1983 Porsche 928S

First registered in June 1983, this 928 is a late model S factory fitted with a larger 296bhp 4.7-litre V8 engine. The following year saw the 4.7-litre powered S being renamed as the S2 in the UK market delivering a slightly higher 306bhp.

It is believed to have been originally supplied (in what looked like a silvery blue paint colour) to author and TV Doctor Miriam Stoppard by Archibald Frazer Nash (AFN Porsche). At some point around 2006-7 the car received a total respray in Signal Yellow (possibly Speed Yellow) - a gutsy move but one to be applauded and which would have made the car really stand out in a sea of contemporary greys.

The vendor is a collector and occasional dealer in young-timer classics and is well known on social media for his love of bright yellow cars - which would partially explain this purchase. He bought the 928 a couple of years ago - from an owner in Kent who had a small collection of 80s/90s GT cars - with the intention of turning it into something more special. Aside from fixing a few issues, he’s not been able to find the time to work on the project so has decided to sell it on.

The car is to be sold with its model-appropriate “cherished” registration - GDN 928S.

As mentioned above, this 928S now sports a much more head-turning colour than the day it left the factory. There is much debate about whether brightly coloured sports cars are a good thing to own and whether they narrow the resale opportunity too much. Like the vendor, we love performance cars that stand out and brighten your day much more than the ubiquitous greys and silvers.

Now around 14 years old, the previously glamorous paint job is now merely average and starting to show signs of ageing with a number of defects and blemishes; all of which are captured in the photo gallery. There is bubbling on the driver’s door, the sill below the passenger door and the near-side wing as well as cracking and crazing around the tail lights, side indicators and door mirrors. The window trims around both doors are either missing sections or are damaged. The bodywork is otherwise straight and the car still looks good enough to turn heads on both high street and highway.

The 928S has been modified at some point, probably around 2006, to appear more like an S4 from the rear - complete with S4 badge and the larger, flush-fitting tail light clusters - the wing spoiler having already been fitted to the car. A further nod to the S4 look are the Cup-style wheels which have replaced the seven-slot alloys fitted previously. The front tyres are Pirellis and rears are Bridgestone and all are in a good, usable condition.

In this time of restricted travel, we cannot encourage arranging an inspection in person to see the car’s condition for yourself, but certainly take some time to study the detailed photos in the gallery and why not use the ‘Contact Seller’ option above to arrange a video call with the vendor to look a little closer at the key features and general condition.

Back in 1983, a chocolatey-brown trim would have been a rather bold choice even when paired with the original exterior silvery blue, let alone against today’s bright yellow paint job. Although not to everyone’s taste, the interior is in reasonably good condition - with the dashboard, door trims and carpets all in good order. The steering wheel is a little scruffy as you would expect but the gear selector and other controls present well.

The brown and cream leather seats are mostly intact with just a small area at the base of the driver’s seat side bolster coming unstitched. Worth catching before it unravels too far - a “stitch in time” and all that. Following repair, a good clean and renourishment of the seating leather would no doubt improve the interior look considerably.

All electrics are reported to be working (e.g. windows, heater, Alpine stereo) and whilst the air conditioning hasn’t yet been converted to run on newer refrigerants it will still ventilate strongly.

Under the bonnet, the well laid out engine bay is clean and tidy, with all ancillaries intact and free of corrosion. On the bonnet itself, surfaces, hinges and catches also appear rust free.

With workshop access, the vendor has been able to get the car up on a lift to get some great shots of the undersides, which are in the accompanying photo gallery. Take some time to study them closely but you will see it is clean and tidy underneath, with good underseal on floor pans and structural members and nothing more than light surface oxidation on suspension components. They also show the engine sump, transaxle and an exhaust system which all appear in good or reasonable condition.

Inside the boot the carpets and linings are in a fair condition and underneath is an emergency spare wheel fitted with a collapsible tyre.

The car is to be sold with an MOT valid until September 2020 which indicates its current safety and driveability.

The extensive history file documented in the gallery details expenditure on the car from the mid ‘90s through to a few years ago and includes a list of when the car was serviced during its early life. There are also invoices from a variety of Porsche specialists and main dealers for parts and work carried out.

The speedometer gauge was changed in 1990 at just under 33,000 miles and although it is now showing 50,742 miles, the replacement odometer has also stopped working. Judging by the online MOT history, the odometer hasn’t clocked a single mile since 2009. The true mileage therefore must be 90,000 at the very least. The paper MOT certificates stretch back to the late ‘80s and along with the original service booklet they corroborate the mileages and speedo change.

Having fallen on hard decades, the 928’s dander has firmly been on the up for a while now. Those in the know, no longer judge it as a 911 failed replacement and instead appreciate it for the beauty of its design and engineering, sheer visual presence - especially in yellow - and colossal high-speed mile-devouring ability. Although it’s not seen much use in recent years, this car reportedly runs well and still provides a good turn of speed when asked.

Offered with no reserve, we believe this eye-catching 928S will sell for between £4,000 and £9,000 - a “___928S” registration number alone could set you back a few thousand pounds.

We think this 928S offers a new owner an opportunity to have a huge amount of fun in a head-turning and very driveable GT which can also be improved upon along the way.

This particular car is located with the vendor in Upminster, Essex; to get in touch with him 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.