Porsche 928 S4 – Reviews |
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Many
of these reviews are from the “Porsche 928 Performance Portfolio” and
“Porsche 928 Takes on the Competition” published by Brooklands Books Ltd.,
available from 928 International. updated
September 20, 2000 |
Porsche by Randy
Leffingwell, published by Motorbooks International Publishers … Both the 924GTP and
the 936/81 ran new engines developed from other projects. The 936 used an engine spun off an
ill-fated assault on the U.S. Indy car series, while the sixteen-valve 944
engine was one-half of a 5.0-liter V-8 water-cooled engine destined for the
luxurious Typ 928 coupe. As early as 1971
there was concern in the U.S. about the handling characteristics of
rear-engined cars. In meetings
at Weissach, engineers recognized that if the U.S. began legislating
automobiles, it would not outlaw water-cooled, front-engined, rear-wheel
drive cars produced in Detroit.
So in between other projects, Porsche engineers began to conceive and
develop the Typ 928. Design chief Tony
Lapine felt obligated to retain the organic, roundness begun with Erwin
Komenda’s Gmund coupes. He
challenged the engineers to make the car body act as its own bumper. Fitting in a water-cooling system
radiator required other considerations in car bodies previous
unperforated. In 1975, engineer
Helmut Flegl took over as project manager to continue chassis and drivetrain
development. The 928, introduced
in Geneva in March 1977, won rave reviews. Appearance was stunning. Performance was impressive. Handling had been tamed. A new level of luxury had been reached. A front-mounted 4.5-liter 90-degree
V-8 offered European markets 240hp, while for the U.S., 225hp came out
cleanly through catalytic converters. Engineers worked to
improve performance; engine size jumped to 4.7-liters and then to 5.0-liters
in the 1985 928 S models. Dual-overhead cams and four-valves per cylinder
increased power again in the 928S4 models for 1987. Production topped 5,400 cars. The S4 performed well: 5.7sec to 60mph and a top speed of 165mph was
possible. By 1990, engine output
had risen to 326hp for manual transmission versions of the 928GT, providing a
top speed of 171mph. … “Who
has the right to define a Porsche only
as a rear-engine, air-cooled car?
Just because the
first two cars were this, can we not grow? Do
we not evolve?” -
Ernst Fuhrmann on the 928, from Porsche Legends
928 S4: REDEFINED
DESIGNER GENES
Porsche
Magazine (now Excellence), July/August 1987 by David
Colman Everything about
the 928S4 is larger than life.
It is faster than anything you’ve ever driven on the street. It is better looking than anything
you’ve ever been seen in. It is
quicker than a cat and sturdier than a tank. It is deliciously appointed and fabulously expensive. In a world of Lilliputian flotsam and
jetsam, this Porsche is Brobdingnagian brawn incarnate. From its massive
controls to its laser handling, from its wrenching acceleration to its
throbbing deceleration, this latest fourth version of the 928 design brief,
so far surpasses the performance envelope of other road machinery that it
creates a league of its own.
With revamped bodywork front and rear, refined aerodynamics, and newly
fattened 32 valve V-8 power curve, Porsche has reassembled its flagship
sportscar in a form that defines today’s ultimate road weapon. The 928S4 is so fast, capable and
comfortable that it creates a new mythology for the German marque. The S4 is the Paul Bunyan of the
Autobahn. Able to stop as
quickly as it goes (0 to 60 to 0 in 9 seconds), it wields its wicked
double-edged axe with awesome zeal. … The extraordinary
32 valve, 316 hp, 303 cubic inch V-8 is what the S4 is really all about. Crush the accelerator in any gear,
and this 3507 lb. German bazooka shell launches itself into orbit with neck
snapping authority. Nail first
gear and you are pinned in the creases of the burgundy leather. Snap a cross-gate shift to second
gear, and the big motor really begins to unwind as the revolutions soar
effortlessly to the 6000 rpm redline ignition cut-out. Snatch third gear at 73 miles per
hour, and the fun really begins.
