Among the weeds grow roses: Porsche 928 S4 Edition

 928a

It’s one of my favourite cars, the 928. The 928 S4, with the extra roundedness of the nose cone was my favourite favourite, and in my opinion one of the prettiest cars ever to issue from between Stuttgart factory gates.

I would dearly love one; but I know that ownership would likely be an emotional, time consuming money-pit, and as such I am ill-equipped as a candidate for custody of a big V8 Porsche. There’s a poignancy, then, every single day when I drive past this example that lives on a farm near me.

I first photographed it not long after moving into my current house, after chancing upon a faster, more direct route to work that morning which just happened to take me past the 928. At that point it seemed that it couldn’t have been there for that long, the grass underneath seeming to have been trimmed not that long ago, and evidence of some kind of attempt at protective covering. It looked like somebody’s “I’ll get around to it one day” personal project. Like so many.

928b

Some months later, the snows came. It was on and off for a few months, the thermometer fluctuating between extremes of minus five and plus ten between the end of February and the beginning of April. Not that extreme by global standards, but enough to bring a thick white blanket over much of the country and bring everything to a standstill, as seems to happen every single time the white stuff falls: our country simply cannot cope.

928c

Speaking of standing still, the Porsche hadn’t moved since that early photograph.

And that brings us to today. The car still sits in the same position, now shorn of any protective covering and displaying build up of condensation in those skyward-facing headlamps. The engine-lid has been opened at some point, but left ajar to aid access by voles, field mice and other rodents who will feast on yummy German electrical wiring if given carte blanche to do so.

928d

The weeds have grown quickly and long, damp grass quickly consumes metalwork if left alone for any length of time; and the interior now finds itself home to an old central heating radiator. I hope this isn’t a sign of what’s to come; a favourite pre-scrapyard trick was always to stuff your car with whatever old metal you could find; washing machines, radiators, anything that would boost the cars weight and therefore value on that final trip across the weighbridge.

I’ll continue to pass it, ten times a week, and monitor its progress / decline; though I regret that the latter seems more likely.

(all images copyright Hooniverse / Chris Haining 2013)

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11 responses to “Among the weeds grow roses: Porsche 928 S4 Edition”

  1. danleym Avatar
    danleym

    The 928 and 944 are both favorites, but the 928 is a little more favorite. The 944 is like another favorite but not as much. But they're both good! They're both good.

    1. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar

      The 924 is a bit favourite too, but the 944 is more better. 968 is less worse but it looks less better so I like it a smaller amount.

    2. Rich Avatar
      Rich

      The big yellow one is the sun!

      1. danleym Avatar
        danleym

        Yes! I'm really happy someone got it. For those that don't know, here's the inspiration.
        [youtube prLLabn1vPA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prLLabn1vPA youtube]
        I generally use any excuse to share Brian Regan with people. This guy is hilarious.

  2. MVEilenstein Avatar
    MVEilenstein

    The paint has already begun to fade.
    Knowing it will likely never move again, you should document its slow descent back into the earth, like those nature programs that show a decomposing animal over a few weeks, until nothing remains but a few bones.

  3. Ross_K Avatar
    Ross_K

    Sitting in that long grass? It's rusting from the ground up…
    Crack pipe, as they say on Jalopnik.

  4. Frere P. Avatar
    Frere P.

    Forget bringing it back alive. That's never going to happen. Nonetheless, I suggest you buy it as cheaply as you can and then take it all apart. Seriously. In fact, why not document the disassembly and put it on 'the tube that is you' (respect-olrf). Then you can even do the time lapse thing, but in reverse–'car nut putting together Porsche in his garage/forecourt'.
    You can probably sell some of the parts and recoup the cost of the whole undertaking. Imagine the fun. All without the stress of having to put it back together again. Do it! You know you want to.

  5. Tim Odell Avatar
    Tim Odell

    Noooooooooooooooooooooo[time lapse of the car decomposing]oooooooooooooooooo!
    Guh…at least give a proper death by partial disassembly and attempt at recovery. Dare I say LS swap? Ok, it's in England: Rover swap.

    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      Then use the Porsche V8 for your coffee table!

  6. nanoop Avatar
    nanoop

    I learnt more about vegetation than cars. Go fix that car, and tell us about it!

  7. BrendanSF Avatar
    BrendanSF

    The great thing about a 928…aluminum. They don't fall victim to the tinworm like most other weed queens.
    Always loved the 928 and still do, even with one in my side yard. Long story as to how I got a 1991 928 S4 for free. For 6 months I drove it daily. Family members went from hating it to wanting multiple day drives. All was great…
    Well, one day it decided to overheat and explode the radiator. Some German engineer decided metal tabs folded over to hold plastic sides was a good idea. The entire right side of the radiator no longer existed. I figure the 5000 foot altitude, an already bad cooling system, and a built-in weakness led to a saga of events to get it back home. That part proved how much patience I actually possess.
    Anyway, before the event, I had amassed everything to do a 5-speed swap. As it rolls to a second year of sitting, so many options are available. Forget the current engine and do a LS motor swap (have one available at a friend's), do the fun of a head gasket change and all the joy of adjusting the 80 foot long timing belt (ok it is more like 10 feet), or sell and regret.
    Oh well, I am coming off a long work day. One of my other cars has been featured here by Jim Yu (Maxichamp). California guy with an Australian Ford Falcon XB. Oddities are my nature.
    Take a look: http://hooniverse.info/2012/06/02/california-ford-
    Anyway, when a 928 is driving, amazing. Sitting…it looks sad. As my nephew eloquently put it, "Went from a shark car to a shart car."