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In the summer of 1986, Porsche began laying plans for the introduction of the new Porsche 928S4; which would be the fastest production Porsche ever sold in America. The 928 had been a challenge for Porsche from the beginning. Launched in 1977 it was intended to be the replacement for the 911. But it was rejected by the faithful for whom a front engine, water cooled car could never be a ‘real’ Porsche.
This meant that the dealers had to develop a new group of customers for the 928. VP Marketing Dr. Gerhardt Blendstrup and Racing Director Al Holbert came up with an audacious plan to drive demand. They would take a stock, street legal 928S4 to the Bonneville Salt Flats; where Holbert would attempt to set a USAC sanctioned world record. Our assignment was to shoot a documentary of the record run.
Porsche was one of the first clients to see the potential for direct marketing videos. We had already delivered three videos, which were offered through dealerships and promoted through their national advertising.
Integrating a video offer into the advertising was a breakthrough at the time, and Porsche reaped the benefit of their forward thinking.
On a blistering week in August, we brought our crew to the storied Bonneville Salt Flats. The place is unearthly - the salt creates a perfect reflecting board and changes moods with every cloud. After lunch, we met the Porsche team and they unload the car from its trailer. Suddenly you get it. The car may be stock, but this is Porsche and they are here to do a job. Visions of LeMans and the Mille Miglia. Al Holbert, a world champion driver. A Guards Red car. A tradition of winning. Our veteran LA crew who has seen and shot it all, feels it, and quietly double check everything again.
Soon Gerhardt pulls in after setting some sort of speed record from his office in Reno in a Guards Red 944 Turbo. He wants to check out the salt. We wipe the bugs off his windshield, give him a helmet and he roars off. Soon he is just a tiny red speck. He runs the course at 153 mph without so much as checking tire pressure. People start to relax. The question has never been if, but by how much... But it is a record run on the Flats and stuff happens...
We awake before dawn. It was 115 degrees yesterday and Walther, the senior German engineer wants to take advantage of the cool morning air to ensure that Holbert will get maximum power from the engine. Coordinating with the USAC timing crew, we assign radio frequencies and deploy our four 16mm cameras along the track.
We know that the red car will keep running until it gets what it came for - but we need to treat every run like it's the only chance we are going to get. Cameras rolling, our extreme telephoto lenses track Holbert as he blazes through the traps, setting a world record for the flying mile of over 171 miles per hour. The Porsche team is all smiles, another day's work for the team from Zuffenhausen. After the records are confirmed, Al drives the car back to the hotel.
Porsche went on to sell over 15,000 units during the 928S4s four year run. And we won a Gold Medal for the film and got a nice write-up in Millimeter Magazine.
