Porsche 928

On August 7, 1986, the Porsche 928 was graced with the distinction of being the "World's Fastest Production Car", earning the land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Some remotely-controlled devices are loosely called robots, but are more properly categorized as teleoperators since they do not operate autonomously, but only under control of a human operator. There are many famous celebrities associated with the 928, including Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg, Eddie Murphy, David Letterman, and MC Hammer. Radio-controlled teleoperators are used for such purposes as inspections, and special vehicles for disarming of bombs. Viewers are not supposed to spot the change of car. Today radio control is used in industry for such devices as overhead cranes and switchyard locomotives. The car is replaced with a 944/924 with aftermarket tail-lights before it is driven into a swimming pool. The most outstanding example of remote radio control of a vehicle are the Mars Exploration Rovers such as Sojourner.

More recently a white USA spec 928 S appears in the beginning of the opening sequence of Britney Spears' My Prerogative video. Instead of a "turn left" signal that is applied until the aircraft is flying in the right direction, the system sends a single instruction that says "fly to this point". The 928 was also appeared in various '80s toy-lines and their animated counterparts such as Transformers, GoBots, and M.A.S.K.. Remote control military applications are typically not radio control in the direct sense, directly operating flight control surfaces and propulsion power settings, but instead take the form of instructions sent to a completely autonomous, computerized automatic pilot. The AC/DC video "Let There Be Rock" features the band racing a biplane in a 1980 928. Advantages include bit error checking capabilities of the data stream (good for signal integrity checking) and fail-safe options including motor (if the model has a motor) throttle down and similar automatic actions based on signal loss. The 928 can be seen in many movies, including Looker, Scarface, Risky Business, Weird Science, Beetlejuice, Thinner, Nutty Professor and Cannonball Run. More recently, high-end hobby systems using "Digital Proportional" features have come on the market that provide a computerized digital bit-stream signal to the receiving device, instead of analog type pulse modulation.

Mexican Boxer, Salvador Sanchez Died in a Porsche 928 August 12 1982. The relative simplicity of this system allows receivers to be small and light, and has been widely used since the early 1970s. Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear in 2004 referred to the 928 as "a proper Porsche". The pulse trains representing the whole set of channels is easily decoded into separate channels at the receiver using very simple circuits such as a Johnson counter. "...in the GTS Porsche still has the best driver's car in the Grand Tourer market..." Performance Car, 1992. The latter produces a voltage proportional to the output position which is then compared with the position commanded by the input pulse and the motor is driven until a match is obtained. the 928 is not only the fastest Porsche, but also one of the fastest production-built GT's in the world..." Road and Track, 1992. An electric motor and reduction gearbox is used to drive the output arm and a variable resistor or "potentiometer".

the 928 is an impressive luxury automobile.. Off-the-shelf servos respond directly to pulse trains of this type using integrated decoder circuits, and in response they actuate a rotating arm or lever on the top of the servo. ".. The pulse is repeated in a frame of between 14 and 20 milliseconds in length. 1995. In the type of system most commonly used today PWM is used, where transmitter controls change the width (duration) of the pulse for that channel between 920 µs and 2120 µs, 1520 µs being the center (neutral) position. 1994. These R/C systems made 'proportional control' possible, where the position of the control surface in the model is proportional to the position of the control stick on the transmitter.

1993. Typical radio control systems for radio-controlled models employ pulse width modulation (PWM) or pulse position modulation (PPM), and actuate the various control surfaces using servomechanisms. 1992. While early control systems might have two or three channels using amplitude modulation, modern systems include 20 or more using frequency modulation. 1991. The mechanical resonant systems using reed relays were replaced by similar electronic ones, and the continual miniaturization of electronics allowed more signals, referred to as control channels, to be packed into the same package. 1990. These systems were widely used until the 1960s, when the increasing use of solid state systems greatly simplified radio control.

1989. These were typical on/off signals. 1988. The controller's radiotransmitter would play the different frequencies in response to the movements of a control stick. 1987. The vibration would push on electrical contacts connected to the actuators of the control surfaces of the missile. 1986. In front of the speaker were a number of small metal "fingers" with different resonant frequencies, each one tuned to vibrate when a particular tone was played in the speaker (a so called reed relay).

