Porsche wasted years wondering what to replace its ageing rear-engined 911 series with. It was a brave decision to start from scratch with the front-engined rear-drive 928.
Unveiled at the 1977 Geneva Motor Show, the 928 began its life of controversy.
Traditional Porsche owners were aghast that the Stuttgart company was
to sacrifice the 911 for a big V8 grand tourer, and so kept buying 911s
instead.
The ensuing second energy crisis and economic recession also held 928
sales back. Still, Porsche improved the car dramatically. The 1979 928
S (with a bigger 4.7-litre V8) was replaced with the comprehensively revamped
1986 928 S4, and sales improved a little.
The 928 GT of 1991 was one of the fastest versions while the 928 GTS was
the final variant. Production ceased in 1995.
