Reborn of 928?

[Oracle]

Reborn Porsche 928 is fronting up! | Auto Express News | News | Auto Express






Reborn Porsche 928 is fronting up!
Front-engined 2+2 set to slot in above 911, Based on Panamera, with hybrid on the way
Auto Express Car ReviewsBy Jack Rix23rd October 2009Get ready for a blast from Porsche’s past! The German firm is developing a luxurious, front-engined grand tourer – a spiritual successor to the 928 built between 1977 and 1995. The ‘new 928’ will be a fifth model line, and is designed to sit above the sportier 911 in the range.

With the compact Boxster and Cayman, the 911, the Cayenne SUV and four-door Panamera, Porsche would appear to have most bases covered. But it’s notable for its absence in the front-engined GT segment. The newcomer will allow the brand to take on rivals such as the Ferrari 599 GTB, Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin DB9. And our exclusive pictures show exactly why the curvy, Panamera-based coupé is set to stun the competition.

Essentially it’s a two-door, short-wheelbase version of the Panamera, which will help to spread the £1.1billion development costs of that model. Its front-engined layout has a number of inherent benefits, too.

A rear-engined 911 has barely more than 100 litres of luggage space, but a similarly sized GT with its motor up front would offer a useful 320 litres – a vital attribute if the new 928 is to be taken seriously as a grand tourer.

While the nose is virtually identical to the Panamera, the shortened wheelbase and 2+2 layout mean the 928 features far smoother lines at the back. One of the major criticisms levelled at the four-door Panamera was its bloated rear, but this model’s muscular haunches and neater proportions should attract a new wave of style-conscious customers.

As you’d expect from Porsche, though, driver appeal remains a top priority. The engine line-up will mirror that of the Panamera, so a 4.8-litre V8, with or without a turbocharger, producing 500bhp or 400bhp, will be available. The naturally aspirated variant is set to come with four or rear-wheel drive, while the range-topping turbo model will be 4WD only.

Thirsty V8s aren’t the only power units on the agenda. The Cayenne SUV hybrid is ready to go on sale next year, with a petrol-electric version of the Panamera following closely behind. As the new 928 shares the latter’s platform, it’s sure to get the hybrid drivetrain, too.

An Audi S4-sourced 369bhp 3.0-litre supercharged V6, coupled to a 38kW electric motor, will give the hybrid 928 fuel economy that breaks the 30mpg barrier. That will make it the most frugal petrol-powered Porsche ever, while still providing hair-raising performance.

The 928 will slot into Porsche’s pricing line-up somewhere between the 911 and Panamera. The four-door ranges from £70,000-£95,000, while the 911 starts a little lower, at just over £60,000, but stretches to £128,000 for the GT2.

With this is mind, expect the 928 to be pitched between £65,000 and £90,000 – enough to safely undercut its Ferrari and Aston rivals when it goes on sale in 2012.



Read more: Reborn Porsche 928 is fronting up! | Auto Express News | News | Auto Express

[924slover]

It's nice, could use some tweaking though. but i get a very Ferrari feel from it. especially the nose.

[HardDrive]

The perfect answer to a question no one asked.

[Geronimo '74]

Sa-weet! I like it.
But I don't know if I want the model range to expand with yet another car...
I guess now VW is in the picture, this will be inevitable..

[svandamme]

backend looks like an Aston/Jag
hate the vents behind the frontwheel they recycled from the Panamera

[livi]

Yup, a hybrid alright. Genetic splicing between Jaguar and Porsche. Rather nice actually.

[Paul K]

Oh look, a 2-door Panamera!

[hcariss]

The original 928 was a unique looking car this looks like yet another 'Porsche' thats strayed too far from the marque, ... it has the generic Jaguar/ Aston Martin/ Ferrari look that makes those cars all so indistinct.
Disappointing flag carrier of the 928 line.

[Nostril Cheese]

What the Panamera should have been...

[t951]

Originally Posted by svandamme

backend looks like an Aston/Jag
hate the vents behind the frontwheel they recycled from the Panamera

My thoughts exactly.

Why does everything need to be a rehash/recycle these days?

The 928 was unique when it came out, so was the 911, the 914, etc. Therefore it would be corporately accurate to do it, plus it might work.

Make the car totally from scratch, no shared parts. I think it's one of the reasons that the 996 is so devalued, it looks like the girly, cheap boxster.

[cashflyer]

Originally Posted by 924slover

It's nice, could use some tweaking though.

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

What the Panamera should have been...

+1 to both comments.

[KNS]

If you took the Porsche badge off of it how would you even know it was a Porsche? Looks too much like an Aston/Jag.

[t951]

It doesn't matter what it looks like. It will sell.

Remember we are not the Porsche demographic. We simply keep the heritage alive, but they only see heritage as a marketing tool.

The Bangle 7 series was hideous, but it sold more than any other 7. Why? Because it said BMW on the hood. Same principle will apply here. The buyer of this car would not enjoy a mid 80s 911, along with it's idiosyncrasies. They do however love the fact that it says Porsche on the hood.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Blatant Aston ripoff, especially from the rear. Not very creative.

[legion]

I like it a LOT more than the bastardized Panamera rear-end.

[Zef]

Nice japs look...like a 996.

[trekkor]

I think the rear looks like a Maserati.

Another car I'll never own.



KT

[porsche356a]

I like it, but I'm pretty sure this is a Photoshop. However, if it looks like this (minus the vents), I'd consider buying one.

[jkarolyi]

This is a British site, and the car equivalent of their infamous tabloids. The pic is a good artists rendering, but I'll almost guarantee it didn't come from anywhere near Stuttgart.

It's comical how the British auto press worship their countries own product...just watch Top Gear to see them drooling over the latest Aston, Jag, Rolls, Bentley, or Land Rover. They are very patriotic...so different from Americans who trash everything to come from their own country.

In any case, it's funny to see what the British think a Porsche should look like...a copy of the latest Aston.

[dhrcr911s]

I like it, and I don't know why....