What were the production numbers for the Porsche 928
Executive summary
The Porsche 928 was produced from 1978 (debut 1977 Geneva show) through 1995, and the most commonly cited worldwide production total is 61,056 examples built across its 18-year run [1] [2]. That figure is an aggregate compiled by historians and clubs from VIN records rather than an official Porsche release; Porsche itself has not published a definitive public production total [3] [4].
1. Total production — the headline number and its provenance
Industry references, club research and multiple model registries converge on a worldwide production figure of approximately 61,056 Porsche 928s produced between the late 1970s and 1995, a number repeated by automotive outlets and histories that cite VIN-based counts and owner-club compilations [2] [5]. Those counts are best understood as carefully assembled estimates — the Rennlist community and others explicitly note that all production numbers are approximations collected from several sources because Porsche has not released a single, factory-published total [4] [3].
2. Model-by-model breakdown — where the volume came from
Detailed breakdowns assembled by owners’ clubs and researchers allocate most of the 61,056 total across the main series (original 928, 928 S, S2, S4, GT, CS/SE and final GTS), with forum-sourced tallies listing key group totals such as roughly 17,669 originals (1978–82), ≈8,315 928 S (1980–83), ≈14,347 S/S2/S4 variants (1984–86), ≈16,213 later S4/CS/GT runs and ≈2,831 GTS examples (1992–95) summing to the ~61,056 figure — numbers taken from community compilations that aggregate VIN data and historical registries [4]. Specialist sites that went through VINs to reconstruct production similarly support comparable totals and model allocations, reinforcing the community-derived breakdown [5].
3. The rarest subvariants — GTS and special editions
Collectors and specialist press highlight that some late-model variants are especially scarce: the 928 GTS is commonly reported at about 2,831 worldwide with only roughly 406–407 reaching North America, making GTS and certain manual/no-sunroof permutations highly collectible [1] [6]. Likewise, factory special editions such as the Weissach Edition had very small runs — for example, 202 Weissach Edition cars for North America and 141 special ’50th Jubilee’ 928 S models for other markets — details that come from model guides and period-option records rather than centralized Porsche production sheets [3] [7].
4. Yearly production rhythm — peaks, slumps and context
Year-by-year production charts compiled by the 928 Owner’s Club and referenced in historical reporting show the 928 was a strong seller early on, with yearly sales topping 5,000 units only twice (1979 and 1984) before a decline that accelerated in the late 1980s and early 1990s as prices climbed and demand waned [8] [9]. Those seasonal rhythms are consistent with VIN-derived chronologies and contemporary market reporting: early enthusiasm gave way to shrinking volumes by the model’s final years [5] [8].
5. Sources, method and why small discrepancies persist
Primary sources for production totals are VIN decodings, owner-club registries and investigative reconstructions rather than a single factory disclosure; the community acknowledges margins of error because Rest-of-World and U.S. VIN sequences ran in parallel, special-option cars may be counted differently, and Porsche has not published definitive global tallies [10] [4]. Sites such as Stuttcars and 928OC publish VIN-based lists and production charts, Rennlist threads collate historical sums, and automotive journalists repeat those aggregates — together producing a consistent, if not officially stamped, consensus [5] [11] [4].
6. Verdict — what can be stated with confidence
It is accurate to state that approximately 61,056 Porsche 928s were built between the model’s introduction and its end in 1995, with that number supported by VIN research, owner-club registries and mainstream automotive histories; however, this must be qualified because Porsche has not released an official, definitive count and minor discrepancies in subvariant tallies persist across independent sources [2] [4] [3]. For most purposes — valuation, collecting and historical reference — the 61,056 figure and the VIN-based breakdowns are the accepted working totals among historians and enthusiasts [5] [9].