The Porsche 928 is a grand touring car with a 2+2 seating layout manufactured by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978 to 1995. Initially conceived to address changes in the automotive market, it represented Porsche's first fully in-house design for a production vehicle and was intended to potentially replace the Porsche 911 as the company's flagship model.[1] The 928 aimed to blend the performance and handling characteristics of a sports car with the comfort, spaciousness, and ride quality of a luxury car.[2] Porsche executives believed that the 928 would have broader appeal compared to the compact, somewhat outdated, and slow-selling air-cooled 911.[3]Notably, it was Porsche's inaugural production model powered by a V8 engine located at the front, and it achieved remarkable top speeds,[4][5] earning recognition upon its 1978 release by winning the European Car of the Year award.[6] The Autocar described it as a "super car" in 1980.  In the late 1960s, Porsche had solidified its reputation as a manufacturer of high-performance sports cars. Amidst the 1970s oil crisis, there were discussions among executives, including owner Ferdinand Porsche, regarding the potential addition of a more fuel-efficient luxury touring car to the company's lineup. Managing director Ernst Fuhrmann advocated for the development of this new model, expressing concerns about the 911, Porsche's flagship model at the time, nearing its performance limits. Fuhrmann believed that expanding into grand touring cars with conventional engines could be essential for the company's future, contrasting with the unconventional sports cars like the 911. The declining sales of the 911 in the mid-1970s suggested a possible downturn in its market appeal. Fuhrmann envisioned the new range-topping grand tourer as a blend of sports coupé and luxury sedan, distinguishing it from the 911 with its more utilitarian interior and pure sports car performance. In the view to please the very important USA market, it switched to front-engined, V8 power and a more spacious interior that included two real child seats (rather than the dog seats in the 911).[8] The goal was to create a model that could compete with offerings from Mercedes-Benz and BMW while also appealing to the American market, which was Porsche's primary market at the time.