1986 Porsche 928 S2

Vendor Alex bought this example at the start of 2017. ‘I wanted a project that I could re-commission, and found this 928 for sale on a farm in Kent,’ he explains. ‘It was this car’s originality – paint, tools, radio, spare tyre – that appealed, and it’s rare to find one with a huge service history showing that it’d had a lot of money lavished on it.’

That seller himself had owned it since 2003 and although it’d seen very little use, it had always been dry stored in a heated barn. Alex then set about a full mechanical overhaul using, on the recommendation of a friend, Woking-based independent Porsche specialist EPorsch. 

‘I’ve spent in the region of £7k, but the next owner can be reassured that it’s all been done via a proper specialist. In my time of ownership it’s always been garaged and serviced annually. The car now drives effortlessly and the power it has is unreal, as it pulls like a train.’ 

He says it has none of the electrical gremlins or overheating issues that can plague less well-kept examples of the model, although the air conditioning doesn’t function. ‘I’m selling it as I bought another classic supercar in February of 2019, and realistically can’t afford to have both.’

‘It’s the original paint and if I were keeping it then the paint would be the next job. The bodywork has no dinks, dents or notable scratches, but the paint is probably 6/10. The next owner will have an amazing car mechanically and, with the re-spray it deserves, a superb example.’

The odometer currently reads 117,473 – small beer in terms of 928 longevity – and it’s received a very recent MOT ticket, that runs out on July 26 next year. 

If the mechanical side of things is the car’s strongest suite, then the paint finish is its weakest. The original paint was a bit flat on arrival at The Market’s Abingdon HQ, but a bit of detailing brought it up well. 

As the pictures show, there is a bit of bubbling on a few of the panels including along the front edge of the alloy bonnet, nearside rear sill, pop-up headlight mounting panels, on the rear offside wing where it meets the tail-light cluster and around the centre trim on the offside front wing. There’s also some chipping on the tops of the alloy doors. 

The metal body areas of the 928 were galvanized, so this has ensured that most should be dealt with by being ground back and re-painted. However the MOT advisory does point to the nearside rear sill having some corrosion, which will at some point require some more invasive correctional work.   

Again the black window surrounds, and front spoiler are also a little faded. As owner Alex already stated, the exterior is the area that next requires some attention.  

The alloy wheels have some light marks, but overall are good and there’s plenty of tread at each corner.  

The interior is indicative of a car this age and mileage. There’s some wear on the driver’s seat bolster and passenger seat piping, but other than that the black leather seats (piped Red) display a pleasing patina. The carpets are a touch grubby at their extremities, but generally nice. Best of all, is that lifting them reveals nice solid floors.

Up front the leather steering wheel is without significant blemish and the instruments, dash top and headlining are all good. The electric sunroof, windows and seats all function, but we were unable to get the passenger side door to lock – although the alarm did arm. 

As with some other areas of this 928, it could be gently improved over time. 

The engine bay is a little dusty and grubby in places, with some surface corrosion on securing nuts and bolts, but it appears generally leak free. The radiator matrix also has some squashed areas, but again is without evidence of any coolant leaks. If we were being honest - a bit of bloomin’ elbow grease and detailing TLC under here would do it the wonder of good. 

There’s plenty of road dirt on the underside, but the metal all looks to be nice and solid – even if there’s some surface corrosion on suspension components. Some of the protective stone chip is starting to show its age, and the odd scrape has broken its surface, so it may be worth the next owner having a fresh coating applied.  

The exhaust system appears without issue and this is backed up on the drive with no evidence of any blowing. We drove the car to its MOT in Witney (a round trip of 40 miles or so) and it performed admirably. We can also back up Alex’s claim that it ‘pulls like a train’ and drives very well, with the automatic gearbox shifting smoothly and brakes pulling matters up well. 

With the window open (it was a hot day), we noted the vinyl cover at the top of the driver’s door has become slightly adrift, but that should be an easy fix. In the boot you’ll find the original tool kit and spare tyre correctly stowed.

There’re a large number of invoices and MOT test certificates from the car’s life pre-2003 for the next owner to flick through, but of most interest are those more recent ones. 

The 928 had a major service in May 2017, during which the cambelt was replaced. At the same time a number of electrical and mechanical niggles were also attended to. 

EPorsch replaced the transmission central tube in 2017 and again at the same time a fresh exhaust system, new radiator and bonnet struts, as well as a steering rack (all owner supplied) were also fitted at a cost of approximately £2.5k (not including the parts).

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained and then re-commissioned to a very high standard.

This 928 S2 has lived a relatively cosseted 21st Century life, and in recent years had considerable money spent on it in order to get it purring on the road again. A short while behind the wheel has convinced us that it’s definitely been money well spent. 

We’ve set the estimate between £10,000 and £14,000 - cars with fewer miles on the clock can fetch much higher prices but as with the previous 928 we offered, for a decent reliable runner this could prove to be a bit of a bargain buy. 

The question of bodywork and paint depends upon what you want to use it for. If it’s for high days and holidays, and the odd show then investing in a bit of bodywork (or doing it yourself) and a fresh paint job is definitely the way to go. 

However if you want to take advantage of the recent mechanical overhaul and use it more often then the next owner may wish to leave it as it. Either way, vendor Alex has put in the groundwork to ensure that this 928 is ready to drive. The next steps are for the new owner to decide. 

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; 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’.

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

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.