1989 Porsche 928 S4

New in January 1989, this very respectable example comes to the market with 6 former keepers on the V5, and a significant stack of receipts for you to peruse. The car has been essentially laid up since 2015 (after significant expenditure) but has now been given a clean bill of health, with a fresh MoT lasting until the end of March 2022.

We are auctioning the car on behalf of a trader who acquired it only a couple of weeks ago, as its previous owner is emigrating.

These 928s were cutting edge and very highly specced, so you can expect lots of goodies from cruise control to heated seats. This was the model year which saw the introduction of the digital trip computer and optional tyre pressure monitoring – although we’re not sure whether the latter is fitted to this vehicle.

About that digital display… although the odometer reads 131,225 miles the history includes evidence that, thanks to an instrument cluster swap (more on this below), the true figure is below 90,000.

The car is essentially standard apart from one or two reversible tweaks. The vendor assures us it’s mechanically in fine working order throughout, delivering plenty of power, and handling a dream. We have no reason to doubt him.

From a few paces back, this is a highly respectable motor that will grace any driveway, and the metallic Moss Green paintwork – quite uncommon on a 928 – is believed to be original throughout. Closer scrutiny reveals a few surface flaws though, which we ought to mention.

Some of the smaller glazing rubbers are cracked; worth replacing but not urgent – and that’s a recurring theme here. Small stone chips and light scuffing can be found around the nose and wing mirrors, and some larger chips have been touched in beneath the front number plate. You’ll also see some slight bubbling around the edges, such as around the Porsche badge, washer jets, wing mirror arms, the base of the windscreen, and (in a comparatively minor way) around a wheelarch. Nothing major, but these ought to be monitored and budgeted for by the next owner.

The side trim pieces have received some minor dings but the steel bodywork is free from dents. Panel gaps are good, and the upper areas of the car are particularly tidy.

We believe the 17in five-spoke alloys have come from a 1993-4 Porsche 928 GTS, and they could do with refurbishing as they’re flaking in places and show a few curb marks. They ride on Michelin rubber all round – 225/75 at the front and 255/40 at the rear; three are stamped 2012, one 2015, so most of them are getting on a bit now and a few small cracks are starting to show. They do however have ample tread, and aren’t a major cause for concern. We think you’ll get some fun out of the car before having to worry about them.

And yes, the pop-up headlamps do raise on command.

The interior is a pleasingly timeless colour combination of black and off-white, not the lurid hues which date so many Porsches of just a few years earlier.

Almost everything from the threshplates inwards is reassuringly tidy. Previous owners have done a fine job of keeping dirt out of the carpets, although (inevitably for light-coloured upholstery) there are some areas which will look even better after a shampoo. The same is true in the boot, where there’s some general discolouration rather than specific staining or damage – easily and cheaply rectifiable.

Clean overmats in excellent condition are also fitted, although their colours are mismatched. We’ve lifted the carpets where possible to reveal solid floors beneath, including in the spare wheel well and around the rear suspension mounts (do zoom into our pictures to see for yourself). The boot contains a Vredestein space saver.

As for the leather upholstery, the only significant blemish is the worn driver’s seat rear bolster. Elsewhere there’s just light creasing and very little wear to the stitching – a pleasing patina. Like the carpets, the light-coloured leather will benefit from a careful scrub in a few places to bring back the lightness of its colour, but it’s mostly very nice.

The leather headlining shows no signs of damage or stains. A few tiny nicks on the leather trim of the gear selector prevent it from being described as immaculate, but it’s far from shabby. There’s no cracking to be found around the tidy centre console plastic, and the dash contains a modern, non-standard Pioneer stereo.

The car is comprehensively equipped, with gizmos including cruise control. The vendor has spent time testing all the equipment, including the heated seats, and found everything to be working nicely – including the passenger-side boot opening knob, despite the knob being slightly damaged.

An aftermarket ‘Split-Eye’ ultrasonic alarm system has been professionally installed, with its sensor in the passenger footwell. The engine therefore requires a button to be pressed on the key fob before it will start, and the vendor assures us that it has been working well without playing games.

Our only additional comment is that the A/C could do with being recharged.

Everything looks pleasingly solid underneath, and we’re not aware of anything more than surface rust anywhere on the car. The only spot where this catches our eye is an area of hydraulic brake pipes; the recent MoT does give advisories for front brake pipes being ‘corroded, covered in grease or other material’ (not very helpful!) but you’ll preserve them by spending a few pennies on a careful smear of underseal. This seems to be the only area underneath that’s effected by rust; presumably the car has spent much of its life undercover. There don’t appear to be any leaks, beside a slight film of oil around the transaxle.

The car has an unobtrusive, single-tailpipe stainless exhaust which delivers a nice extra rumble. Not too extreme, we feel, and we’ve included a video of the engine running to give you an idea of the soundtrack.

The engine bay is very presentable, with no obvious faults. The hoses and cables all appear to be in great condition, and we’re not aware of any leaks whatsoever. As you can see from our video, it fires up willingly, idles smoothly, and responds well to a bit of welly. The reason for the red needle gauge on the driver’s side of the engine is a bit of a mystery to both us and the vendor – presumably it’s been useful for something!

UPDATE: The car appears to have developed a fuel leak, whilst parked in our unit. It is around the rear right corner, possibly from a pipe/seal being perished. 

A sizeable history file shows that this car received a lot of maintenance prior to falling into disuse in 2015, and as far as we can tell, little seems to have been required in order to put it back on the road.

A replacement gearbox was fitted in 2006. The V8 received new belts and water pump in 2009, and again in 2012 – a year in which quite a few thousand was spent at a Porsche specialist for works including a replacement steering rack, fan assembly and two suspension arms. Then in 2015, shortly before the car became dormant, the cambelt was replaced again, with the thermostat and alternator bringing the cost to £1800. Another 2015 receipt for over £2400 itemises a full oil and filter swap, plus a new ignition switch and replacement front spoiler.

Fastidious maintenance then, for a car that was hardly moving.

Those 2015 works also included a replacement instrument cluster. An accompanying letter from the specialist reads: ‘This is to confirm that we have fitted a used instrument pod to your vehicle. As a consequence, the mileage now reads 131,083 instead of 88,038.’ Details of the donor 928 are also given. As you can see, the car has done little more than 200 miles since then.

Although 911 prices have pulled the transaxle Porsches out of the bargain basement, the 928 still offers masses of car for the money. These really were ahead of their time, and remain undervalued. Our estimate of £10,000-15,000 places this example at the more affordable end of the roadworthy 928 spectrum, reflective of its minor cosmetic issues. We reckon that’s a steal for a solid and relatively low-mileage example of such an extraordinary machine.

It’ll probably deserve a set of new tyres soon, but other than that it seems fighting fit and begging to be enjoyed. Spend your remaining cash on rectifying those little blemishes – investment which should help maximise the car’s appreciation potential – or exchange the money for petrol instead and head for the horizon. It’s up to you!

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and as stated this car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.