Traffic recedes in clumps and you dare not look at the tach for fear
of collecting the doddering, mirrorless idiots in front of you. Keeping a wary eye
on traffic patterns and not your dashboard, you bang home fourth gear as the
engine stutters in third. For
the first time now, at 102 mph, you notice some wind noise building at the
A-pillars as this ethereal rocketship slices through the air at a drag
coefficient of .34. As the
revolutions build inexorably once more, the whine of the many accessory belts
reaches a crescendo as your speed nears 140 mph in fourth cog. We had the opportunity to carry this
gear to redline down a long grade, with the speedo showing an indicated 144
mph, with one more gear to go!
Touching 156 in fifth, we shut down before the CHP could shut us down. Extrapolating top speed from this
experiment, we will be the first to acknowledge that the S4 will achieve 165
mph at 5100 rpm in the direct drive (1:1) fifth gear of the manual
transmission model. With some
seam taping, and a change in final drive ratio, Al Holbert coaxes 171 mph out
of the S4 at Bonneville Salt Flats. … Should you question
whether any means of ground transportation, no matter how fast or awesome
looking, is worth nearly $70,000, your answer will come from two sources. One is the amount of satisfaction you
derive from piloting this snarky vehicle. The other is the undisguised adulation of the traveling
public. In both areas, the S4
scores highly indeed. … This ultimate
Porsche will afford its owner (provided he can afford it) the security of
knowing he has purchased the world’s most competent and dependable high speed
tourer. If he drives it with
restraint and cautious enthusiasm, he will never approach the limits of its
potential. If, however, he
presses the outer envelope of those limits, he had best be very good and very
quick. … Europe’s Fastest of the Fast – Porsche 928S4 vs.
Ferrari Testarossa vs. Lamborghini Countach vs. Lotus Esprit Turbo Motor Trend, January 1987
… Next in line was
Porsche’s new 928S 4. Porsche
has decided that the 928 needed an image change. The car has always been viewed in this country (by the
enthusiast) as an unparalleled cruiser, the perfect car for a weekend in the
Napa/Sonoma wine country with your lady friend or a quick run from L.A. to
Portland. Its compliant,
comfortable ability to cover large distances quickly has few, if any, equals,
but now there will be a new emphasis on performance for the 928 from the
German car company. The ’87 928S
4 is the spear carrier. As we
reported in last month’s issue, it’s not all image. The car has more power, better aerodynamics, and, as a
first step for the new “performance” 928, Porsche sent Al Holbert to
Bonneville Salt Flats to capture two FIA speed records for the flying
kilometer and flying mile, nearly 172 mph. We were slightly slower with our test car at TRC, but the
differences are small enough to be explained by preparation of the car for
the Bonneville record runs. Certainly the most
civilized of the field, the Porsche was also the least demanding at top
speed. Compared to the others,
it was compliant, and managed to turn the bumpy west banking into a
non-event. The Porsche was also
the quietest at speed. The
4-valve V-8 was silky smooth, the only sound was the complaint of the air as
the big, red 928 blasted a 170-mph hole through it. The speedometer registered a solid 169 mph at the end of
the front straight, and the Porsche seemed totally unconcerned by it all. We tried both high and low lanes of
the banking to see if the 928 suspension would react – it did not. We tried different exits from the
banking – the Porsche didn’t care.
We considered turning the stereo on but decided that would be
sacrilegious; after all, this was serious stuff blasting along here at 170
mph on the high banking, and we should be paying attention. … The Results Speedometer
accuracy being what it is, we were anxious to see the printouts from the
timing equipment. The story of
the tape: Ferrari
Testarossa – 177.27 mph Porsche 928S 4
– 166.94 mph Lamborghini
Countach – 160.27 mph Lotus Esprit
Turbo – 145.79 mph The surprise of the
field was the 928S 4 at 167 mph.
