1987 Porsche 928 S4

1987 Porsche 928 S4

One of my all-time favorites.  I had wanted one of these for years when I got this one.  My first car was almost a 1978 928 but I ended up with a newer 944 instead.  I bought this car on eBay from some guy in Boston whose ex-girlfriend had keyed up the paint really good (why take it out on the car ladies?).  The car was actually in really good shape aside from the paint.  

I had the paint redone and changed the wheels from the original disk style to these S2 Cup wheels with new tires.  I loved this car in black, but wasn't crazy about the tan interior for some reason.  This one ran great for years while I owned it.

I just love the lines of the S4.  It has a wide, meaty stance but with a beautiful and graceful form and shape.  The 928 is really a touring GT car.  This model had 316 hp, and at mid-range and high end levels you could feel every one.  It wasn't particularly quick off the line, a fact not helped by the automatic gear box, but this car was not designed to race.  This was a car meant to cruise the highways and autobahns all day long - very fast.  It felt smooth and steady at even the highest speeds I ever got it up to.  

The source of the S4's power:  a front mounted, water cooled V8.  They made slight changes to the engines in these cars nearly every year.  One common cosmetic issue is that the painted manifold always seems to peel.  If I had kept this car longer I would have had the intake manifold and heads removed and powder coated.  

I probably would have had the tan interior re-done in black.  I wouldn't do that today, but at the time the shade of tan bothered me for some reason.  It was in really good condition though so I couldn't justify the expense at the time.  When I bought this car I had just sold my 1985 Ferrari Mondial.  Although only two years apart, they were night and day in engineering differences.  Porsche did a fantastic job designing this car to be driven every day but still a beast on the open road.  

It had a lot of amenities, but one thing that annoyed me was that as a result of the antenna being integrated into the windshield you couldn't pick up many radio stations.  I never could get the rear hatch release to work either (a common problem).  The sunroof also leaked a bit if you washed it (another common problem).  Other than that, it was a comfortable and easy to drive car.

All things considered, this was one hot car, and a real bargain at the time.  These cost around $70,000 new but really bottomed out for awhile with some decent examples being found for under $10K.  They are starting to come back up now and I've been thinking about buying one - seriously thinking about it.  My wife and I were discussing it at dinner last night after seeing an old 928 as part of an exhibit inside Space Center Houston of all places.  Then, today my Random Vehicle Blog Generator selects my old 928 to write about?!?  Coincidence?  I think it would be irresponsible of me to ignore this sign.  Right, honey?