When you think of Porsche, images of its racing heritage, the Carrera GT and the iconic 911 usually come to mind – and of course some will think ‘glorified beetle’ as well.
One of the German manufacturer’s more forgotten models is the Porsche 928 – a response to dwindling 911 sales back in the late 1970’s. It was a car that never quite emerged out of the 911’s shadow, even though it did survive an eighteen-year production cycle.
Today, the marque’s range is swelling with SUV’s to hybrid supercars – plus the legendary 911 and Boxster offerings. Yet one could argue that there’s still room for a two-door “grand-tourer”. So, what if the 928 made a return and what could it look like?
First of all, lets go back to when Porsche launched its first SUV – the Cayenne. From a design standpoint, it was a good example of how to ruin a brand’s design DNA. Sure, it had 911-like headlights and grille, but the way these elements were translated into an SUV body made it look like a complete Monkfish.
Fortunately, Porsche has put a bit more effort into its new models of late, so a revival of the 928 shouldn’t resemble any ocean-dwelling creature.
Building on this progress, my illustrated example below uses the best bits from the 918 Spyder and massages them into a package in-keeping with the 928’s heritage and the brand’s current design language.
The face is an evolution of 911 and 918; incorporating side intakes that flick up into the headlights, with functional lower cut-outs for cold-air induction. Viewing the long, sweeping hood emphasis the car’s sporting pretences – heck you could even say there’s an hint of ‘C6 Corvette’ in there too.
Glancing your eye over the side bodywork will yield two distinct features; first are the lower door scallops that incorporate deep horizontal channels. Second is the daylight opening area that pays homage to the first 928.
You could say the cabin is a mixture of old and new; especially the roofline appearing semi-floating in nature. This is due to the B-pillar being separated on top by a sweeping pane of side-quarter glass, whilst retaining its original forward-leaning position.
Under all this polished sheet metal (or aluminium and other exotic materials) will most likely lay a shortened platform that underpins the Panamera. Utilizing this will enable a front-engined layout and cost savings through shared suspension and drivetrain components. Speaking of the latter; propulsion would most likely come from the Panamera’s V8 engines as opposed to the flat sixes found in other models.
If this model were to get the green-light, it would face competition from Ferrari’s California, Aston Martin DB9 and Jaguar XKR-S, amongst others. There have been plenty of rumors and talk about a modern GT model by Porsche, but nothing solid yet.
For now and until Porsche makes up its mind, what do you think of this design study; Is it good, or should it be chucked back in the ocean? Let us hear your feedback in the discussion area below.
Ed. Note: The Four-Door 928 pictured in the gallery was an official Porsche study made in collaboration with AMG
Photo Renderings Copyright: Carscoops.com / Josh Byrnes
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