It seems hard to believe today, but once, the very things that made an older Porsche 911 so desirable—the engine in the rear, the air-cooling, the noise, the raw driving experience—were once seen as liabilities. The Porsche 928 was created to fix that. It failed... or did it?
Welcome to the first episode of Know This Car, a new Jalopnik series where we go through automotive history and challenge some of your preconceived notions about how the world works.
In this installment we examine the front-engined, water-cooled V8 Porsche 928, originally designed to replace the 911. It was a heavy, high-powered grand tourer, loaded with luxury and refinement, meant to kill off the uncouth and aged 911.
As you may be aware, the 911 is still sold today; the 928 is not. Many deem the 928 a failure for this reason.
That is incorrect! For while the 928 may be gone, its values live on. As Raphael Orlove explains here, nearly every modern Porsche—from the 911 to the front-engined Cayenne, Macan and Panamera—followed the framework set by this car. They too are heavy, high-powered grand tourers, loaded with luxury and refinement.
So if you see the 928, give it a warm and hearty handshake. It would likely be proud of its progeny today.