1988 Porsche 928 S4

We are delighted to offer a tidy Porsche 928 S4 finished in Marine Blue metallic with a blue and white leather interior. Offered with a recent timing belt, full service and a new battery, it is an honest, straight car that also benefits from a lot of recent work to both the mechanical components as well as the bodywork.

Offered with the apt, and "valuable", registration number of ‘ADZ 928’ it offers the canny enthusiast the opportunity to get behind the wheel of an iconic V8-engined Porsche supercar at a very sensible price point.

How sensible? Well, let’s tell you a bit more about it first, shall we?

The metallic Marine Blue coachwork is one of the nicer colours the model was offered in. Subtle and classy, it emphasises the car’s muscularity and, along with the cherished number plate, adds to its timeless looks. The panel shut lines are tight and even, and the flanks are free of ripples and other damage. It looks like a good ‘un.

A feeling that is reinforced by a sunroof that opens and closes as it should and looks to seal tightly. The pop-up headlights work too, which isn’t always the case, and the previous owner had carried out a lot of work including fitting genuine new Porsche door stays, bumper piping, window scraper seals, boot trim clips, sealing rings, cowl/bulkhead cover, bonnet struts, rear luggage compartment cover and more. The work was carried out by Paul Anderson of Porsche 928 Spares Ltd., a chap who has made a career out of fettling ‘em, so he’s knows what he is doing.

There is a small amount of work still to do, including the rectification of some slight bubbling on the lower edge of the offside front wing, a couple of spots near the indicator and the headlight on the nearside front wing, and some scuffs to the bumpers. The few scratches that exist elsewhere could probably be largely removed with a good mop & polish.

Oh, and the new owner could profitably spend a couple of hours touching up the underseal too. None of it looks too serious, but we would encourage potential bidders to view the car for themselves in order to more accurately gauge whether this is the car for them.

The polished Porsche alloy wheels are in good shape but it is inevitable that the new owner will want to refurbish them at some point; not, we hasten to add because they are especially rough but simply because they aren’t as good as the rest of the exterior. Two new tyres have been fitted within the last few months.

The blue and white leather interior is very of-the-period but that’s exactly as it should be; if you’re buying a period Porsche then surely you want to go all-in?

The front seats are supportive and still shapely but are patinated. They could almost certainly be improved with a bit of elbow grease and some leather cleaner followed by some dye and hide food. If that fails, having the outer bolsters recovered on the driver’s seat wouldn’t be unduly difficult. They’re not that bad at all (we’re quite picky…) and could easily be used as they are while the owner decides what they want to do with them.

The rear seats look to be almost unused, but then that’s always likely to be the case given how little rear legroom the car has. All the seats look wonderful though, and add to the car’s understated South-of-France glamour.

The door cards look good, although the lower carpeted section would benefit from a shampoo and if it were ours we might be tempted to either source a replacement steering wheel or get the old one recovered. Everything else is in good shape, which is exactly as you’d expect from a car with a pedigree like this.

An immobiliser has been fitted, along with a separate switch for the fuel pump.

Other problems seem to be limited to a sun-faded carpet in the boot, although to balance that, the boot and cabin floors all look to be solid, which, again, isn’t always the case with this model.

The owner had the car serviced and MOT’d in the summer and the results are available online, although potential bidders should note that two new tyres were subsequently fitted, which leaves only some nice-to-do stuff outstanding from the advisory points.

The timing belt and tensioner on the 5-litre V8 petrol engine were changed only last year too, which will save the new owner a fair chunk of cash. Other recent work includes new fuel hoses and a fuel pump, fresh main relays, a set of Bosch Super Plus WR7DC spark plugs, and an ignition amplifier. New exhaust gaskets, rubber mounts and brackets have also been fitted. More recently a new battery has also been fitted.

The car has also been subtly enhanced with the installation of an X-Pipe from Ritech systems, which sharpens the car’s response and performance, and also adds to the wonderful noise the V8 makes.

The MAF sensor has also been rebuilt by J.D. Speake Electronic Consulting, a move that should resolve any flat spots while also improving the car’s fuel consumption. (Although we have to say that if you’re buying this car with a view to anything better than 20mpg then may we humbly suggest that this probably isn’t the car for you…).

The engine and underbonnet area are a bit grubby and could do with detailing. That’s okay too because it’ll be a nice job for a wet weekend, and at least you can take comfort from the knowledge that it hasn’t been quickly tarted up to lure in a gullible buyer…

While the vendor tells us that it drives very well, starting well and pulling strongly throughout the entire rev range, it does have two quirks. The first is that it occasionally stalls in heavy traffic. It always re-starts smartly and we suspect that another set of spark plugs and/or a set of HT leads followed by a decent run might solve that one.

The second is that the new owner will need to stop fueling the car when the petrol pump first clicks off if they are to avoid dribbles. The owner is very happy for potential bidders to examine the car near Clapham prior to placing their bids, and to talk them through these points in person.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and the MOT certificate itself expires in June 2020.

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus some old invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it. It also comes with all of its handbooks, and a stamped service history booklet.

The cherished registration number ‘ADZ 928’ is included in the sale.

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 to a good standard.

We know that you, like some other people, might think you’d be better off buying an immaculate Porsche 928, preferably one that sneaks more comfortably under the (entirely arbitrary) 100,000 mile mark - regular watchers may be aware we have sold 928s with significantly higher mileage in recent times for not much less than our estimate here!

And, with the greatest respect, we would suggest that in the case of something as complex as the 928 your money might be more safely invested in something that’s been regularly used and maintained by folk who know what they’re doing; few things kill cars faster than inactivity and unless you’re looking to buy a museum-quality static exhibit you’re usually better off buying something that’s actually been regularly used.

(You’ll also be more inclined to use it, too. Who was it that said that not driving your car in order to protect its residual value is the same as not sleeping with your husband or wife in order to protect their virginity for their next spouse…) [enough, Ed.]

Which is not to say that this is an old dog, because it most certainly isn’t. It’s clearly been well looked after and has benefited from recent work and improvements, something that the next owner will also benefit from for years to come. The work that has been done leaves you free to refurbish the bits that are important to you safe in the knowledge that you should be adding value with every little bit of work you carry out.

Speaking of value, the prices of Porsche 928s are low compared to its 911 contemporary, making them possibly the biggest bargains in the classic supercar arena. How much of a bargain? Well, we expect this example to sell for between £9,500 and £13,000, which is a bit of a bargain in anyone’s books.

Now you can start to think about how sensible a buy like this might be......

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Clapham, South London; 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 of any auction, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles we have for sale. While we use our trade experience to assess every car that comes through our hands (and between us we have bought hundreds of classic cars over the years for our personal use…) we are fallible, and our assessment of a car may contrast with that you might form yourself. 

This is why we offer a far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange a professional inspection on their behalf of, each vehicle prior to bidding than any traditional car auction, and we will never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this by coming to see it in person. 

That said, 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 those formed as a 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.