As mules currently in testing suggest, Porsche has in development a third front-engined car. Coming after the successful Cayenne SUV, and the future Panamera saloon (expected in 2009), the third model will be a large four-seat coupe.
Logically, this successor of the 928 will be technically based on the Panamera. Featuring the same drive-train layout, the two cars will share more than 60% of their components, including engines, transmission and suspension. It is even said that the decision of building a new FR coupe was taken in order to render more profitable the new Panamera technical platform. The cost-reduction fight doesn’t forget anyone, and few are the cars these days, that don’t share technical components with others.
98.2012 Porsche 928 GT Coupe
Comparing to the Panamera, the 928 GT Coupe will have a shorter wheelbase and will loose some weights. This will make it sportier than the sedan.
The 928 GT Coupe will be powered by the same engines used in the Panamera. The normally aspirated and turbocharged V8 (used in the Cayenne) will be the first options. The V8 will rank between 4 and 6 liters of displacement and producing power values amid 300 and 650 bhp. Also the GT Coupe will use the 5.7 litre V10 engine producing 605 hp used in the Carrera GT.
The Direct Fuel Injection (DFI) technology first used in the Cayenne will be also used in the GT Coupe. This technology lowers the fuel consumption of individual models by over eight percent (NEDC). In real driving conditions, savings of up to 15 percent are possible.
Also from the Panamera, the new Coupe will borrow the transmission choices: a six-speed manual will come as standard, and a seven-speed automatic, dual-clutch DSG will also be available. All the technologies being borrowed from the Panamera, Porsche would have to use something from the old 928, to justify the name. This will be the rear-wheel drive system, with a transaxle helping to balance weight distribution.
As the Panamera is aimed against the top-class sports-luxury saloons, the new Porsche GT Coupe will have to deal with the Granturismo high-class, and elegantly mix performance and refinement. The performance part will be sustained by the same engine range expected for the Panamera, including V8 and V10 units, naturally aspirated or turbocharged, displaced between 4.0 and 6.0 liters and offering up to 650 bhp. There are no information regarding whether all-wheel-drive will be available or not, but as AWD is now a tradition with Porsche, and currently featured on all the upscale-models, we can’t see why it wouldn’t.
2012 Porsche 928 GT Coupe
The 2012 928 GT Coupe will have a top speed of 198 mph -est- (the V10 version) and will make the 0 to 60 mph sprint in about 3.8 seconds.
The 928 GT Coupe will be unveiled sometime in 2011 and will go on sale in 2012. Being a front-engined coupe and also a GT model, it is expected the new 928 GT Coupe to compete with luxury models from the market like the 599 Fiorano and Aston Martin. This will make the 2012 928 an expensive model, with prices starting from $200.000.
The images provided with this article are artist renderings and intend to offer an approximate preview on the Porsche GT Coupe, based on available information and speculations.
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History
1978-1995 Porsche 928
The Porsche 928 is an automobile made by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978 to 1995, during which time it was their most expensive offering. There is some amount of debate pertaining to the 928’s position as Porsche’s flagship model, as some consider the 911 to have always been the companies flagship, even during production of the 928.
Porsche 928
It is often considered a grand touring car, although it’s combination of a powerful V8 engine and 50/50 weight distribution made it a competent sports car as well; ambiguous advertising on Porsche’s part and the fact that the model was intended to supplant the 911 as the companies premier model adds to the difficulty in easily classifing the vehicle.
Powerplants considered for the 928 included a V6 but luckily for 928 enthusiasts an all-aluminum 4.5 liter 16-valve SOHC V8 designed by Porsche became the chosen powerplant. This engine also featured the world’s longest (Gilmer-type and toothed) timing belt in a production vehicle - it measures nearly 7 feet if laid out.
The engineers were justifiably proud of their achievements, however, mid-way through the Porsche 928 development the first global gas crisis hit. In light of this, the Board of Directors now had to decide whether or not to continue on ’Projekt 928’. As we now know, development would forge ahead - Porsche was willing to bet on the V8 platform to carry the marque into the future.
Porsche 928
The 928 featured a large, front-mounted and water-cooled V8 engine driving the rear wheels. Originally displacing 4.5 L and featuring a single overhead camshaft design, it produced 219 hp (163 kW/222 PS) for the North American market and 240 PS (176 kW/237 hp) in other markets. Porsche upgraded the engine from mechanical to electronic fuel injection in 1980 for US models, although power remained the same. This design marked a major change in direction for Porsche (started with the introduction of the 924 in 1976), whose cars had until then used only rear- or mid-mounted air-cooled flat engines with four or six cylinders.
Design of the coachwork took place secretly behind curtains alonside 911 production. Numerous full scale mockups of that glorius body and cockpit were created and tested for airflow. Nearing completion, a rolling example was presented to the Board of Directors, who would ultimately make the final design approval. The selected body style is the original 928 introduced to the world at the Geneva car show of March 1977 (note 1) and Projekt 928 had finally become the Porsche 928.
The body, styled by Wolfgang Möbius under guidance of Anatole Lapine, was mainly galvanised steel, but the doors, front fenders and hood were aluminium. It had a substantial luggage area accessed via a large hatchback. The new polyurethane elastic bumpers were integrated into the nose and tail and covered in body-coloured plastic; an unusual feature for the time that aided the car visually and reduced its drag. Porsche opted not to offer a convertible variant but some aftermarket modifiers offer convertible conversions.
The 928 qualified as a 2+2, having two small seats in the rear. Both rear seats could be folded down to enlarge the luggage area, and both the front and rear seats had sun visors for occupants. The 928 was also the first vehicle in which the instrument binnacle moved with the adjustable steering wheel, a feature seen more recently on Nissan’s 350Z sports car.
Porsche 928
The 928 included several other innovations such as the "Weissach Axle", an early all-wheel steering system that provides passive rear-wheel steering in certain off-throttle cornering situations, and an unsleeved, silicon alloy engine block made of aluminium, which reduced weight and provided a highly durable cylinder bore. The concept of all-wheel steering was also adopted later on to several Japanese automobiles, including a Japanese-market version of the Toyota Celica, the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 and the second generation Nissan 300ZX.
