Signatures on the viser of the car CALIFORNIA, USA, TOM CRUISE'S Porsche 928 from the 1980's cult film Risky Business which is headed to auction for up to Ł1.4Million is said to be the car the movie legend first learnt to operate a manual gear.
Images show the gold 1979 Porsche 928 that Tom Cruise drove in his breakout movie, Risky Business, will be auctioned off by Bonhams during Monterey Car Week.
The car boasts 4,474cc SOHC V8 Engine, Bosch K-Jetronic Fuel Injection, 230bhp at 5,250rpm, 5-Speed Manual Transaxle, 4-Wheel Independent Suspension and 4-Wheel Disc Brakes.
It is understood to be the feature car used for principal shots in the seminal car chase, with two other examples being used for more minor scenes.
It is reported to be the vehicle on which Tom Cruise learned to drive a manual transmission and is arguably the most famous five-speed manual transaxle Porsche ever built, which has been extensively documented.
The stunning vehicle is one of 2,275 built for the US in 1979. Due to California emissions laws, this vehicle may only be sold to an out-of-state resident for use outside the state of California or to a licensed automotive dealer.
"Auto das Jahrzehnts" or car of the decade, as it was referred - the Porsche 928 was for a different sort of individual,” states the auction house.
“By the late 1960s, executives including Ferry Porsche, began considering the addition of a luxury touring car to their line-up.
“With slumping sales of the then-current flagship 911, managing director Ernst Fuhrmann, credited for development of the type 547 engine (used in the 550, 356 Carrera GT and GS cars), initiated a design study in 1971 for a new range-topping gran turismo model.
“Several drivetrain layouts were considered early on including both mid and rear-engined designs.
“Deciding that a mid-engine layout did not allow enough room in the passenger compartment and a rear-engine layout made emission and noise control difficult, a front-engine, rear-wheel drive transaxle layout was selected.
“The chosen front-mounted type M28 single overhead camshaft, water-cooled V8 engine displaced 4.5liters and featured a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system.
“Combining a transmission, axle, and differential in one integrated assembly in the rear, this new 'type 928' achieved near 50/50 weight distribution- realizing a combination sports coupe and luxury sedan.”
A car technically different from others on the road had the right to look different. Lay-flat/pop-up headlamps borrowed from the Miura, flared wheel-arches and curvy flanks caught the attention of many influential characters of the 20th century including the likes of Stanley Kubrick and Steve Jobs.
“The 1980s were particularly fertile times for high school coming of age moviesÃłwith the North Suburbs of Chicago playing host to many of these films thanks to the directorial success of auteurs such as John Hughes,” continues Bonhams listing.
“But before Ferris Bueller took his day off in Cameron's dad's Ferrari, fellow Chicagoan Paul Brickman directed a young and largely unheard of actor from upstate New York by the name of Tom Cruise in the 1983 classic Risky Business.
“Moodier and edgier than Hughes' jovial and heartwarming films, Brickman's Risky Business saw the high school senior played by Tom Cruise engaging the services of a prostitute, played by Rebecca de Mornay.
“Co-starring heavily in the filmÃłboth in the plot, on the screen, and in the movie posterÃłis a gold Porsche 928.
“According to one of the film's producers, John Brickman, the 928 was because it was a high-end GT car that could be a daily driver for a successful Chicagoan over and above a more exotic Ferrari. He also found the 911 "too mundane".”
Three 928s were used for the driving shots (while one was famously dropped into Lake Michigan resulting in the famous line, "who's the captain of the U-boat?") and only one other is documented in the production records with a VIN.
Of those three, two were used in the riveting chase scene through downtown Highland Park, IllinoisÃłof which this car was utilised for many of the principal shots including the final one in which Cruise stared straight into the camera and declared the famous marketing tagline, "Porsche, there is no substitute."
This car was also used for any wide shots with the whole car in viewÃłearning the moniker of "fill car" given its use filling in the gaps in the driving footage in post-production and editing.
“This 928 was originally finished in white with a 5-speed manual transmission, but was repainted Platinum MetallicÃła color available for a contemporary 928 but not introduced until 1981Ãłfor the film,” state Bonhams.
