1988 Porsche 928 S4 & Missions
About the Author
Ben spends most of his time working with underprivileged kids in Tijuana, Mexico, encouraging them to continue their education. He's an unofficial member of Iglesia Bautista Monte Horeb, which runs the elementary school, Centro Pedagógico Didaque.
The February 2008 issue of Motor Trend magazine put up a comparison between four family sedans. In the running were the Chevrolet Malibu LTZ, the Honda Accord EX-L V-6, the Nissan Altima 3.5 SE, and finally the Toyota Camry SE V-6. Upon seeing the lineup, I almost passed over reading the article. Why would I care about middle-class, family four-doors? I received my answer in the fourth paragraph.
Truth is, each of these family sedans is intimidating, at least when looking back 20 years at our “Top-Speed 10” test from September 1988, in which we pushed 10 of the day’s fastest sports cars to the limit. Turns out every one of these household heroes is quicker to 60 and the quarter mile than seven of those sports cars, including the Nissan 300ZX Turbo, BMW M6, and Chevy Camaro IROC-Z. Want more? The Altima and Camry outpace the Porsche 928 S4 and the Ferrari Testarossa respectively, to 60. So when Dad says, “Hold on,” he means it.
This quote has to be one of the most amazing things I’ve read in some time. My good friend’s father had an ’88 928 S4. To me and all of my friends, his ride was the ultimate, and we drooled and dreamed over his Porsche. Yet even if you’re not a car-buff, the specs are undeniably incredible. A 16-year-old girl borrowing the family sedan now blows away the cream of the crop that only the elite could afford 20 years ago. I can hardly contain myself…
How does this relate to missions? Change is inevitable. And missionaries have to roll with the times. Our church was started about 20 years ago when the only things around were a few, freshly arrived migrant settlers among the tumbleweeds. Just over 10 years ago the church started up an elementary school. The first students placed pieces of particleboard on their laps as desks. Now in 2008 there’s pavement everywhere, mini-marts, drugs, corruption, all sorts of domestic problems, and thousands upon thousands of kids—and our church and school are still here.
Yet we now have to change in order to keep up with the times. And a lot of the time, making changes and big adjustments are super tough—especially when you think the 928 is still the fastest car in town.
February 11th, 2008 at 4:29 am
Why is it that we missionaries who can least afford it, drool over cars like this? ;-)
February 12th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Change is vital. Even here in the developing world where change has been slow to come, it is speeding up. What was once slow is now fast.
February 12th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Now here’s a missions post I can relate to: one with automotive benchmarks!
@Arnau — actually that Porsche is now less than half — maybe less than a third — the price of those new family sedans. Of course keeping it running will add up fast! And even if you could swing it, I’m sure that would weird for supporters to see! :-) Or did you mean you are drooling over an Altima…? :-)
BTW, the ’80s were a bad time for cars. Most estimates put a 1971 Dodge Charger Hemi ahead of that Porsche, at least in straight-line acceleration. I don’t know where that fits in with the above analogy though… :-)
February 15th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Dude, that is a great post! I now feel a lot better about rollin’ the 2001 Ford Taurus while my wife drives the Grand Cherokee.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Ben, I suspect that you and the original article writer are getting more than a little carried away with your comparisons of the Altima and the Camry with a Porsche 928? Leaving aside the 0-60 and standing 1/4 times (which other tests would claim are 0.5 second faster for the twenty-year-old 928), you really need to drive a 928 hard through demanding curves, or approaching top speed on a freeway. Any comparisons are laughable once you experience the incredible handling of the German machine. When the Japanese family cars approach their top-speed and are terrifying their occupants, the 928 is feeling better than ever and will accelerate for a further 30mph. No sixteen year-old borrowing the family Camry or Altima will ever blow away a Porsche 928. (I confess that I own a 928 and I cannot stop smiling every time I drive it!)
February 19th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Peter,
What year is your 928? And what kind of condition is it in? What a beautiful machine you own. If you’re ever in Tijuana, take me for a spin. Although you might not want to cross the border w/ that thing…
I haven’t seen any other tests; I just quoted the specs that Motor Trend printed. And I don’t doubt one bit that at high speeds or through the twisties–there’s no comparison to your Porsche.
My point was simply my genuine awe of a four-door sedan’s ability to be neck-and-neck (0-60mph) w/ Germany’s and Italy’s best just twenty years ago.
P.S. Have you test driven the Altima 3.5 ?
February 19th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Dear Ben,
Mine is a 1986 Australian-delivered 928 “S3″ (similar to the USA “S3.5″)
with the same 5 Litre 32-valve engine as your friend’s father’s 1988 928 S4.
It has just had its 80,000 km (50,000 mile) service and is in immaculate
condition; still gleaming crystal green metallic paint and plush grey-green
leather interior.
I would love to visit you in Tijuana but as well as the border to cross,
there is the Pacific Ocean! I live in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
No, I have not test driven the Altima, but despite often being a target for
high-powered modern cars at traffic lights (and provided my wife’s steadying
influence is absent) I have never been embarassed. I have driven and owned
some genuine muscle cars, including an Australian XA Ford Falcon with a 302
V8 Cleveland motor of identical capacity to my Porsche 928. In terms of
all-round performance they are like chalk and cheese. Remember that the 928
was not designed for drag racing, despite its reasonably good acceleration
from rest. It is a luxury Gran Turismo that really comes into its own when
accelerated at speeds over 60 mph and is the ultimate in comfort for long
distance travelling. After a recent 2,000 km (1,250 mile) drive from
Melbourne to Brisbane, we arrived quite refreshed.
Ben, I appreciate that the car comparison you quoted was intended to
emphasise your point that missionaries should be “rolling with the times”,
but I felt obliged to defend my wonderful car from the throw-away line by
the “Motor Trend” writer.
Best wishes,
Peter