Reimagining A Modern-Day Porsche GT Car: The V8-Powered 928 By Nardone Automotive

Why 928?

There is no shortage of reimagined Porsche 911s. Singer’s lineup perfectly showcases how versatile the 911 platform can be. Nardone founder and CEO, Thierry Nardone, shared with Top Gear that he was always into the resto-mod movement. In fact, Thierry was inspired by the Lancia Delta Futurista – another resto-mod – and, eventually, got in touch with the people at Borromeo de Silva studio in Italy. The 928 started as Thierry’s personal project and with some input from Carlo Borromeo, the project evolved from personal to professional. While he loves the Porsche 911, Thierry shares he is more passionate about the 928. There is also the fact there is a fairly large community surrounding the Porsche 928, and apparently, there is enough interest for Nardone to do a limited-production run.

Features of the Nardone Porsche 928 production variant

• Pop-up headlights with Porsche’s four-point LED design -

• Functional vents with smaller lower-apron air ducts, sharing space with the high-beam "flashlight"

• Carbon-fiber body instead of the concept’s fiberglass

• Round fuel-filled cap instead of square

• Hatchback lid-delete. Only the glass opens

• One-piece carbon-fiber roof and trunk section

• Reinforced C-pillar section

• Completely new, bespoke front suspension

• Revised steering rack for better feedback

• Redesigned taillights with an uninterrupted LED strip

• Completely altered angle on the rear side windows

• Redesigned A-pillar and windshield

• Refurbished interior with smaller, static gauge cluster

Altered dimensions give the classic 928 proportions a modern twist

The Porshe 928 by Nardone has grown in width by 60 mm (2.36 inches), which makes for a more aggressive stance. The front track, in particular, is a lot wider than on the original car although it is not yet specified by how much. The front track on the original Porsche 928 is 65 mm (2.56 inches) narrower than the rear, and it seems Nardone has kept, more or less, the same ratio between front and rear track width.

Thierry reckons that with the carbon-fiber body, more than 220 pounds could be shaved from the 928’s original weight. They haven’t gone above and beyond with weight reduction since it could compromise the grand-touring capabilities of the reimagined 928. The only original 928 parts Nardone kept intact are the aluminum doors, because of their iconic shape. That said, each Nardone 928 is highly customizable and the company works to the customer’s preferences.

Nardone kept the length of the 928 identical to the original, but it redistributed it slightly. The front end is slightly more tapered due to 4.0 centimeters 1.55 inches being removed from it and added to the rear, for a more pronounced rear end. The turbo-fan wheels are completely bespoke, and according to Thierry Nardone, highly in demand by owners of the classic 928 and even 911 owners. Nardone’s vision of a 928 has borrowed some styling cues from Porsche’s more recent design. Aside from the LED taillight strip, these also include Porsche’s four-point headlight design.

Nardone took the 928 mechanicals and made them better

French company, Nardone, works with a variety of renowned brands in the automotive industry. Among them Italtecnica, Podium Advanced Technology, and more. Thierry decided to go with refurbishing the original engine and transmission. He argues that if he went for a more modern engine, like, for example, a V-8 from the Porsche Cayenne, it would no longer be a true resto-mod, but a car with an engine swap. The same principle applies to the Porsche 928 transmission, which is still a transaxle, but has gained an additional gear for a total number of six.

The engine and transmission have been thoroughly revised and strengthened. The 5.0-liter engine is, currently, the only option, but Nardone’s founder promises bigger engines will be available. Essentially, only the aluminum block casting and cylinder head remain while everything else is upgraded. Porsche’s boxer engines are iconic, especially those mills that feature Hans Mezger’s design for high-performance applications, which is why it is easy to forget Porsche also made great V-8 engines.

One customer even commissioned the French company to develop a flat-plane V-8 engine. Almost all transmission components are 3D-printed using high-tech materials that would ensure reliability. It also uses the factory transmission housing despite the extra gear ratio. Speaking of ratios, each Porsche 928 by Nardone will feature custom one-through six-gear ratios, depending on the wheel size, engine output, and even the customer’s preference. With the level of customization Nardone offers, no two examples of this reimagined 928 will be quite the same.

The price Nardone puts on the reimagined Porsche 928

Thierry Nardone says the first eight, "Launch Edition” cars will be sold to their customers at a reduced price and with all possible options. The price for the Nardone Porsche 928 Launch Edition will cost €480,000 (approx. $525,000), not including the donor car. According to Classic.com, the current average price for a Porsche 928 is $34,111. The other Nardone 928s will be sold at upwards of € 600,000 (approx. $660,000).