There’s plenty of Porsche 911 restomods out there, but now it’s the turn of the 928.
Say hello to the new 928 by Nardon Automotive – a modernised take on Porsche’s popular GT car. It’s all set to appear at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this month while prospective buyers can apply to learn the asking price and place an order.
The 928 was originally intended as a successor to the iconic 911 and while it never fulfilled this brief, a mix of V8 power, refinement and handling meant Porsche kept it in production for 17 years from 1978 to 1995.
Nardone Automotive, with help from Borromeo & De Silva (the design team behind the Automobili Amos Lancia Delta Integrale restomod), have decided it’s time for the 928 to be reborn with modern touches inside and out.
At a glance the exterior looks similar to a regular 928. Beneath that golden paintwork, however, lies a body that has been almost entirely re-made in carbon-fibre. The widened wheelarches draw inspiration from the 928 GTS and within them are forged 18-inch wheels in a similar design to the ‘manhole cover’ 16-inch wheels of the original.
The most iconic piece of design from the 928 is arguably the pop-up headlights and Nardone has bestowed much smaller units that have apparently been inspired by light fixtures of the era. New daytime running lights feature on a new rounded nose which has been sculpted to mirror the 928 race car. Around at the rear, the 928 gets a full-width LED light bar and 928 badging embossed onto the tailgate.
The cabin reveals a similar mix of classic 928 design and modern touches. Most of the plastic has been replaced by leather and Alcantara and there’s a new, but extremely retro-looking, digital cluster for the driver. In the centre console sits the ‘Porsche Classic Communication Management’ system – infotainment from Porsche designed especially for older models. ‘Pasha’ seat pattern trim doesn’t feature on this 928, Nardone has opted for a much more subtle brown colour.
The changes extended to more than exterior and interior. Nardone Automotive has targeted 300kW from the 928’s naturally-aspirated V8 engine and it’s been mated to a new six-speed manual transmission. That should mean a 0-100km/h time well under the original 928 GTS’s 5.7 seconds could be on the cards. There’s also a limited-slip differential and active electronic suspension so the 928 should get closer to its promise of being a 911-beater.
The finished car will be on show at the Goodwood Festival of Speed at the end of June where prospective buyers can enquire about the undisclosed price tag.
Alastair Crooks