Our restoration project: the 928 S returned to its former glory

05/8/2016

Porsche Centre Hatfield and M&A Coachworks are delighted to present the fully restored 928 S as part of the Porsche Classic Restoration Competition 2016. On 30 July, the 928 S was presented in its original peak 1986 condition at the Silverstone Classic event among a fleet of icons from the transaxle era including the 924, 928, 944 and 968.

The competition encourages official Porsche Centres from around the UK to bring an unloved Porsche car back from the brink. While the last two years have focused on 911 models, the theme of the 2016 competition celebrated ‘40 years at the front’, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first ‘transaxle' car from Porsche, the 924.

The classic restoration team sought out a real challenge to enter into this year’s competition. Upon first inspection, the body of our 928 S had been visibly untouched for a number of years and the interior had certainly seen better days. It was the ideal candidate for this year’s competition; a perfect example of a badly looked after Porsche car. So the challenge began in May 2015 to restore this once great Gran Turismo back to its former glory.

One of the most gruelling aspects of the restoration was the process of stripping the 928 S down to its bare metal shell and readying the Porsche car for a full repaint in its unique aluminium colour. Due to major corrosion, the body had to be stripped back to sandblast off loose parts, stone chips and any corrosion. If not done thoroughly, dents, chips and bumps can appear after the paint job even if they were not apparent before.

After countless hours restoring every part imaginable back to prime condition, the 928 S went through a careful reassembly process. The classic restoration team at Porsche Centre Hatfield and M&A Coachworks are proud and delighted to present the fully transformed 928 S in all its glory as a once again iconic Porsche car.

George Kailou, Head of Production at M&A Coachworks said “The project itself was extremely rewarding for the whole team from many aspects as we do not often get an opportunity to be able to fully restore a vehicle and utilise everyone’s skillset within all capacities of our business. The most satisfying part of the project for me was seeing the vehicle all masked up and painted in the spray booth after nine months and many a late night!”

Dean Kiedyk, Aftersales Manager of Porsche Centre Hatfield said “The restoration project is a fantastic showcase of the capability and specialist knowledge of our service team. The transformation from the condition when found has been a truly fascinating journey, and the 928 S is once again a stunning Porsche car. It is a phenomenal achievement by the teams at Porsche Centre Hatfield and M&A Coachworks.”

Please view our Porsche Classic page or contact the Centre by calling 01707 277 911 or emailing info@porschehatfield.co.uk for more information.