Porsche’s front-engine, V8-powered grand tourer from 1977 was the Porsche 928.
The 928 was conceived in the early 1970s as a luxurious, comfortable alternative to—and potentially a successor for—the rear-engine 911. Porsche chose a front-mounted, water-cooled V8 and a rear transaxle, a layout that helped distribute weight close to 50:50 between the axles. It was also Porsche’s first production car powered by a V8.
The 928 debuted at the 1977 Geneva Motor Show and entered production that year, winning European Car of the Year for 1978. Its smooth fastback body, pop-up headlights, rear hatch and compact rear seats gave it grand-touring practicality unusual for a Porsche sports car.
A common mix-up is confusing it with the smaller 944, 924 or later 968. Those models were front-engine Porsche transaxle cars too, but they used four-cylinder engines in most versions; the 928 alone occupied the V8 grand-tourer role. The 928 remained in production until 1995.