Porsche 928

The Porsche 928 is a grand tourer automobile sold by Porsche AG of Germany from MY 1978 to MY 1995, during which time it was one of their most expensive offerings.

In 1983 the 928S with 5-speed manual transmission and 4.7L-16v M28/19 engine was the fastest car sold in North America, at 146 mph. It was the fastest production road-car in the world in 1986, having been recorded at 172mph (277km/h) on the salt flats in Utah using an early 928 S4.[citation needed]

Conception

By the late 1960s, Porsche had changed significantly as a company, and executives including owner Ferdinand Porsche were playing with the idea of adding a luxury touring car to the line-up. Managing Director Ernst Fuhrmann was also pressuring Ferdinand to approve development of the new model in light of concerns that the current flagship model at the time, the 911, was quickly reaching its maximum potential where it could soon no longer be improved upon. Slumping sales of the 911 seemed to confirm that the model was approaching the end of its economic life cycle. Fuhrmann envisioned the new range-topping model as being the best possible combination of a sports coupe and a luxury sedan, something well equipped and comfortable enough to be easily driven over long distances that also had the power, poise and handling prowess necessary to be driven like a sports car. This set it apart from the 911, which was a pure sports car.