Porsche 928 - Relationship With The 911

Relationship With The 911

Some, mainly marque enthusiasts and other company outsiders, feel that the 911 was a better sports car than the 928, and cite that the 928 was marketed to a broader and somewhat different overall customer base to back their claims. These hark back to arguments made in 1964 when Porsche introduced the 911 as the successor to the 356, which was lighter, simpler and not nearly as "burdened" with luxury features as the incoming 911, but ultimately was proven to be the less competent car.

While it's true that Porsche marketed the 928 as a high performance GT car rather than a traditional sports car and that it was larger, heavier and much more luxurious than the contemporary 911, most sources, including factory insiders and the car's "father" Ernst Fuhrmann say that Porsche executives intended for the 928 to replace the 911 both as Porsche's flagship model and as the company's sportiest offering.

Aside from text sources and insider statements, the raw performance numbers further back these claims; the 928 was capable of easily out-accelerating every version of the 911 sold during its lifetime except the 964 generation 911 Turbo, a car difficult to extract the most from in track situations. In addition, the 928's predictable handling, aided by its superior 50/50 weight distribution, made it a competent on-track match for the 911 in nearly any real-world situation.