AutoTrader Find of the Week: This Rare 1995 Porsche 928 GTS is Immaculate

In a column all about finding unique, exciting, and interesting cars currently for sale on AutoTrader, we could probably exclusively highlight a different Porsche each week.

Because despite Porsche’s relative ubiquity and deliberately slow-to-evolve design language, the brand (and its dedicated enthusiast base) has still managed to produce a seemingly endless catalogue of noteworthy cars.

It’s perhaps because we’re so used to the shape of a 911 or a Cayenne, that it doesn’t take much to think, “Whoa! Now that’s different” when it comes to Porsche.

But what we have this week is not a special edition or a rare 911. Nor is it a uniquely modified Cayenne.

This is a time capsule. A forgotten history. An abandoned branch. A nameplate and a vehicle segment we are unlikely to see from Porsche ever again. And it is in such pristine, well-kept, immaculate condition, that it might as well have just rolled off the showroom floor in 1995.

Have a look at this 1995 Porsche 928 GTS offered for sale by Quadriam Collections in Mount Royal, Que., on AutoTrader.

The first thing you’ll notice is the price. It’s $250,000. That’s a quarter of a million dollars for a big hunk of plastic from the ‘90s.

What really breaks your brain is that you can find plenty of well-kept examples of base-model 928s for under $20,000.

So what’s so special about this one? Well, besides the fact that it's done less than 30,000 original kilometres and is a museum-quality piece, this 928 is an ultra-rare GTS model.

There were only 2,904 GTS examples of the 928 produced between 1992 and 1995. And only 407 examples made it to North America between 1993 and 1995. In 1995, it is estimated that a mere 77 units made their way across the pond.

The first record we have on this particular car is a purchase made in Texas in 2003, where it seems to have stayed until it was sent to the Mecum Auction in Kissimmee, Fla., in 2022.

Introduced for the1992 model year, the GTS trim level was an evolution of the former S4 and GT variants. It included new bodywork — wider rear fenders, an integrated spoiler, and that super cool wraparound lightbar, as well as larger front brakes and 17-inch Cup wheels (like those on the latest 911), but by far the most noteworthy addition was a new 5.4L 350-hp V8 engine.

It all sounds great. So why didn’t Porsche sell more of them?

Well, with the equipped four-speed automatic (very few customers opted for the manual transmission, and some colour variants were apparently only available with the automatic), the big V8-powered 928 GTS was reportedly capable of achieving a zero-to-100 km/h time of about 5.4 seconds. That’s not bad, even by modern standards, but it meant that you’d get totally wiped out by a ZR-1 Corvette in 1993.

Think comparing the 928 GTS and ZR-1 is silly? We’re not the first to do it.

Given the 928’s comfort and sophistication, being down a little when put up against some of its performance rivals might not have been a problem if the GTS option didn’t bring the sticker price up to a whopping US$82,260. And that’s in 1993 money, not adjusted for inflation. A few options, and these were US$100,000 out the door. The Corvette ZR-1 began at US$12,000 less than the entry GTS. Not that the ZR-1 was a strong seller, either, but for that kind of money, you had some serious options — Porsche’s own 911 Turbo cost basically the same back then.

Actually, if you take inflation into account, the GTS’s original MSRP is basically like modern 911 Turbo money today. This strangely means this car hasn’t really appreciated since new — but hey, at least it hasn’t lost money. And this particular GTS basically is new, so it seems fairly priced, I guess.

The inevitable question is, for that kind of money, why wouldn’t you just buy a new 911?

I’m not going to sell you on the 928 being retro-cool — a snapshot representation of design language that’s come, gone, and shall never return. I’m not going to sound off about a pure driving experience or some ridiculous notion of the 1990s being the last era to produce great cars. Nor am I going to appeal to the insufferable “It’s so different from a 911! Isn’t it cool to be different and quirky?” crowd. You know, the kind of people who honestly prefer a vintage Mickey Mouse souvenir watch to a new Rolex?

On the contrary, I think a true collector should acquire this car, because it’s still relevant today. 

Porsche’s transaxle 2+2 coupes pushed the brand into making more accessible, grand touring vehicles rather than just animalistic sports cars for hardcore enthusiasts. The 928 was a car you could comfortably drive across a continent in — and that really was a first for Porsche at the time. A front-engined V8 touring car proved the case for cars like the Panamera and Cayenne, which became the brand’s bread and butter. In the case of the Cayenne, it practically saved the company.

And while the 928 has disappeared, likely never to return, its design language and mission statement are still carried through into the modern 911 (particularly the GTS) — which has now evolved into much more of a super GT car than a pure, red-blooded sports car (that’s the 718’s business).

So don’t just buy it because it’s different. Buy it because it’s significant.