heinrich

Many Porsche owners have laughed when I've called the Porsche 928 a supercar. Mostly, I think, it's because they own Porsches that are not Supercars, and in their mind, a 928 is just another Porsche, same as say the 924 (not GTP etc).

I've never heard anyone deny that a Lamborghini of any kind is a supercar, despite the Urraco's measly 182bhp. Most people consider any Ferrari a supercar, yet the ever-popular $30,000 308GTB develops around 200bhp.

Let's go the opposite way. Take a Lamborghini Diablo SE30 JOTA at about 600bhp. Would you call that a supercar? Yes? OK. Now, instal an automatic tranny like a 928 auto's .... still a supercar? Hmmmmm.......? Go ahead and instal the 928's restrictive and whisper-quiet exhaust and cat system ... still a supercar? Whizzing by with nary a whoosh, murmur, snarl or BWAAAAHHH!!! ...... hmmmm......?

I think the only thing that differentiates a Porsche 928 from any other supercar, is the exhaust, and (for automatic versions) the tranny.

Jim bailey - 928 International

the 928 is too civilized , too comfortable , too easy to drive fast , too quiet and capable of actually being driven 200,000 - 300,000 miles . The "public" has no idea what it really is capable of doing so no perception of it as a "supercar" or even quick at all . Tell the typical "Porsche enthusiast" that an 928 S-4 will do 100 mph in the quarter mile and they DO NOT believe you ...mention 160-165 mph top speed and they sneer .

Tony

Supercar with class ,comfort and style IMHO.

There are Supercars that you cant take on a 1200 mile trip..with luggage and get 20+ mph

The 928 is in a league of its own.

Chris

So car in front of me at the dyno yesterday was a Mustang SVT with aftermarket 'Wipple' (sp?) supercharger and was pulling 530hp ....

I do not consider this car to be a supercar, its more than just power.

I have a book I bought as a kid 'Supercars of the 70's', the Porsche 928 as well as the Uraco are in there.

Chris

jonjeffryes

I think jealousy and political history is the reason so many Porsche snobs will not recognise the 928's supercar status.

The 928 was designed to replace the 911 range, against a presumed brief that the 911 would be outlawed by US legislation. That required a cmpletely different approach to Porsches' previous policies.

The 928 was only the second car to be totally desined and constructed by Porsche, the 911 being the first (although many would argue that the 911 evolved from th 356).

This decision to replace the 911 was very unpopular with diehard Porsche fans and particularly, members of the Porsche family. The ensuing power struggle in the late 70's saw a level of bloodletting never since repeated at Porsche and to the victor the spoils.....the 911 was resurected as the premier car with resources poured into development.

It was at this stage, that the 928 was clearly neglected, taking nearly five years before major revisions modernised and updated the car unleashing it's real potential as a supercar.

.....and that's what upsets so many 911 lovers, the 928 was basically right from launch. Even with so much resource poured into the 911, it still could not math the dynamics of the 928 which is a much more 'complete' car.

The glossy UK classic motoring press have even stated recently that is is the spiritual successor to the Ferrari Daytona - praise indeed. after many years of falling values, the 928 has come of age in the UK at least and people are finally recognising it for what it really is...a true thoroughbred GT car...a real supercar.

Am I biased? you bet I am!

Am I blinkered - not at all, I have recently bought a 911 and I love that just as much....but it's an out and out sports car that can't hold a candle to the 928 on journeys over 50 miles!

Jon J

79 928 auto

79 911 SC Sport Targa

Tony

530 with the Whipple! Is that all!

Do you know if it was the Whipple 2300 or 3300? I know the twim screw mod is a big thing now in the Mustang crowd, WAY better than the Roots.
Same thing with the F150 lightning guys as well.
Id love to see the area under his TQ curve!

Chris

I was already way over my head, he thought there was more to come too, running too rich. Torque was 'only' 480 or so.

Said chassis flex was an issue, needs x beam supports.

Brakes were MEGA crap (my conclusion), said after one hard stop from a 1/4 mile drag they were to the floor. Discs were tiny compared to my S4 items.

Yeah I was dead envious of the power numbers ....