A noticeable improvement over the last time we tested a 928S, here at
TRC back in 1984, when the best speed was 147 mph (a full 14% increase). Coupes Uber Alles? – Porsche 928S4 vs. BMW M635CSi
vs. Mercedes-Benz 420SEC Performance
Car, April 1987 … And then there’s
the 928S4. The new Porsche
stands alone in being a fully committed GT car, a thoroughly modern, totally
integrated design with no compromise, nothing hand-me-down, nothing
superfluous. It is superlatively
equipped, fully of character, blisteringly fast and in spite of the paper
similarities is in a different world from either of its competitors
here. Driven hard, it all but
matches the M635 for sheer entertainment and the Mercedes for
refinement. Put the two together
and the choice is inevitable . . .
Grandest Tourer
Motor Sport, July 1987 … Well-equipped, but
still inviting you to spend money on options, the 928S4 is far from being the
stereotypical luxury car: a Jaguar XJ-S for half the price would be
that. Instead it argues forcibly
to be a real sportscar, despite its great bulk and its mostly automatic
sales. Even at high cornering
speeds the 928S4 feels absolutely settled, asking for more acceleration to
squirt from the exit of the bend, which can be fed in with complete
confidence in the traction available.
Pinpoint accuracy is there to be exploited through the wheel, and the
massive-looking vehicle flicks one way to the other with almost ludicrous
ease. Combine these
qualities with the beautiful finish of components and trim, the busy quiet it
exudes on the motorway, and the uncomplaining way it will trickle through M1
roadworks jams, and it is difficult to draw a distinction between the Grand
Tourer and sportscar labels. It
is a fine compromise in function with no compromise in execution – a hatchback
with luggage space which will quarter Europe in a day and provide immense
satisfaction while running rings around many another sports aspirant. And if you are
likely to be one of the 300 or so who will buy one in a year, who cares what
sort of car it calls itself? Summary: Striking shape, first
seen ten years ago, brought right up to date. Practical, as all Porsches are; displays muted brio –
breathtakingly fast but placid and smooth, without the hard edge of, say, the
BMW M635. A glorious piece of
engineering for the price of a house. Power Trip! BMW M6 vs. Porsche 928S4 Motor Trend,
April 1988
Western Wheeling
R & T Porsche, February 1989 … When people look at
you when you’re driving a 928, there seems to be an assumption in their eyes
that you’re having a wonderful time.
And they’re correct, because when you’re in this Porsche you aren’t so
much in a car as a system. Like
an aerospace project, with every part carefully designed and fitted, not
picked out of a parts bin. You
feel almost self-contained and sufficient, the way Bruce Dern finally did in
the great movie Silent Running.
I have no idea how many times I’ve done the LA to Vegas to St George
and Cedar City, Utah freeway run, but I’ve never noticed the miles go by
quite so quickly before. This spaceship
aspect to the 928 is, of course, in stunning contrast to philosophy of the
first Dr Porsche, when he created the original Volkswagen Beetle. Never mind, because the rules are all
different now. …
Teutonic trio
Modern Motor, August 1989 … After the
nimbleness of the 944 S2 and the bursting performance of the 944 Turbo,
switching to the 928 S4 was like climbing into a too-large, ungainly, and
heavy-to-drive behemoth…but only for the first couple of kilometers. The 928 has always
been one of the most deceptively efficient, fast, and safe cars of all
time. The fourth major update,
the S4, is all of that and more. In situations where
the 944 Turbo might step its rear end out of line as the turbo power rushes
into play on the exit from a tight, damp and bumpy corner, the 928 just sits
flat and unfussed. Most, other than
Porsche devotees, might have forgotten about the 928, with its “Weissach
axle”, had actually started the current all-wheel steering era. This Porsche
design put formerly unwanted changes to suspension geometry as the suspension
bushes flexed in cornering to work for it rather than against it. By turning this flexing into
rear-wheel steering that aided, rather than detracted from, the cornering
power, Porsche gained a degree of four-wheel steer that gives the car uncanny
road manners. I remember some
years back a photographer asking me to attack a corner faster and faster in a
928 to try to get some attitude on it to make for a spectacular photograph. Even after adding,
little by little, 50 percent to the original perceived maximum speed for the
corner, I could not get the car to do anything other than corner flat and on-line
at ever-increasing speed. Its
cornering limits were well beyond my threshold of fear. The latest version
is all that and more. This could
well be the most efficient car – in handling terms – ever created, barring
race cars and super cars like the almost unbelievable all-wheel drive 959. … The Grand Tour - 911 v 928 911 & Porsche World, May 2000 (a 1999 911 Carrera Tiptronic S and a 1991 928S4
automatic) What defines a true
GT? By this we don’t mean the
poor relation to a GTI, which is the modern marketing department’s weak
interpretation, but a grand tourer – a car capable of transporting two
people and their luggage over many hundreds of miles, swiftly and without any
undue mental or physical strain. … we opt for a
smart 1991 S4, which is nicely run-in at 78,430 miles. This is no
joke. Indeed, the 928 feels as
solid as the day it left the factory.
