley face on my comment Jim, I'm just messing with you man. Your points are very valid and informative to me. I love the conversation on our cars.

Jason

Kaz

Look, it's obvious that the advertising company took liberty with the definition of handbuilt. Saab goes on about the fighter plane heritage of their cars which hasn't been the case in decades. Those things are on a GM platform now.

F451

Hmmm. Good documentary fodder. I'll see if I can work the "disinformation" angle into the film and get to the bottom of this.

Heh, heh, just kidding.

Keep the comments coming guys, this is a great thread, I'm learning a lot.

Ed

928SS

me too. I didn't know know where cakes came from - thought only albertonsons made them I always thought the kitchen was the place you walk through to get to the other side of the house. so delivered pizza isn't home made?

Jim bailey - 928 International

there is a delivery truck I see sign on the back is" New York Style Pickles HOMADE " then business name and number ......must be made by Ho's, that confused me !

tv

I think it has something to do with the interiors especially. The leather work in a car like mine with a full leather interior took a lot of stitching and fitting. Other cars with vinyl moved at a different speed maybe. And maybe the "assembly line" only involved the joining of the shell to the nearly finished drivetrain. I think its time for someone to look at that great pdf we got here on Project 928.

It would be nice to have an actual 928 production worker get on here for a Q & A.

fabric

Your platform doesn't preclude using aspects of your heritage in the actual car, or advertising it. Saab could easily include all sorts of aerospace related technology into the design of the interior. Saab has also, pretty much from the beginning, used others platforms and engines (they have used Ford and Triumph engines previously), and it was mainly the tuning, interior, and styling that they did. GM's purchasing of Saab simply changed who's stuff underpinned it.

That being said, it is true that there is virtually nothing related to Saab's aerospace heritage in the current car (the black panel is about the only thing), and really, there never has been all that much ever, they just happened to make cars *and* planes.

*full disclosure - I own a Saab.

hacker-pschorr

GM claims the new ZO6 engine is handbuilt. I was watching a show on Discovery showing an engine being built. They were using robot / computerized torque wrenches for everything. Sure the "human" put the head on the block, then the robot torqued it down.

"Hand Made" is a very loose term.

svp928

I just replaced an 85 door with a 83, and all it took was a .030" shim in one hinge for it to fit perfectly...
The Ferrari's and Lambo's I've worked on- you were lucky if both headlights pointed the same general direction...

GT Jackson

Well, if they weren't handbuilt, then they sure seem to be now. I've got more handywork patchquilt fixes in this bucket a bolts today than when it first came off the line. :~)

Gordon

Jim bailey - 928 International

Guys I think we may have found that infamous PO who seems to be cursed so often..."I've got more handywork patchquilt fixes in this bucket a bolts today than when it first came off the line."

6.0-928S

In my post I said the instructor said they were hand "assembled".
Here's what my poster says:

"Every now & then in Germany, a Porsche driver will have a stranger walk up, scrutinize his or her car, & ask to examine it. Checking the code number the stranger will announce proudly, "This is one of mine. I helped create this one."
Since Professor Porsche & his followers lovingly gave life to their first handcrafted roadster in 1947, the process they spawned continued unbroken.
A Porsche is not so much built as it is born. Brought into this world by what has been described as an extended family. Each of whom shares an intense pride in the legacy with which they have been entrusted.
The 1990 Porsche 928GT is part of the current generation in this living heritage.
Everyone who touches the cars must first apprentice for nearly four years. Newcomers are carefully paired with "the old ones" so that not just methods, but the Porsche spirit is passed on. The 326hp aluminum engine of the 928GT is constructed by sophisticated technicians, each capable of building an entire engine themselves.
Regularly trading jobs, a team of eight meticulously hand builds an engine. Once complete, it is hooked up & run on a test stand for 30 minutes, being taken all the way to redline & carefully checked for output & performance.
Upon approval, the entire engine is retorqued before finally be delicately settled into the car. So, true to our racing heritage, each powerplant will perform to its full potential right off the showroom floor without typical engine break-in.
The body is built from approximately 500 different sheet metal parts, all either two side zinc galvanized steel or aluminum. Approximately 6000 spot welds are used in crafting each car.
Leather seats are carefully stitched by hand. Leather consoles & door panels are painstakingly stretched & fitted one at a time, also by hand.
If you were to take a 928 apart piece by piece, looking under seat covers & the like, in many places you would find the signatures of the individuals who worked on the car. If this sounds extraordinary, then probably only a test drive in a 928 at your authorized Porsche dealer will help you to put their pride into perspective. We must caution you, however, that you made well find yourself swept up in the irresistible desire to put your own name on one. In which we say, welcome to the family."

Personally I don't give a damn whether they were handbuilt, handcrafted, handassembled, WHATEVER. They are obviously built RIGHT & with care & precision, with better quality than any other car I have owned, driven, or ridden in. Including Ferrari's which I have worked on also.

Hammer

tv

Great Post