1985. A small radio receiver was placed in the missile, the signal from the controller (transmitter) was "played" into a small speaker. 1984. Radio control systems of this era were generally mechanical in nature. 1983. However none of these systems proved usable in practice, and the one major US effort, Project Aphrodite, proved to be far more dangerous to its users than to the target. 1982. Both the British and US also developed radio control systems for similar tasks, in order to avoid the huge anti-aircraft batteries set up around German targets.

1981. The German development teams then turned to wire guidance once they realized what was going on, but these systems were not ready for deployment until the war had already moved to France. 1980 928 North America/928 and 928S ROW. Jammers were then installed on British ships, and the weapons basically "stopped working". 1979. After initial overwhelming successes, the British launched a number of commando raids to collect the missile radio sets. 1978. The effectiveness of the Luftwaffe systems was greatly reduced by British efforts to jam their radio signals.

The tables below show the major differences, which were largely made to the nose, tail, interior, engine, and rims. However by the end of the war the Luftwaffe was having similar problems attacking allied bombers, and developed a number of radio-controlled anti-aircraft missiles, none of which saw service. The evolution of the 928 during its 18 years of production is quite subtle, and often confuses individuals interested in purchasing a 928. Their main effort was the development of radio-controlled missiles and glide bombs for use against shipping, a target that is otherwise both difficult and dangerous to attack. Early 928s had "phone dial"-style rims, while most 1980s 928s had slotted "flat disc"s, the first GTs had "Club Sport", late model S4s and GTs had the "Design 90" style and the GTS used two variations of the "CUP" rims. Radio control was further developed during World War II, primarily by the Germans who used it in a number of missile projects. Another easily noticeable visual difference between versions is the style of the rims. Nikola Tesla patented a radio-control scheme as early as 1899, and various radio-controlled ships were used for naval artillery target practice by the 1920s.

The rear tail-light configuration was also different from previous versions. The possibility of radio remote control was appreciated almost as soon as the first demonstrations of radio itself; the credit for the first to suggest radio control of aircraft may belong to Patrick Young Alexander as early as 1888. From 1987 through 1995, the front spoiler is integrated into the nose and the rear spoiler became a separated wing rather than an integrated piece, and side skirts were added. . From 1980 (1983 in North America) through 1986, front and rear spoilers were present (on "S" models), rear spoilers were integrated into the hatch. The term is used frequently to refer to the control of model cars, boats, airplanes, and helicopters from a user-held control box (radio.) Industrial, military and scientific research all make use of radio-controlled vehicles as well. Styling was the same from 1978 through 1980 and the body lacked both front and rear spoilers. Radio control is the use of radio signals to remotely control another device.

The 928's styling developments can largely be summed up with the following characteristics:. In 2005, Porsche officially announced a new V8-powered 4-door sports model to be called Panamera, set to be launched in 2009. Rumours and considerable fan speculation have given some owners hope that the new V8 engine will power a reborn 928. With the release of the Cayenne sports utility vehicle, Porsche has met with renewed success with a front-engined, V8-powered model.

A great community dedicated to the 928 exists online even today, and the car has won a huge fan base. The 1992 to 1995 GTS, however, has retained very high value and is regarded by some as a prize, although a late S4 probably is the best bargain. Second-hand models have largely fallen in value, the result of generally high maintenance costs. Porsche discontinued the GTS model that year, after shipping only 77 of them to the United States.

Loaded GTS models could eclipse $100,000 USD in 1995, making them among the most expensive cars on the road. The GTS debuted in late 1991 as a 1992 model (spring 1992 as a 1993 model for North America) with even smoother bodywork, an updated interior, larger brakes, a revised suspension and more power from an enlarged 5.4 L motor, 350 PS (257 kW/345 hp) in total. The S4 and GT variants were both cut in 1991, making way for the greatest and final version of the 928, the GTS. A ZF 40% mechanical limited slip differential had been optional since the beginning of production on all models, except on CS, SE and GT in which it was standard.

The next important change came when Porsche added a computer-controlled limited slip differential as standard equipment to both models (much like the one from the 959) for the 1990 model year. At same time, the manual transmission-equipped S4 was dropped from production. Power putput was 330 PS (243 kW/326 hp). Featuring an even tighter suspension and offered only with a updated 5-speed transmission from CS, the GT was the most aggressive 928 yet.

