Porsche 928 Celebrates 40 Years With Four-Door, Cabrio Concepts

The Panamera’s grandfather is the four-door.

Porsche celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 928 grand touring car at Nurburgring’s AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix. The company pulled some rare examples from the archives. The company also displayed a V8-powered coupe and the convertible concepts for the 928.

Ferry Porsche designed the four-door 928 concept. American Specialty Cars did the conversion. It featured small clamshell doors, which allowed for easy access to the coupe’s narrow back seat. It is the Panamera’s predecessor.

Porsche 928 Celebrates 40 Years With Four-Door, Cabrio Concepts

Porsche had to consider other ways to sell the 928, so the convertible concept was an identical one-off. Its most striking feature is its quality. The car is ready to go, as the video below shows.
Porsche should have brought its shooting brake concept if it wanted to complete the 928-only lineup at the Oldtimer Grand Prix. Ferry Porsche received the 928-4 as a gift from the company for his 75th birthday. The wagon’s two-door length was 9.8 inches (25 cm) more than stock. It also had a higher B-pillar to make it easier to reach the back. The roof was also higher. Porsche also dropped the pop-up headlights on the 928 for a new set of fixed units.

Porsche 928 Celebrates 40 Years With Four-Door, Cabrio Concepts

The Porsche 928 was introduced in spring 1977. It was a very advanced car at the time. For weight reduction, the German sports car manufacturer used aluminum doors, fenders and hood. The original examples were powered by a 4.5-liter V8. However, by 1995 the displacement had increased to 5.4 liters.

Porsche put on quite an impressive show at the Oldtimer Grand Prix. Magnus Walker signed autographs. Porsche Classic also displayed a restored 1975 911 Turbo bodyshell and a freshly rejuvenated 1996 911S — this was one of the first to receive the famed Fuchs wheels.