A STUNNING Porsche that’s loved by Jeremy Clarkson can be picked up for under £10,000 – if you know where to look.
The classic Porsche 928 , which was the brand’s flagship motor for 18 years between 1977 and 1995, is one of the most distinctive and iconic motors in the German manufacturer’s repertoire.
But the 928 is perhaps best known, especially in the UK, for Clarkson’s heartfelt monologue in an episode of Top Gear.
In Top Gear’s Patagonia Special in 2014, the 928 was Jezza’s car of choice to drive across Chile and Argentina in a race against his co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond.
While his co-hosts ridiculed Clarkson’s 928 as being “boring,” the legendary petrolhead revealed, in one of the more emotional moments in the show’s history, that he once raced one from London to Sheffield to visit his dying father.
As far as I’m concerned, the 928 is alright.
Jeremy Clarkson
He said: “I know Hammond and may think my 928 Porsche is a bit dull, but for one very good reason it isn’t dull to me.
“You see back in 1994, I was living in London and I got a call one evening from my mum to say that my dad was desperately ill in the hospital in Sheffield, and I needed to get there as quickly as possible.
“I had just taken the chicken out of the oven – I thought I’ll take that for my mum cause she wouldn’t have eaten.
“I ran outside and I had a 928 on a test that week, and when I arrived in Sheffield the chicken was still warm and my dad was still alive; in fact he died half an hour later.
“The truth is, if I hadn’t been driving a car which could sit quite happily at 170 mph, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to say goodbye to my dad – so as far as I’m concerned the 928 is alright.”
Clarkson has since backed up this story with praise for the 928’s looks in a Top Gear feature.
He wrote: “By rights, I should hate the 928; it was the first press test car I ever crashed, and I used one to go and see my dad the day before he died.
“I also disliked the dreadful ride quality in later models.
“And yet, even today, when one grumbles by, my head does the full Linda Blair.
“It is, I think, one of the best-looking cars ever made.”
As Jezza hinted at, the 928 couples its good looks with plenty of oomph.
Indeed, many iterations of the 928 were released by Porsche, with early models boasting a V8 engine of 4.5 litres, through to the 1995 GTS version which had a gasping 5.4-litre motor, capable of 345 bhp.
The second-hand market for a 928 varies as well, with models starting at their cheapest at £10,000, with around £13k enough to get you behind the wheel of a 1980s 928 S with 90,000 miles on the clock.
Newer examples with less mileage can rise well above £30,000.
This comes as drivers are urged to seek out a little-known Italian sports car for less than £4,000.
And elsewhere, a legendary Ford stored in pristine condition for nearly 40 years has sold for a whopping six-figure sum.