Chris

Gregg K

Yes. It was. Which means it still is.
Here are my criteria for supercars- Design, price, performance. They all go together. But just recently we've begun to see Lexus with a 300 hp car that has 20 series tires, and suspension with a brain. It's not a supercar. Today's standard for a supercar is a magnitude beyond that which was the difinition during the days of the 928. I remember seeing my first 928, and it was a supercar. Superbe quality, extraordinary performance, and a price that only the head of radiology could afford.
In response to your comment on Ferrari only having a certain horsepower. Remember, they may only weigh 1000 kg.
In one of the first reviews of the new 928, Jeffrey Daniels wrote that "it will do as much, in total, as any other car I know." "A practical supercar."

Jim bailey - 928 International

Yes Jon the 79 Targa is a true "sports car" ...... it leaks ,it rattles, it has poor heating , uncomfortable , has unusual handling and you must spin the engine if you want to get anywhere ............. I have a 68 911 but it only weighs 2020 lbs 2.8 "RSR" engine , I very seldom drive it . People get into the" GT / Gran Touring " label as though it were something distinctly different from "sports car" . Porsche in early sales literature desribed the 928 as the "new sports car from Porsche " . Those who think the 928 is NOT a sports car have probably never driven one on a race track !!

bcdavis

The 928 has supercar qualifications, but not the looks.
Supercars need to stand out.

There are many Mercedes that also offer extreme power,
reliability, and comfort, but none of them are usually
referred to as a supercar, because they are not red,
or yellow, and they do not have scoops and wings, etc...

To me, supercar is about image.
And usually a top speed over 200 MPH....

Gregg K

BC,
Good point. The 928 may be just a hair below the standards. But remember, in 1979 there weren't too many wings.
Maybe I endorsed it's status too enthusiastically. But I'm old enough to remember fins, and Hudsons.

heinrich

FWIW I think the 928 is the most beautiful car I can afford. It is as beautiful to me as a Lamborghini Miura and several hundreds of times more attractive than a Maserati Biturbo or Ferrari 308. I'm referring specifically to a 928S4 or GT or GTS, though older 928's are also beautiful to me.

Red UFO

heinrich,

I totally agree but stuck on the pre 86 cars. When I saw the back of the black 928 in the early 1980s when Star Wars was out. This was the car to have. It was Ferrari 308 vs Lamborghini vs Porsche 911 vs Porsche 928 in my book as super cars of the 1980s. Thats what us kids had as posters of dreamcars.

heinrich

Show me a 1987 Mercedes that can do 0-60mph in 5.7sec, and 0-60-0 in 9 sec. Also, show me a Mercedes that can do 1G around a corner; or that looks as elegant and burly as a Porsche 928, with a drag coefficient of .32.

Show me one of those, and I'll show you a CLK-GTR which was only produced 10 years later. Now, I have always had a soft spot for the Gullwing (same with XKE) but of course, the performance, roadholding, power, stability, refinement, safety, top speed, reliability, ride and so-on aren't anywhere near that of a Porsche 928 ..... My S4 has 167k miles on the clock, and her performance and emissions are better today than the day she rolled out of Zuffenhausen.

jonjeffryes

Jim,

Your right on all counts.....

I was lucky to have my original S2 manual featured in Classic Cars (UK) magazine a couple of years ago. It was a direct head to head comparison with a Aston Martin DBS V8.

We took both cars to the test track where the journalist took my car out and did some very fast laps. This was the same day that AFN were running a training day for new 911 Turbo owners, fronted by a well known UK F1 ace.....after several laps of track, AFN requested we call in the 928 because the 911's could not hang on to the enthusiastically piloted car....and we were scaring the s*!t out of the new 911 owners!! A true story, |I kid you not.

And the result....a twelve page article where the 928 demolished the best that aston could offer....and at 1/3rd of the price!

On the supercar looks issue, I sold the S2 and bought the earliest car i could find (manufactured October 78, one of the first batch of RHD cars produced) because, imho nothing looks as pure and right as a 928 without all the spoilers and lumps it gained in later life...I think it actually emphasises the width from the rear without the spoiler...after all, the Daytona doesn't need them.

On use, I've covered over 5000 miles in the last six weeks in my 79'er, mostly on UK motorways....and there lies the problem. The car doesn't break down, it covers miles effortlessly, but not quietly in my case, I went for the full SS sport exhaust with RMB...you need to hear that V8! And what has the car needed..just fuel, oil and filter, nothing else.

Maybe if Porsche hadn't screwed them together so well they'd be respected like a Lambo or Ferrari?

The 911, great for sunny DRY days and journeys of less than 50 miles.....or was that my old MGB?

Long live the 928, king of the supercars

atvb

Jon J