S4 was kept in production through 1991, although Porsche debuted a more sporting version, the 928 GT, in spring of 1989, in the middle of the production year. Only some dozens of each type were made making them rarest of 928 models. For 1988 lightened Club Sport version was introduced to continental Europe and little less spartan S4 Sport (also called SE) for UK. A single-disc clutch and revised styling helped round out the major changes.

Porsche debuted the first major visual update of the 928 as the 928 S4 for 1987, sporting an updated version of the 5.0 L V8 for both the European and American markets producing 320 PS (235 kW/316 hp), regardless of where it was purchased. Main changes done in last years of S model production were new style seats introduces for 1985 model year, altered suspension and larger brakes with 4-piston calipers at beginning of 1986 model year for ROW cars and in middle of production from VIN 1000 forward on US models. European models kept the 4.7 L engine as standard, producing the same output as before, but the 32-valve engine became optional in some countries for 1986 model year. Porsche updated the North American 928S in 1984 for 1985, replacing the 4.7 L, SOHC engine with a new 5.0 L, DOHC engine sporting four valves per cylinder and producing 288 hp (215 kW/292 PS).

Externally, the S wore front and rear spoilers and sported wider wheels and tires than the previous version. North American spec models needed additional emissions regulation equipment, and were limited to 234 hp (174 kW/237 PS) as a result. European versions debuted with 300 PS (221 kW/297 PS), and were upgraded to 310 PS (228 kW/306 hp) in 1984 model year. The main change for the 928S was under the hood, where a revised 4.7 L engine was used.

Porsche introduced their first revision of the 928, the 928S, in 1980 in Europe, although it was 1983 before the car reached North America. The concept of all-wheel steering was also adopted later on to several Japanese automobiles, including a Japanese-market version of the Toyota Celica, the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 and the second generation Nissan 300ZX. The 928 included several other innovations such as the "Weissach Axle", an early all-wheel steering system that provides passive rear-wheel steering in certain off-throttle cornering situations, and an unsleeved, silicon alloy engine block made of aluminium, which reduced weight and provided a highly durable cylinder bore. The 928 was also the first vehicle in which the instrument binnacle moved with the adjustable steering wheel, a feature seen more recently on Nissan's 350Z sports car.

Both rear seats could be folded down to enlarge the luggage area, and both the front and rear seats had sun visors for occupants. The 928 qualified as a 2+2, having two small seats in the rear. Porsche opted not to offer a convertible variant but some aftermarket modifiers offer convertible conversions. The new polyurethane elastic bumpers were integrated into the nose and tail and covered in body-coloured plastic; an unusual feature for the time that aided the car visually and reduced its drag.

It had a substantial luggage area accessed via a large hatchback. The body, styled by Wolfgang Möbius under guidance of Anatole Lapine, was mainly steel, but the doors, front fenders and hood were aluminium. Most cars were specified with the automatic transmission. It came with either a five-speed dog leg manual transmission, or a Mercedes-Benz-derived automatic transmission, originally with three speeds, later with four.

The 928 was regarded as the more relaxing car to drive at the time. Although it weighed more than the difficult to handle 911, its more neutral weight balance and higher power output gave it similar performance on the track in the hands of all but the most skilled drivers. Porsche utilized a transaxle in the 928 to help achieve 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, aiding the car's balance. This design marked a major change in direction for Porsche (started with the introduction of the 924 in 1976), whose cars had until then used only rear- or mid-mounted air-cooled flat engines with four or six cylinders.

Porsche upgraded the engine from mechanical to electronic fuel injection in 1980, although power remained the same. Originally displacing 4.5 L and featuring a single overhead camshaft, it produced 219 hp (163 kW/222 PS) for the North American market and 240 PS (176 kW/237 hp) in other markets. The 928 featured a large, front-mounted and water-cooled, V8 engine driving the rear wheels. The 911 remains Porsche's most recognized model and is still in production.

