The famous auction house Bonhams will conduct business at the upcoming Monterey Car Week, which is scheduled for August 9 – 18, 2024. One of the highlights is this 1979 Porsche 928 finished in a rather unremarkable shade of brown. However, dismiss this classic at your peril. In 2021, the exact same car changed hands at auction for a staggering $2 million, setting a record at the time for the highest price paid for any Porsche 928.
Image Credit: Barrett JacksonTo put this in perspective, popular car sales site Classic.com, using five years’ worth of data, puts the average price for a Porsche 928 at $24,894, with the top sale at $129,000.
Why, then, is this Porsche worth the princely seven-figure sum? Its claim to cult car status is tied to its feature in the 1983 Hollywood movie Risky Business. The Porsche 928 was one of three used in the filming. However, this particular example stands out because it was used for the principal shots in the seminal car chase. Legendary actor Tom Cruise also drove it in the movie, and it is reportedly the vehicle with which he learned to drive a manual transmission.
Image Credit: AutoblogThe Porsche 928 is arguably the most famous transaxle Porsche ever built and one of the few with the desirable 5-speed manual gearbox. It was one of the 2,275 units made for the US market in 1979.
Image Credit: Motor AuthorityOriginally designed to replace the 911, the Porsche 928 was driven by a 4.5L water-cooled V8 rated 219 hp for the North American market (but 230 hp for the European market). It never did replace the 911, but the 928 did carve out a reputation as an outstanding luxury GT car and the last of the traditional 2-door, transaxle models with an almost 50:50 weight distribution.
Image Credit: Jac & coBonhams estimates the ‘Risky Business’ Porsche 928 will fetch between $1.4 million and $1.8 million this time, slightly less than the approximately $2 million paid for the car in 2021. The situation could change during the actual auction, and we will update you on the final sales price after it crosses the auction block on August 16.
