Rewind to 1978: Porsche 928
10th Jun 2013
Yes it's that time of the week again so let's Rewind! We go back to 1978 to see what car was taking Europe by storm, but first we look at what other stories were making headlines. It was a good year for the BBC as it released one of its most iconic children's programmes, Grange Hill. In the music world, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John topped the charts for 9 weeks with 'You're the one that I want' and Boney M. had a Christmas number 1 with 'Mary's Boy Child - Oh My Lord.'
It was a magical year for the Tractor Boys as Ipswich Town claimed their only FA Cup title with a 1-0 victory over Arsenal at Wembley. Elsewhere in sport, Ray Reardon won his 6th and final world snooker championship, Bernard Hinault won the 1st of his 5 Tour De France titles and the Dallas Cowboys clinched the Superbowl.
Ok, enough of popular culture from '78, let's talk about the popular car for that time. The European Car of the Year award was given to the beautiful Porsche 928 35 years ago. The rapid sports car left the field for dead as it finished 30 points ahead of the BMW 7-series in the scoring. This 4.5L monster was described as a car that "makes fast driving easier and more comfortable." With a V8 engine, the speedster didn't lack power and it scored highly on design thanks to its modern and attractive appearance.
The 928 was expected to be the natural replacement for the 911, and despite it being in production for 17 years, it didn't happen as the 911 never seemed to lose its loyal fan base. Putting that aside, this car was a thing of beauty and was certainly one of the best models the German manufacturer has produced. The Porsche 928 is a much deserved winner of the award.
Evans Halshaw
