1985 Porsche 928 S

Porsche's intended replacement for the 911 may not have achieved that goal, but it wasn't for a lack of performance or technological wizardry. An alloy V8 was attached to a rear-mounted gearbox, and the galvanised body had aluminium doors and bonnet, plus body-coloured plastic bumpers - pretty radical for its time. The 928 was launched to a fanfare and surprised many by being named European Car of the Year, an award that traditionally went to worthy but dull family hatchbacks.

Critics immediately recognised the advances the 928 had made over the 911, and the car was universally praised as one of the greatest GT cars of all time. It handled, it was quick, it looked fantastic and it was comfortable. With the 928, Porsche created a serious long distance grand touring car that could also tackle twisting B-roads with ease, thanks to super-direct steering, 50/50 weight distribution and a clever Weissach rear axle that kept the car firmly planted on the road. Many testers found that their nerve ran out long before the 928's grip.

If the 928 attracted any criticisms it was that it wasn't quite quick enough. The original 4.4-litre engine generated 240 bhp but, mated to a relatively heavy car, the performance didn't match the 911. So Porsche introduced the 928 S fitted with a 4.7-litre version of the engine and generating 310 bhp. This began to deliver the car's potential, achieving a 0-60 mph time of around 7.0 seconds. But the real trump card of this engine, which extra power began to reveal, was its in-gear acceleration around the mid-range - 50-70 mph sprints or indeed any acceleration from 3,000 rpm is in the supercar league.

The car presented here is a 1985 model with a manual gearbox and is in striking, special-order (L999) Burgundy paint with a contrasting tan leather interior. It was delivered new through the famous French Porsche distribution group Sonauto to a Northern Paris suburb and was initially specified with the factory options of 16" silver flat-dish forged wheels, an electric sunroof, additional engine cooling for hot climate countries, air conditioning with improved efficiency, ABS and automatic speed control.

The car is in wonderfully original condition and comes with a thorough service history. The service interval book indicates that it was last serviced at the well-known Porsche Classic workshop of 'MY GARAGE' in Denmark on the 24th November 2015 at just 79,605 kilometres.

This is a very desirable classic GT from Porsche that looks and feels just right. It has enjoyed good ownership, has a full history and just exudes quality.