Porsche 928: Sweet Dream

It was once seen as the future of Porsche, the car that would replace the ageing, unpopular 911 and usher in a new era.

History now shows that Porsche’s iconic sports car wasn’t so easily deposed, but the 928 still played an important role in the company’s history, with more than 60,000 sold during its 17-year lifespan.

Introduced in 1978, the 928 was an immediate critical success, wining the 1978 European Car of the Year award. Unfortunately, critical acclaim does not necessarily guarantee sales success, the 928 handicapped by its high price and limited appeal to 911-loving Porsche purists.

Such sentiment is a thing of the past in a post-Cayenne age and we’re prepared to bet there would be plenty of buyers keen on a modern remake of the iconic 928. Porsche agreed, considering just such a thing built off the new Panamera’s MSB platform, however the project was shelved due to fears it would dent Continental GT sales.

Now, thanks to Dieselgate, there is next to no chance it’ll ever appear. Let’s take a look at what might have been.

Here's how we'd do it

1. STABLE PLATFORM
Under the skin is a shortened version of the new Panamera’s MSB platform. Just such a thing will underpin the next-generation Bentley Continental GT so 928 development costs would be heavily amortised.

2. POWER PACKED
Engines mirror the upper echelon of the Panamera range, with the ‘regular’ 928 scoring the 404kW/770Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from the Panamera Turbo and the 928 S a 447kW/820Nm version of the same engine rumoured to be bound for the Panamera Turbo S.

Both feature Porsche’s latest eight-speed PDK gearbox and rear-biased all-wheel drive system. Is there room for a range-topping 928 Hybrid with 918-style electric motors providing propulsion on the front wheels? Sure there is.

3. NEED FOR SPEED
Smaller, lighter and slipperier than its four-door big brother, the 928 would jet from 0-100km/h in 3.2sec and on to a top speed of 315km/h. The more powerful S shaves 0.2sec from the sprint and adds 15km/h to the top speed. And the Hybrid? Think 550kW/1100Nm and a 2.7sec 0-100km/h effort.

4. PECKING ORDER
The rest of the mechanical package would be nicked from the Panamera and follow Porsche’s usual hierarchy, with the likes of carbon-ceramic brakes and active anti-roll bars optional on the regular car but standard on the S.

5. STICKER SHOCK
One thing the new 928 will share with its predecessor is a high price tag. Essentially starting where the 911 finishes, you’re looking at $420K for the 928, $500K for the 928 S and a Ferrari F12-matching $690K for the Hybrid hero car.