Panamera Sport Turismo

Make
Porsche
Segment
Wagon

The history of the Porsche 928 is well-known amongst us car people. As a brief recap, it was initially set to replace the Porsche 911 back in the late 1970s but 911 enthusiasts were having none of it. Their beloved rear-engined sports car was still the ideal enthusiast driver's machine and Porsche had no right to take it away from them. Arrogance pays off. But the company still decided to proceed with the 928 anyway and sell it alongside the 911. It was a smart move. Not only did Porsche keep the enthusiasts happy, but it also expanded its reach to new buyers who weren't interested in the 911. The front-engined, V8-powered 928 appealed to people with money who wanted a fast and more luxurious Porsche grand tourer.

And so the Porsche 928 hit the market in 1977 and managed to remain on sale until 1995 for an impressive 18-year production run. Originally powered by a 237-hp 4.5-liter V8 (now water-cooled), by 1995 this had been upgraded to a 5.4-liter V8 with 345 hp.

Numerous styling changes occurred inside and out as Porsche applied its policy of perfecting an existing design. Needless to say, the 928 became a huge success for Porsche, thus giving it some of the confidence to pursue other body styles in the years ahead. In some ways, you could consider today's Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo and, to a degree, the Porsche 718 Cayman to be the closest things to a modern 928. And then something like this 928 comes along and completely changes the concept of a grand tourer. Instead, it's a roadster. Porsche never built a 928 roadster but, as it turns out, someone else did.

This one-off Porsche 928 Roadster is currently up for sale on Hemmings and is currently located in Quebec, Montreal. It is based on a '78 928 but the Spyder conversion process completely eliminated the roof and the rest of the sheetmetal. The bumpers and glass were also tossed out, resulting in the car being stripped to its bare substructure.

A total of 440 pounds were shaved off, which is a lot considering the original weight was around 3,200 pounds. The work was done by Wingho Auto, a restoration shop that specializes in European cars. They also churn out unique designs and offer track coaching. The handbuilt 928 Spyder you see here is the prototype and it's the only one like it in the world. Also notice that it lacks a traditional windshield.

It has a total of 8,500 miles on its clock and is painted in Porsche racing silver with charcoal trim. The interior is a nice blue and yellow combo. Although it's not specifically mentioned, a fair assumption is that it comes powered by the 4.5-liter V8 from the early build 928s. A five-speed manual sends power to the rear wheels. The price tag is $80,000 though the sellers claim this is negotiable.