Porsche 928 GTS

The story

The 928 began as Porsche's clean-sheet plan to succeed the 911: an aluminum V8 up front, a transaxle at the rear for near-even weight distribution, a Weissach rear axle that steers the outside rear wheel slightly inward when the driver lifts, and a smooth, wingless body that won the 1978 European Car of the Year title. Buyers kept choosing 911s anyway, and a new chief executive decided the old car would live. The 928 was left to be refined year after year, and the GTS of 1992 to 1995 was the final answer.

Its 5.4-liter V8 makes 345 hp and 369 lb-ft, and it piles on speed without fuss, the engine barely working at a fast highway cruise. Car and Driver timed an automatic at 5.3 seconds to 60 mph and chose it over BMW's 850i. Under the big glass hatch there is room for proper luggage, and 2 small rear seats complete a car made for crossing states rather than lapping circuits. Only 2,831 were built, 406 of them for the US, and manual cars are now serious collectibles. No later Porsche has carried the name.