The movie exploits of Tom Cruise from behind the wheel wouldn’t put him in the same league as fellow actor/drivers James Dean and Steve McQueen, but Cruise’s co-star in “Risky Business” — a 1979 gold Porsche 928 coupe — did help to burnish his reputation.
Three Type 928 cars were used in the production of the film, and one will be on the block at Bonham’s Quail Auction event in Carmel, California, scheduled for August 16. The estimated selling price is set at between $1.4 million and $1.8 million.
Cruise in the 1983 film plays a high school senior who sets up a brothel, engaging the services of a sex worker played by Rebecca de Mornay. In the climactic chase scene, the 928, piloted by Cruise's character, manages to outrun and outmaneuver a pimp-driven 1975 Cadillac Coupe Deville. At the culmination of the chase, reportedly in this car, Cruise then stared directly in the camera and uttered the forever marketing line, “Porsche. There is no substitute.”
The Bonhams press release notes that Cruise learned to drive a stick shift in this particular Porsche, which was built with a five-speed manual. Producer Jon Avnet supposedly helped with the training.
This 928 was originally finished in white but was repainted Platinum Metallic — a color not introduced until 1981 — for the film. It features a 4,474cc SOHC V8 engine and Bosch K-Jetronic Fuel Injection and makes 230 horsepower. It had been housed in California and was later moved to a collection on the East Coast where it received substantial cosmetic and mechanical refurbishment, with receipts on file. Acquired by the current owner in 2021, it has been stored in a climate-controlled garage for the past three years, Bonhams says.