Although the 928 developed an avid fan following, it never sold in the numbers that Fuhrmann had originally predicted, and was discontinued in 1995. Fuhrman continued to push for a plan to slowly phase out the 20-year-old 911 design, but when he was replaced by Peter Schutz in January 1981, Schutz decided that the three models (911, 924 & 928) should be sold side by side, feeling the company should wait for the consumers to pick a favorite before actually discontinuing the 911. 928 was also featured as track marshals car in 1977 Le Mans race. The finished car debuted at the 1977 Geneva Motor Show before going on sale later that year as a 1978 model.

Both sides finally settled on a 4.5 L, SOHC 16-valve V8 producing 240 hp (219 in North America), which they considered to have an accetable compromise of performance and fuel economy. When increasing concern within the company over the pricing and availability of fuel during the oil crisis of the 1970s became an issue of contention, smaller engines were considered in the interest of fuel economy, and some managers began pushing for development of a 3.3L 180 hp powerplant they had drawn up specs for, although company engineers balked at this suggestion. Porsche engineers wanted a large-displacement motor to power the 928, and prototype units were built with a 5.0 L V8 producing close to 300 hp; very early units used one four-barrel carburetor, which was eventually tossed in favor of Bosch's K-Jetronic fuel injection system. government would ban the sale of rear-engined cars in response to the consumer fervor over the Chevrolet Corvair, started by Ralph Nader via his book "Unsafe at Any Speed".

Porsche also feared at the time that the U.S. After deciding that the mid-engine layout didn't allow enough room in the passenger compartment, a front engine/rear wheel drive layout was chosen. Having the engine, transmission, catalytic converter(s) and exhaust all cramped into a small rear engine bay made emission and noise control more difficult, something Porsche was already facing problems with on the 911 and wanted to avoid. Several drivetrain layouts were considered during early development, including rear and mid-engined designs, but most were dismissed because of technical and/or legistative difficulties.

Ordered by Ferry Porsche to come up with a production-feasible model, Fuhrmann initiated a design study in 1971, eventually taking from the process the final specs for the 928. Although the pricetag of the 928 would remain higher than that of the 911 throughout its lifetime, the price of the 911 in the early 80s did increase pretty soon after it became clear to Porsche that customers wouldn't abandon the 911 for the 924 as had originally been anticipated. The sportier and lighter 924 was the car that was meant to replace the 911, and the 928 was meant to be the luxury car. Two cars were introduced to cure this, the 924 and the 928.

Simoultaneously, slumping sales of the company's flagship 911 led to the belief that a replacement for it would soon be necessary. By the late 1960s, Porsche had changed significantly as a company, and executives including owner Ferry Porsche were toying with the idea of adding a luxury touring car to the line-up, mainly at the behest of Managing Director Ernst Fuhrmann, who believed that the company's future lay with high-performance grand touring cars rather than with pure sports cars. . The vehicle was sometimes called either Shark or Land Shark, due both to its shark-like appearance and its ability to 'eat up' large segments of road in very little time.

It was not designed to replace the Porsche 911, contrary to common misconception. It is classified as a grand tourer, but the combination of its V8 engine and 50/50 weight distribution made it a competent sports car. The Porsche 928 is an automobile made by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978 to 1995, during which time it was their flagship model. Teknikens Värld issue #13, June 17 1981.

Jättetest Alla modeller Porsche. Hogsten, Dag E. ISBN 0-75252-072-5. Parragon.

Porsche: The Legend. Wood, J (1997). ISBN 0-75251-022-3. Parragon.

The Fastest Cars From Around the World. Bowler, M & Wood, J (1997). Improvements:. Power: 345 hp.

Valves: 32. Engine displacement: 5.4 L. Model designation: 928GTS. Dynamic kickdown added to automatics.

Improvements: RDK deleted, cabin air filter added. Power: 345 hp. Valves: 32. Engine displacement: 5.4 L.

Model designation: 928GTS. Improvements: Engine pistons changed to limit oil consumption. Power: 345 hp. Valves: 32.

Engine displacement: 5.4 L. Model designation: 928GTS. GTS available in North America from spring 1992 as a 1993 model. Bodywork is updated with flared rear fenders and cupped mirrors.

Improvements: Better brakes and the engine grows to 5.4 L. Power: 345 hp. Valves: 32. Engine displacement: 5.4 L.

Model designation: 928GTS. Improvements: Improvements to steering rack, soundproofing, etc. Power: 316 hp (S4)/326 hp (GT). Valves: 32.