In fact, the engine might actually be at its peak. After all it’s designed to do a
quarter of a million miles between rebuilds (with regular servicing, of
course). However, even with
five litres of four-cam, 32-valve V8 at the sharp end, the S4 is no
drag-racer. Easing into the
evening traffic to put in some hours behind the wheel, we immediately become
all too aware of the car’s bulk – through both the power-assisted steering
(which is surprisingly heavy at parking speeds), and the throttle (which
needs to be pressed further than you might expect to wake the 320 horses). … Performance is
still firmly in the big league, though; 0-62pmh in six seconds and a top
speed of 164mph (for the automatic) are figures to be reckoned with even
today. The confidence-inspiring
brakes are more than capable of wiping speed away with disdain, too, with
62-0mph taking just 3.3 seconds.
But this isn’t the whole story as to why driving the big 928 is always
underlaid with a feeling of great excitement. It isn’t just
the feeling of being in something whose shape is far removed from humdrum
everyday cars (and which must have been all the greater in the 1970s). I believe it stems from the sheer
solidity of the beast. To
suggest that the phrase ‘hewn from granite’ was coined for the 928 requires
no stretch of the imagination.
This may sound trite, but it’s the nearest I can come to explaining
why, after only a couple of hours, I was beginning to want a 928. Badly. I was also beginning to imagine the four-hour journey back
home in it. … Do these two
examples of automotive beauty share many talents? Even though their 0-62mph times are identical, at
precisely 6.0 seconds, the 911 always feels more eager. Its five-speed gearbox makes more use
of the engine’s 300bhp more of the time, but it dictates higher revs at autobahn
speeds. The 928 only begins
to feel like a 320bhp car above 80mph, when it begins to transform into
something really impressive. At
such speeds the 911 becomes susceptible to crosswinds, requires more minute
corrections at the steering wheel, and generally demands more of your
attention. The front-engined
car, on the other hand, remains relaxed and quiet, seems little different in
straight-line stability, and its steering now feels perfect. … Before long you are
carried away [by the 911] on a tidal wave of adrenalin, and the 928 is gently
receding in your mirrors. But
after an hour or so of this you are mentally exhausted and ready for a
break. But before you find a
suitable hostelry, the 928 is in your mirrors again, and carries right on
after you stop, for its driver is still feeling fresh. He may not have reached quite the
peak of exhilaration you did, but he is more than ready for another hour or
two in the saddle at over 100mph. It is plain,
therefore, that the 928 has all the qualities of a true GT, while the 911 has
merely varying degrees of them overlaid on a sports car. Although the latest model may not be
as raw as the previous air-cooled incarnations, and is certainly no bad way
to travel, even in its most sybaritic form it is no 928. And it never will be as long as it is
rear-engined. The 928 gains much
of its civility from having its two heaviest concentrations of mass (engine
and transmission) at either end, plus a greater total weight to smother whatever
the road throws at it. It has
the most comfortable interior, the better seats, and the quietest
manners. It is the best
long-distance Porsche ever; a car for which the vast empty spaces of
Australia and the mid-west USA pose as little difficulty as the A1 from
London to North Yorkshire on a rainy night. |
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