Rumour has it that Porsche is secretly ducking into its back shed and hammering out an all-new front-engined sports coupe, a car that could very well be the spiritual descendent of the 928.

British rumour-mongers Auto Express reports that Porsche’s top brass dropped the hint at the recent Shanghai launch for the Panamera sedan-slash-hatch, a car which is believed to form the basis for the next-gen 928. With the Panamera platform designed to accomodate a honkingly-big V8, the new car should be a most worthy successor to Porsche’s classic grand tourer.

Porsche declined to elaborate on any details of the new project, but we’re betting a Panamera-sourced V8 will be a must. The base Panamera’s V6 drivetrain may also be a possibility, and talk about town suggests smaller supercharged engines may get the nod too.

The new Porsche will supplement the German automaker’s existing lineup, and will likely go head-to-head with the Aston Martin Vantage and Bentley Continental GT.

It’s still early days yet and a release date has yet to be mentioned, so don’t expect this one to appear at your local Porsche dealer anytime soon.