Body

Technical Information and Restoration Parts for the 928

Body (Max 150 Points)

One of the most costly parts of the car to restore is the body. Unlike many cars that are made of steel and easily repaired by most shops the 928 consists of three materials. The hood, front fenders, doors and rear hatch are made of a composite aluminum. The front and rear bumpers are made of plastic and the rest of the body is galvanized steel. The design of the car is made to flex to improve handling.

Under the plastic front and rear bumpers is a secondary bumper of heavy aluminum mounted on a pair of shock absorbers. This allows the 928 to handle a pretty good impact from either the front or the rear of the car with no structural damage to the frame. Unfortunately this is not true of the rest of the car. The metals involved and the add on strip can handle parking lot dings easily, but crash zones that are intended to collapse on impact makes it difficult to repair. The crash zones are so efficient that the 928 can take a big impact on both ends of the car without seriously compromising the passengers.

The paint used on the 928 is a high quality paint that holds up for many years. The metallic colors are clear coated for further protection. While many buyers want to purchase a car with original paint, there is nothing wrong with a re-paint provided that it is a quality job or does not hide body damage. As the 928's get older the concern over original paint will shift towards adding value for a high quality paint job. When a car is repainted there is always a concern that it was in a major accident. Again here where a major accident is a concern, if the work is done correctly, the car can still be a good buy based on the overall condition. In the past 15 or 20 years many states have been consumer oriented and will Brand or Label a title if the car has been in a serious accident. These branded or salvage titles can be washed by moving a car from state to state, but can often be traced with CARFAX.