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:>Dan Stephenson wrote: :>> In article , Jim Keenan :>> wrote: :>> :>> :>>>Devils944S2 wrote: :>>>
:>>>>Cost Prohibitive. A private company like Porsche can carry too many lines. :>>>>The 911 series is the constant. :>>>
:>>>Concur. As great a car as the 928 is, particularly the 928GTS, it never :>>> sold in sufficient volume to make it a viable profit maker for the :>>>company. Porsche produced some 61,000+ over a span of about 18 years, :>>>and when the 928GTS was introduced in the U.S. as a late model 1992, the :>>>sticker was nearly $81,000. The last two years of production saw less :>>>than 400 units each year...... :>> :>> :>> Whew, that is a lot. Why was it so much? I'm not getting it. :>
:>Well, the car was certainly a performer. In November 1982 a standard :>production 928 averaged 156.22 MPH for 24 hours on the Fiat test track :>at Nardo, Italy, stopping only to refuel and replace one set of rear :>tires. In its ultimate version the car sported dual overhead cams and :>four valves per cylinder. And the relative strength of the dollar versus :>the deutschmark had a role as well.
: Indeed, the 928 was always a supercar, superior to or competitive : with anything from Ferrari or Lamborghini and a LOT more practical to : run. The S4 and later variants are good for more than 170 mph, : spectacular even now. I don't think there's another car you can find : for under $15k that'll do those numbers. And the cars from 1987 truly : have timeless looks. : I'd also think the demise of the 944/968 were a factor, since they : shared engine platforms. By dropping those two lines and adding the : Boxster, which shares lots of components with the 996, they went from : 2 engine platforms to one. And as good as both cars are, they simply : weren't selling in the numbers they needed. The Boxster really saved : their asses in the '90s. : Emanuel
I think the 968 Turbo S is a 170+mph car as well (and the 951's aren't that far behind but I think parts/costs are lower with in the 4banger family and mechanics may be a bit easier to find as well.).