1982 Porsche 928S Manual

This Guards Red 928 with classic tweed cloth interior is an example of the S model which had a 296bhp 4.7-litre V8 engine. While more than 80% of 928s were automatics, this one has the comparatively rare 5-speed dogleg manual gearbox.

First supplied on the 4th October 1982, this 928S was the personal conveyance of the Managing Director of Porsche GB, Peter Bulbeck. Two years later it was sold to World Sportscar Championship driver Richard Cleare. From the late ‘80s it was the pride and joy of its third owner, a Mr Elsden, who sought out this exact specification and then cherished it for 30 years without thought to costs (unusual for a financial investments advisor!). Mostly using official Porsche service centres to do maintenance and repairs, he spent around £130,000 over the years and more than £40,000 in the 18 months prior to selling last autumn to the current owner, a retired car dealer and collector. This includes a full professional engine and gearbox rebuild.

The vendor bought the car with a view to keeping it and using it whilst maybe fixing the few paint issues. He has been very impressed with the standard of the mechanicals on the car but very reluctantly decided to sell on to make space for the classic 911 he’s just purchased.

Overall, the body and paintwork are really very tidy with only a few blemishes showing the car’s age. There is slight bubbling and cracking in the paint around the rear spoiler and side trims, a few stone chips on leading edges of the nose and the driver’s door mirror cap is rather pitted.

Otherwise, it’s hard to believe looking at the 928’s classic design, squat stance and solid paintwork that this is a 38 year old car. If we were talking about other classics of this era, we’d be pointing out panel gaps and shutlines - but this Porsche is very well put together.

The original 16-inch slotted alloy wheels are solid and in fair condition with just a few scuffs around the rims and slight age-tarnished discolouring. All round the wheels are fitted with recent Pirelli PZERO tyres. Matching tyres from a premium brand are an infallible sign of a car that has been owned by a mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the money to keep the car in the very best condition; as such, we use them as something of a ‘shortcut’ when assessing a car’s likely overall mechanical condition – and they’ve never let us down.

Plastic and rubber trims, such as front chin-spoiler, around the glasshouse and the rear boot-spoiler are all present and appear in good condition The side rubbing strip trims would more typically be body coloured but they don’t look too incongruous in black.

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 us to look a little closer at the key features and general condition.

The interior is really rather lovely too, presenting in a generally very tidy condition. It’s been refreshed a couple of times and the seats retrimmed in period-correct tweed cloth to retain some originality. There’s a little wear on the side of the driver’s seat but this is good for such a well used car. The Porsche-supplied sports steering wheel is a later addition but is totally in keeping with the rest of the interior, and looks almost-new.

Another much later but still authentic looking upgrade is the Porsche Classic Radio which many owners of older cars had fitted (at a cost of over £1,000) to give them the benefits of sat nav and mobile phone connectivity without unsightly bolt-on or plug-in equipment. As we said, money was no object.

We have given other electrical equipment a quick test; headlamps, mirrors, windows (which operate at a rather good speed) and fan all operate as expected. Whilst the driver’s seat is manually operated, the passenger seat has electric controls - evidently one or the other was swapped out - but the adjustment for up and down, is not working.

On the floors, the carpets and mats are present and show in good order, with sound floor panels underneath. Towards the rear of the car where the hatch-back hinges, the headlining has detached slightly from the roof. Overall though, whilst not perfect, the inside of this car is very strong.

Under the bonnet all is clean and tidy. There are a few ancillary items showing a touch of rust but largely all the mechanicals appear in great shape with cables and hoses also in good condition, likely having been recently renewed as part of the full engine & gearbox rebuild – see below. The bonnet lid itself is in super condition with new acoustic lining, good paint all round and no corrosion around hinges, strut attachment points or catches.

Underneath the car is also clean and solid looking with good underseal on the floor pans and chassis structures. There are no obvious signs of corrosion save for what appears to be surface rust on a few of the suspension components and bracketry. The exhaust system looks to be sound all the way from manifold down to the chrome tail pipes.

Inside the boot the carpets and linings are well presented and underneath is an emergency spare wheel fitted with a collapsible tyre.

There are many photos in the gallery which show in detail the engine bay and undersides of this car. Take some time studying them to see what great shape this car is in and if you have any queries, use the ‘Contact Seller’ facility above to ask your question or make contact and we will do our best to satisfy your needs.

The car is to be sold with an MOT valid until March 2021 which indicates its current safety and driveability. Several expired MOT certificates and reports are included in the history file. 

Whilst a lot of paperwork has been retained from 2008 onwards, the previous owner must have found themselves buried in invoices from the impressive expenditure of the preceding decades and so threw most away. We do know, however, that he fastidiously maintained this 928S at mostly official Porsche service centres and the occasional marque specialist without regard to cost.

More recently, in February 2019, 928 specialists Loe Bank Motors carried out a full engine rebuild and replacement gearbox this year along with other works totalling over £18,000. Later that year, the front suspension was fully replaced by Porsche Bolton at a cost of nearly £2,000. Again, money-no-object is a claim bandies around, but when you have a history like this, you suddenly realise what it means.

The full history of work done may not be present in the gallery but what there is, along with the service booklet and MOT archive gives an indication of the super history of this car and the most diligent way that it has been cared for.

We are looking after this tidy 928S during the auction and are pleased to report that it runs and drives really well; incredibly tight. How well it looks and performs is testament to the build quality of these Porsche GT cars, its regular maintenance and the amount of money and care lavished on the car over the decades.

It’s not as if its owners have kept it tucked away either as there are 220,000 miles showing on the clock (which was itself a used replacement meaning total mileage is nearer 260,000) - over 180,000 of those by the long term third owner - that’s about 120 miles a week, every week for 30 years. What a testimony to Porsche engineering!

Whilst 928s haven’t always been in favour, they are now experiencing something of a renaissance as collectors and enthusiasts re-evaluate what a great car they are, especially those like this one that have been superbly looked after. We believe this much-loved 928S will sell for between £9,000 and £12,000, a bargain.

Don’t let this car’s mileage deter you from putting in a bid as all the parts affected by mileage have been overhauled or renewed - some more than once. You will struggle to find such a well maintained and cherished 928S in such great condition at any mileage – this car looks and drives genuinely better than many of its peers with a third of the mileage.

This particular car is located with us near Abingdon, Oxfordshire; to get in touch 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.