1980 Porsche 928 Convertible

Summer isn't over just yet and neither is the point of having a convertible.

This particular topless cruiser is another unique custom piece like the Testarossa I featured recently. In some ways it's even more peculiar.

The front-engined 928 of course is already a controversial car. Intended to replace the 911 it actually ended up being sold alongside it from 1978-1994, before being discontinued without a successor as the 911 continues to this day.

The 928 wasn't a bad car. In fact, it was a pretty cool one. The engine was a big powerful V8, Porsche's first, and the styling was awesome. They sold in respectable numbers and the automotive press admired them regularly. They are expensive to maintain if driven harshly or never taken care of, but they are pretty solid and reliable overall, with the build quality being noted by many owners as superior than the 911. But despite being Tom Cruise's epic ride in Risky Business, the 928 never earned the respect it deserved. It didn't help the vast majority were made with automatic transmissions, even though several noted reviewers have remarked they like the auto better.

Part of what made the 928 so attractive though was the sexy sloping rear, which, despite housing nothing more two small rear seats and trunk space, emulated the roofline of the rear-engine 911 and invaluably tied the 928 to the brand aesthetic.

For this funky convertible, however, the roof has been complete hacked off and the trunk is now covered by a flat body colored panel. To deflect from the odd surface shapes, a spoiler has been added for extra flair and it works.

This is an early pre-facelift 928 with an automatic. It does not have ABS, which came on US cars in 1986. The seller says it's also a European import, which is a plus, with the deleted side markers, extra rear fog light, and presumably a small horsepower bump over the US version. They state the odometer is in kilometers but equals about 110,000 miles.

Mechanically, the seller says it starts, runs and drives strong. Cosmetically it needs some work like a new soft top and perhaps paint (both rather pricey fixes).

This is a rare car however, and while I wish we had more details on how it came here, who owned it and when the roof was subtracted, it's still pretty notable to see one on the market. It could easily be a headturner at the local German auto clubs.

Available here on Ebay in Tampa, Florida.