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20 July 2017
Show me what you've got: Dave's 1986 Porsche 928 S3
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What's it like to own a lost chapter in Porsche history? We've interviewed Dave Nolan, who drives his 928 every day.
Porsche. Today it's a brand known for a large, confusing, excellent range of sports cars that mostly look the same. It's a brand that's usually followed by the number 911.
But in the late '70s, off the back of lackluster 911 sales, Porsche tried to change its legacy. It didn't quite pan out, but they have every reason to believe it would. You see, the 911 itself was a successful replacement for the 356 before it.
This time, Porsche decided the future was in Grand Tourers, and the solution was a multi-pronged attack with the 924 and 928.
The 928 was meant to be the top of Porsche's range, a new halo car for a new era, but the fans rebelled and it became simply a dead-end in Porsche history. So, were the fans right? Can a grand-tourer ever be a 'real Porsche?'
We spoke to Dave Nolan, a man who daily drives a Porsche 928 and loves every minute of it.
Q: Okay, so what exactly are we sitting in?
A: It’s a Porsche 928 S3, 1986.
Q: When did you buy it, and why a 928?
A: I bought it in 2007, I’ve had it now for 10 years. I’ve always been fascinated by Porsche. I was looking for something unique. I found the history of the 928 fascinating, and it was quite good bang-for-buck. Also, it’s quite practical, with the liftback I could fit a surfboard and a girlfriend in here. Wrap that all together and it was a good decision.
Q: Not only do you take this to the track, but you daily drive it, too. What’s that like?
A: It’s great fun! You don’t exactly get to wind it out driving to work, so to speak. But it’s still a pleasure to drive. Turning the engine over each morning is quite enjoyable. It has a great old-school feel and is heavy and flat on the road.
Q: It’s in immaculate condition, has it cost you a bit to keep it like this?
A: Less than you’d think. Concerning the body? I’ve been very fortunate. I garage it both at home and at work, it’s a key aspect of maintaining the body and paint. As it’s my day-to-day car, I have to be careful in public car-parks. The only exterior part I’ve replaced is the front-bumper. It became warped in the sun and where I had it parked at the time… let’s say some people had no objection to nudging it. Thankfully I’ve had nobody nudge the rear, which would be a big job to fix… I fear to think how much that would cost.
Internally? It needed a little work. I took it to a 928 specialist who brought it up to spec. I had the fuel-lines done, the suspension and the radiator. Other than that I haven’t needed any major changes.
Q: So this is an automatic, if you could swap this car for a manual, same spec, same colour, same trim – would you?
A: I didn’t have the opportunity to find a good manual when I was shopping for one. It would be a big car to drive in the city I would have thought… It would be a lot of fun drawing out those gears, though. Would I swap? I would for a day, then see how I go.
Q: What’s your favourite part of this car?
A: Probably the sound and the feel of the drive. Especially on the times I’ve taken it for a proper run. It’s much more comfortable up around 160[km/h] it really comes into its own and flattens out on the track. That’s when it gets dangerous too… It’s very comfortable and you’re doing 180… 200…
Q: And your least favourite part?
A: Thankfully I’ve had it fixed, but the air conditioning. One of the things that was perhaps overlooked on this car, thanks to being built for snowy climates, was the air conditioning. On a hot day, you could die in here *laughs* it gets extraordinarily hot.
Also the back seats, they’re okay for little people but it’s easy to get claustrophobic back there.
Q: These cars are known to be infamously complicated electrically and parts are getting rare, does that ever worry you?
A: It did initially. If I ever had an accident, it’d be a write off quickly due to the cost of replacing things. Internal parts aren’t too bad, they are expensive and there’s increasingly fewer of them second-hand. The odd German company still builds parts bespoke. Yes, though. It’s one of the reasons I haven’t been to the track in a while, it takes its toll.
Q: What’s your favourite story with this car?
A: Definitely taking it out on the track. I’ve done four track days. The best story is from my third track day though. I’d had a good day, was feeling confident, I was hitting comfortable peaks on the straight, trying to master the corners. Then I had a terminal shut-down coming through turn one [at Eastern Creek]. When this asterisk red light in the dash comes on, something is fundamentally wrong and you lose your power steering. Something happened in the gearbox which triggered a shutdown. I was skidding straight off, the fence was approaching, there was nothing I could do. [He didn't hit the fence, though]
The buzz out of getting this car to its potential out there is very satisfying. Even though you’re getting it towed from the track. *laughs*
Q: It’s a Grand Tourer, have you ever really taken it on a long road-trip?
A: Not that long really. I’ve been to Byron [Bay] from here [Sydney], that’s probably the longest I’ve done.
It’s too bad, a car like this was really built for the Autobahn, don’t you think?
Yes, it really is, you can get drawn in. I took it once to my father-in-law who had bought one new in ’86 and he saw it and said… “Wow, good luck with that David, you’ll have sold it within two years.” I said – “why’s that?” and he said – “they’re just too fast.” He lost his license within nine months of first buying it. You get out on the freeway and get easily comfortable.
Q: What cars have you owned in the past, and how do they compare?
A: I have not owned any cars of note. This is the first special one, I’d pretty much call the rest runabouts. I was waiting and looking for something special while my friends were playing with souped up Commodores and such.
I thought about upgrading to a 911, but I don’t think it’s going to give me much more pleasure than this.
Q: Many see the Panamera as a kind of spiritual successor to the 928, how do you feel about the Panamera?
A: I’d love to drive one. It’s difficult to say, but to me they look like a family car. I’d probably be more inclined to keep something like this, you know, something not as functional and have a separate family car at a different price point. Maybe the Panamera is a bit of a marital compromise.
Q: If you could own any other car, what car would it be?
A: It’d probably be an Aston Martin DB9. That’s it.
Q: Porsche 928s just like this one will sell anywhere from $25 - $60k at the moment, how do you feel about that price, does that tempt you to sell?
A: The price is irrelevant. I’d prefer to give it to a good home. Right now, I’d much prefer to keep it and buy another family car. To me it isn’t a collector’s item that belongs in a garage. I drive it every day. To sell it would be an emotional exercise, as ridiculous as it sounds.
Porsche 928 S3 specs (1986)
Layout: 5.0-litre DOHC V8, RWD
Power: 212kW
Torque: 400Nm
Transmission: 4-sp auto
Brakes: Ventilated discs front & rear
Rubber: Continental 225/50/16
Price new: $164,398
Price now: $20 - $60k
Interested in the 928? Here are some for sale
What do you think of the Porsche 928? A real Porsche, or an obscure bookend? Tell us what you think in the comments.
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