It turns out that there are six wasn’t just one Porsche used for the film. Using a variety of vehicles while filming a movie is not unusual. Four were employed in this instance during the main shot, and two more during post-production. They all had various different model years, wheels, transmissions, and in some cases, different original colors, thus none of them were alike. Even stranger, none of the four that were used for filming resembled the 928 depicted in the movie. Say that again.
The 1981 Platinum Metallic 928 in the movie is meant to have a five-speed manual transmission, offset “Phone-Dial” cast alloy wheels, and a gold interior. Similar in year to the main one used on set, it included an automatic transmission, flat 15-inch “Phone-Dial” wheels, a brown dash, and gold seats. The act of editing is amazing.
Johnsen had extensive conversations with writer/director Paul Brickman and producer Jon Avnet of “Risky Business” while they were working on his documentary. They used the 928 because it was a ‘current car’ at the time and was the same vehicle that Joel’s father, a prosperous Chicago businessman, used to commute in every day. The instantly identifiable Porsche 911 was almost chosen, but it was deemed “too boring” in comparison to the 928’s “new, distinct, and exotic” appearance.
Johnsen was given access by Brickman to the film’s production files and rough cuts. the ‘primary driver’ 928 had been borrowed (for $500 per day) from a nearby stock broker called Ted Kohl, one of just two people in the area with the precise make, model, and color they need, according to his thorough investigation. All of the driving shots, the infamous final chase scenes, and the most of the cast’s actual ‘seat time.’ were shot on this 12-day rental.
Johnsen sought to buy the main vehicle but learned from a private investigator that it had been sent abroad to an unidentified foreign buyer. Having lost that one, he and his PI pursued the “fill car.” They discovered it in Cathedral City, California, sitting in a garage that had been painted white. After some back and forth, he purchased it from the owner, who asserted that he acquired it from someone who had put it in storage for twelve years and had sold it to him three years before.
The gasoline tank was leaking, the vehicle needed some bodywork, and the odometer read 102,580 kilometers. However, Johnsen restored it, had a fresh coat of Platinum Metallic applied by Maaco, and displayed it at Denver’s Forney Museum of Transportation (via Excellence Magazine). Since then, the 928 has been shown in the Porsche Effect Exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum and at Porsche Cars North America (via Barrett-Jackson).
At Profiles in History’s Hollywood Treasures from the Vault auction in July 2007, it scored an sold for $49,200 , which was below what the auction company had anticipated. The final known “Risky Business” 928, on the other hand, fetched a staggering $1.98 million in September 2021 at Barrett-Houston Jackson’s auction house in Houston, setting a new record for any Porsche, from any year, in any condition. According to Hagerty should only get $79,500 at a comparable price for the best 928 conceivable.
Someone engaged in “Risky Business,” while another unmistakably recognized “The Color of Money.” Okay, we’ll end here.
