Description

1987 Porsche 928 S4 Manual

One of very few manual cars supplied to the UK market; fully restored in 2016 and only 16k miles since; fortunes spent; a wonderful example of this classic GT in stunning condition throughout

Aimed squarely at the international jet set, the radical Porsche 928 was launched in 1978 and still looks modern today. The simple teardrop body shape used mainly galvanised steel but with weight-saving aluminium doors, front wings and bonnet and polyurethane bumpers. Other innovations included the Weissach multi-link axle that passively steered the rear wheels in throttle-off cornering for greater road-holding. It was so well received that it won the 1978 European Car of the Year Award, the only sports car ever to have won this accolade which usually goes to more humdrum saloons.

As time went on the 928 grew ever more powerful and the S4 version that came out in 1987 had an all-alloy 32-valve 5.0 V8 that produced 320bhp, cutting the 0-60 dash to 5.6 seconds and raising the top speed to 168mph. The styling was also subtly updated with smoother nose and tail treatments that gave the car an even sleeker look.

First registered in June 1987, this particular S4 is an extremely rare 5-speed manual version – exact production figures are hard to come by but the vendor believes it is one of 38 supplied to the UK market although other sources suggest there were perhaps a few more than this. The Porsche Certificate of Authenticity confirms that it was completed on 15^th October 1986, finished in Marine Blue Metallic with a Marine Blue full leather interior.

For the first nine months of its life it was owned by Porsche Cars GB of Reading, a DVLA print-out giving details of all seven keepers thereafter. Our vendor acquired the car in February 2016 from a gentleman in Dudley who had owned it for the previous 15 years.

He promptly sent the car to Paul Anderson of 928 Spares in Stroud with instructions to return it to as near new condition as possible. The full extent of the work carried out is far too detailed to list in full here but is amply covered in many invoices on file.

The engine was stripped and rebuilt with GT spec cylinder heads and GT cam shafts, re-coded ECUs, EZK performance chip etc. The suspension was rebuilt with new springs all round, new Bilstein shock absorbers and polybushes throughout. The braking system was also completely renewed along with many other parts – torque tube; exhaust with x-pipe; fuel pump; steering components; gear linkage; wheel bearings; fuel tank cradle; windscreen etc.

The car was also tidied up cosmetically including powder coating and electroplating various components, leather-covered dashboard and A pillar covers, custom-made orange/blue leather seat covers and door cards, refurbished wheels etc, the bill for all this lot coming to £26,817. In addition to this there are bills for a myriad of other parts totalling another £11,000.

Since the rebuild was completed in December 2016 the car has covered some 16,000 miles and has been serviced annually. It has also recently had a new Porsche exchange gearbox, new tyres, new starter motor and an overhaul of the air conditioning. Basically every single part of this car has been refurbished or renewed as necessary and it has been meticulously maintained ever since.

The original air compressor is still in the boot along with the tool kit, the spare wheel and the wheel-changing kit including the original plastic sheeting and gloves to prevent you getting mucky if you suffer the indignity of having to change the wheel yourself. Some spare relays and fuses are also present along with a spare leather seat cover and a bespoke orange leather gear shroud. Not to mention the upgraded sound system with the big boom box also in the boot...

As you can see in the photos, the car is in excellent condition throughout and is said to drive as well as it looks with an MOT until December 2021 with just one minor advisory (‘slight play in o/s/f upper suspension arm ball joint’ although the vendor states that this is incorrect and the slight play detected is in the stub axle which is perfectly normal for the model and nothing to be concerned about). Starting instantly and running beautifully as we have moved it around on site, with a fabulously fruity exhaust note, it was last serviced only 3,000 miles ago.

The best 928 we have ever seen, it has an agreed insurance valuation of £50,000 and is being offered here at a fraction of the costs lavished upon it to date.

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com