Lot 51: Porsche 928

Introduced at the 1977 Geneva Motor Show, the 928 was conceived (and priced) as the flagship of the Porsche range. A luxurious GT, it was styled in-house by American Tony Lapine as a replacement for the ageing, compromised 911. Ultimately, it failed to usurp its tail-heavy sibling despite becoming the only sports car ever to win the European Car of the Year title in 1978. Built around a galvanised steel monocoque, it made extensive use of aluminium for its wheels, doors, bonnet, transaxle housing, front suspension wishbones, rear suspension uprights, upper links and main cross member. This practice not only saved weight but also contributed to the car's near perfect 49:51 weight distribution. Blessed with excellent handling and strong roadholding, the 928 was able to make the most of the 240bhp and 257lbft of torque provided by its all alloy 4.5 litre SOHC V8 engine. Available with either manual or automatic transmission in its award winning passive rear steer Weissach transaxle, the 928 was regarded as a crushingly capable Grand Tourer. This particular example is stated to have covered just 30,000 odd miles as a road car before being professionally converted into a racer during the 1990s. A former Class A winner in the HSCC `70s Road Sports series, the Porsche has continued to compete since entering the current ownership last year. Reportedly benefiting from a Paul Anderson overhaul of its highly-developed 330hp 4.5 litre V8 a mere five races ago, the same specialist is also understood to have been responsible for refurbishing the car's five-speed transaxle (complete with limited slip differential). Said to be "one of the best balanced 928s around" thanks to its Leda shock absorbers, fresh bushes and race-tuned suspension, `HLH 802T' also boasts a six-point professionally made roll cage, plumbed-in fire extinguisher system, Sparco bucket seat, new aluminium radiator, replacement servo and EBC ceramic brake pads. Riding on alloy wheels shod with Toyo tyres, the Porsche is reputedly capable of embarrassing far more expensive machinery (for example lapping the Brands Hatch GP circuit in 1min 52sec and Snetterton in 1min 28sec). Described by the vendor as being in "good overall" condition, it is anticipated that this impressive Porsche will possess a fresh MOT certificate by the time of sale.