1989 Porsche 928 S4

In the seller’s care since he bought it from us in May 2021, ‘F181 CKH’ is a Forest Green Porsche 928 S4 that’s seen regular use over the past five years, racking up around 5,000 miles taking him to St Andrews to play golf.

He’s spent a small fortune in that time fettling the Porsche’s electrical system and replacing the leather on the front seats, but he insists that all his cars are ‘on the button’ so he can jump in and drive them reliably whenever the fancy takes him. 

He therefore had no qualms in it driving from his home in Scotland down to us in Abingdon (435 miles!). Only being sold because his children no longer fit in the rear seats, this is a “very reluctant sale”.

The Forest Green colour (paint code L22E and also known as Tannen Green)  is both unusual and unusually attractive; the 928 is the most usable of its contemporaries, and to see one finished in such a subtle hue only adds to its desirability.

It’s in a decent condition with enough battle scars and age-related marks to free you of any parking anxiety, but too few to cause you embarrassment; if you prefer driving to polishing, then you’ll be fine.

The headlamps pop up and down on command, which is becoming increasingly noteworthy, and the S4’s large rear spoiler, which adds as much presence as it does downforce, is in good shape.

The 17-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels are thought to have come from a 1993-4 Porsche 928 GTS. They would benefit from being refurbished, although the wear is more age-related than driver-induced. 

The front tyres are both 225/45R17, albeit one Michelin Primacy HP from 2015 and one Michelin Pilot Sport from 2012. Both are old and have heavily cracked sidewalls, so they will need replacing as a matter of priority. The rear tyres, in 255/40R17, are Maxxis Victra Sport Zero One from 2023.

As for stuff you might like to take a look at, there are scuffs to the offside front corner and both front wings, the bonnet and front bumper have a good collection of stonechips, the wiper arms are rusty, and paint is peeling away from the trim that runs along the car’s flanks.

Probably more urgent is the bubbling around the windscreen washer jets, the offside door mirror, the base of the windscreen, and the bonnet badge.

The Linen leather is piped with black, a elegant combination that has aged well, something that can’t be said of every colour combination Porsche offered in the eighties.

As we mentioned earlier, the front seats have been recovered and they’re plump and virtually unmarked as a result, with only very light marks to the outer edge of the driver’s seat. 

The rest of the interior is presentable without being pristine, with the rear seats being a little bit grubby; if you’ve got small children and are more interested in how a car drives than how it looks, you’ll probably be happy to use it as it is.

If you did want to tidy it up then a good place to start would be the carpets, which are in a decent condition but grubby and coming adrift in places. (The seller tells us that he meant to get them done but it kept slipping off his radar.)

The leather headlining is free of damage. Nor is it drooping, which is good news as we don’t imagine replacing it would be either cheap or easy. Oh, and the trim panel you think is missing is actually in the boot; hopefully replacing it will be straightforward.

The rest of the trim is decent, although the lid of the rear armrest/cubby box has warped a bit and the front one has some wear, so you could investigate getting them repaired or even replaced. 

The lettering on the majority of the switches and controls is still bright and easy to read, and everything we prodded and pressed worked as it should with the exception of the windscreen washers.

The dashboard contains a modern-ish Pioneer stereo. 

Moving into the boot, the carpet might be a bit ruffled and stained but lifting it reveals solid metal underneath, which is by far the more important feature. 

(While we’re on the subject, no MoT tester has ever mentioned structural corrosion, and peeking underneath the car appears to confirm their good judgement.)

NB: The odometer, which reads in kilometres and has German as its language, was replaced in 2015. The notes at the time read: “This is to confirm that we have fitted a used instrument pod to your vehicle. As a consequence, the mileage now reads 131,083 instead of 88,038.”

The seller tells us: “The main work I undertook to the car was a complete overhaul of the electrics. This involved several garages and several thousand pounds. I am not very good with record keeping so unfortunately, I don’t think there is any record of this in the file.” However, we did spot one for £1,656 from O’Neill Motors for supplying and fitting a good used fuse board.

Previous significant work included fitting a replacement gearbox in 2006, and new cambelts and a waterpump in 2009 and 2012. The steering rack, fan assembly and two suspension arms were also replaced in 2012, and the cambelt, thermostat, alternator, ignition switch, and front spoiler were all replaced shortly before the car was put into storage in 2015. 

As the video demonstrates the V8 engine starts and idles properly, while also showing good oil pressure and a healthy charge to the battery. It revs well too, and the exhaust note is both purposeful and discreet. 

The seller tells us that it is “great fun to drive”, something our test drive revealed to be true.

The engine bay is in the same sort of condition as the coachwork and cabin; i.e. if you don’t mind a bit of a patina then you could easily live with it as it is – but if you were to spend a little time and money on freshening it up, few would accuse you of being overly fastidious. 

(The red gauge in the engine bay is there, we think, to measure the fuel pressure. We don’t know why it was fitted but it may have been imported from the ‘States along with a few other bits and bobs: Please see invoice 31/58 for details.)

As we mentioned earlier, the underside is in good shape, although the underseal has worn away in a few places, primarily around the jacking points, so it might be prudent to get it touched up sooner rather than later. 

The Porsche’s MoT, which is valid until December 2026, was issued with no advisories. 

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the history file includes expired MoT certificates, the Owner’s Manual, and plenty of invoices for the servicing and repairs that have been carried out over the years.

Well-fettled and in a presentable condition, the Porsche 928’s new owner could continue to use it as a fast and reliable sportscar, free of the worry they might pick up the odd scratch or dink.

Or they could go about refreshing it, a job that would be as straightforward as it would be enjoyable.

Either way they probably won’t have to dig too deep because our estimate is that it will sell for between £12,000 and £17,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.