1979 Porsche 928 Series I

Porsche's intended replacement for the 911 may not have achieved that particular 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 inherent in the 928 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.

The 928 was produced from 1978 until 1995, and from '78 to'80 the initial displacement of the water-cooled, single overhead cam, V8 engine was 4.5 litres which produced 240bhp, resulting in a top speed of 158 mph and a 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds.

Styling was the same in both 1978 and 1979, with the body lacking both front and rear spoilers. The distinctive rounded rear end without a spoiler is an unmistakable distinguishing feature of the early 928 – and is now considered the purest example of the design.

This 1979 Porsche 928 is a European-market example that appears to have been imported into the USA and federalized early in its life.

Presented in a lovely shade of Petrol Blue, the paintwork could use a little TLC as the finish shows some fading and wear from age. Similarly, the interior is generally very good but the seats showing signs of wear and cracking most probably due to the hot American sun, and the dashboard has developed a few small cracks, a common problem with 928s.

Looking at the general condition and wear-and-tear throughout the car the indicated, but unwarranted, mileage of 100,000mls could well be accurate.

The previous (US) owner was a mechanic and had owned the car for a number of years, and naturally, he carried out his own servicing and installed many new parts as detailed in the cars history file.

In the past two years, the car has benefited from new, fuel lines and coolant hoses in the engine bay, rear shocks, replacement rear seats, a clutch service in 2016 along with the most recent major service in October 2016 which included full cambelt and tensioner replacement along with a change of fluids.

Series 1 928s are becoming harder to source and increasingly more desirable amongst collectors with manual examples being top of the shop when it comes to collectability, drivability and potential future investment.