Engine displacement: 5.0 L. Model designation: 928 S4/928GT. RDK tyre pressure monitoring system added. Improvements: PSD (Porsche SperrDifferential) computer controlled 0-100% locking differential added to both models.

Power: 316 hp (S4)/326 hp (GT). Valves: 32. Engine displacement: 5.0 L. Model designation: 928 S4/928GT.

Digital trip computer added to dashboard. March 1989 manual transmission only GT debuts as a more sporting version on all markets. Improvements: 928 CS dropped during the middle of the model year at the end of 1988. Power: 316 hp (S4)/326 hp (GT).

Valves: 32. Engine displacement: 5.0 L. Model designation: 928 S4 and 928GT North America/928 S4, CS and GT ROW/ 928 S4 and GT UK. Improvements: Lighter 928 CS (Club Sport) version available in ROW, 928 SE (S4 Sport) in UK.

Power: 316 hp. Valves: 32. Engine displacement: 5.0 L. Model designation: 928 S4 North America/928 S4 and 928 CS ROW/928 S4 and 928 SE UK.

Single disk clutch on manual transmission cars, larger torque converter on automatics. Improvements: New style front and rear & rear wing spoiler. Power: 316 hp. Valves: 32.

Engine displacement: 5.0 L. Model designation: 928 S4. Improvements: S4 brakes and suspension in all 1986 ROW cars, from VIN 1000 forward in North America. Power: 288 hp (215 kW) North America/310 hp (231 kW) (4.7) or 288 hp (215 kW) (5.0) ROW.

Valves: 32 North America/16 or 32 ROW. Engine displacement: 5.0 L North America/4.7 or 5.0 L ROW. Weight: 3500 lb. Model designation: 928S.

Top speed is now in excess of 155mph!. Improved improved synchromesh design, improving driveability and manual transmission. New style front seats. Improvements: New 5.0 liter 32-valve 288HP engine.

Power: 288 hp (215 kW) North America/310 hp (228 kW) ROW. Valves: 32 North America/16 ROW. Engine displacement: 5.0 L North America/4.7 L ROW. Weight: 3500 lb.

Model designation: 928S. At 146mph top speed, Porsche boldly claims the 928 S to be "the fastest street legal prouction car sold in the US". LH-Jetronic injection and 4-speed automatic transmission added to the ROW model. Improvements: Important improvement to front suspension on all cars.

Power:234 hp (174 kW) @ 5200 RPM North America/300 hp (221 kW) (4.7 S) ROW. Valves: 32 North America/16 ROW. Engine displacement: 5.0 L North America/4.7 L ROW. Weight: 3200 lb (1451 kg).

Model designation: 928S. Improvements: 4-speed automatic transmission for North America. Power:234 hp (174 kW) @ 5200 RPM North America/300 hp (221 kW) (4.7 S) ROW. Valves: 16.

Engine displacement: 4.7 L. Weight: 3200 lb (1451 kg). Model designation: 928S. Improvements: 4.5 ROW model dropped from production at end of 1982.

Power: 220 hp (163 kW) North America/240 hp (177 kW) (4.5) and 300 hp (221 kW) (4.7 S) ROW. Valves: 16. Engine displacement: 4.5 L/4.7 L (S). Model designation: 928 North America/928 and 928S ROW.

Improvements:. Power: 220 hp (163 kW) North America/240 hp (177 kW) (4.5) and 300 hp (221 kW) (4.7 S) ROW. Valves: 16. Engine displacement: 4.5 L/4.7 L (S).

Model designation: 928 North America/928 and 928S ROW. L-Jetronic injection to North America. Improvements: Front & rear spoilers on S model. Power: 220 hp (163 kW) North America/240 hp (177 kW) (4.5) and 300 hp (221 kW) (4.7 S) ROW.

Valves: 16. Engine displacement: 4.5 L/4.7 L (S). Model designation: 928 North America/928 and 928S ROW. Improvements:.

Power: 219 hp (163 kW) North America/240 hp (177 kW) ROW. Valves: 16. Engine displacement: 4.5 L. Model designation: 928.

Improvements:. Power: 219 hp (163 kW) North America /240 hp (177 kW) ROW (rest of world). Valves: 16. Engine displacement: 4.5 L.

Model designation: 928.