The popular automotive program Top Gear once asked “can a car be art?†I’ve always thought one can find beauty in industrial or mechanical things, be it a simple household good such as an alarm clock or a more complex mechanical apparatus like this 1980 Porsche 928. Introduced in 1977 at the Geneva Motor Show, 1980 would see a more powerful S model, but not for those customers stateside. The 928S wouldn’t arrive until model year 1983 in the US, leaving the 1980 to 1982 US spec 928 a bit of an afterthought amongst collectors today. This 1980 example we see here has but 45,000 miles on the clock and looks quite fresh. Is it enough to attract a would be 928 owner into one of the forgotten years?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1980 Porsche 928 on eBay
Year: 1980
Model: 928
Engine: 4.5 liter V8
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Mileage: 45,548 mi
Price: $19,950 Buy It Now
980 PORSCHE 928 IN SHOWROOM CONDITION!! ONLY 45,000 Original Miles!! Looks and runs like new! 45550 miles with an Automatic Transmission and 8 Cylinder 4.5L engine
Mint looking Porsche 928. This car is flawless! All original paint & interior. Was always garage kept & serviced well. The 928 has the distinction of being Porsche’s only coupe powered by a front-mounted V8 engine, and the company’s first mass-produced V8 powered model. Porsche upgraded the engine from mechanical to electronic fuel injection in 1980 for US models.
Although it weighed more than the difficult-to-handle 911, its more neutral weight balance and higher power output gave it similar performance on the track. The 928 was regarded as the more relaxing car to drive at the time. The 928 is the only sports car so far to have won the European Car of the Year Award, where the usual winners are mainstream hatchbacks and sedans/saloons from major European manufacturers. This is regarded as proof of how advanced the 928 was, compared to its contemporaries.
This vehicle is located in Vero beach, FL. Price does not include tax, tags, titling and processing fee. Visit RosnerChevy.com for additional pictures or details.
While I’ve always lusted after a late model GTS, I’m beginning to appreciate the early 928s more for their purity in design and how they managed to predict a lot of styling features that we see on cars today more than 30 years prior. The 1980 model swapped the CIS K-jet fuel injection with the L-jet variation, a move that left some enthusiasts scratching their heads. It also had an 85 mph speedometer and the automatic variants had smaller 15″ alloy wheels. US spec cars were also sans an EGR valve and air pump and gained 20 lb ft of torque in the process over the 1978 and 1979 models.
The asking price on this car is a bit steep considering this is one of the less desirable models in 928 history, but therein lies the attraction. As we’ve seen with air-cooled 911s and certain other vintage Porsches, finding a variant that is easy on the wallet in terms of purchase price can be daunting. Someone willing to give up a bit of the performance and refinement of later models and the purity of early ones might find this low mileage car a good deal. In reality, the seller will probably have to dial back a bit on this one.
Thanks very much once again to Pablo Deferrari at flüssig magazine for his insight into specifications and values pertaining this 928.
-Paul
