Car No. 49
12/1967
Motor: 1,6 l
The new 911 model was launched in 1964 with its completely new construction it was much more expensive than the Porsche 356, which it replaced. Forced by circumstances Porsche decided to use their 911 chassis and suspension and integrate them with a slightly modified 356 1600 CC engine and 4-speed gearbox.
Porsche 912
The 912 model was produced during the years 1965-1969, and during the energy crisis in 1975-1976 VW 912 concept was reintroduced with the VW 411 2,0-l engine. This model was only launched on the US marked and was named 912 E.
Although, focus was on the 911, the 912 from 1965-1969 became a huge success, and twice as many were produced as the 6-cylinder 911 – a total of 35.000 specimens over the years (incl. well over 2.000 of the 912 E model).
However, the 356 engine was noticeably outdated, and the model ”slipped” just as quietly in 1969, when sales of the 911 F models had increased.
For many years the 912 was thus a somewhat forgotten and undervalued ”little brother” compared to the 911.
The last 5-6 years the 912 has become more highly valued (because the 911 had increased so much), so it is not unusual, that a 912 in good condition is priced at 50-60.000 € (2023).
Most of the 912 models were SWB, and only
during the last production year, 1969, was the LWB model, where a 5-speed gearbox was also introduced.
History
My Porsche 912 is a SWB model from 1967. I bought the car in 2009 and back then it cost under 10.000 € and needed a total restoration. The car was not in the correct colour that it was originally, and it had a worn black leatherette interior.
In our own workshop we spent a year completely disassembling the car. It wasn’t very rusty, but it was old and worn out and needed a complete refreshment. At the same time, the Kardex cards from Porsche showed, that it was originally colour code 6604 light ivory with rosso red leather interior. In fact, a nice colour combination, that I thought it was important to bring it back to.
Many 912 models didn’t come with any special equipment. This car, however, was “born” with Becker radio, and I have put in coco mat carpets, which were available as accessories.
The car was sold through Glöckler VW Porsche dealer in Frankfurt.
With a 1600 CC engine in good condition, it has approx. 100 hp, but the car has some really good drivability compared to the 911. But we must keep in mind that a regular 6-cylinder 911 from the start only had approx. 110 hp (dependent on the variant), so if you look at value for money, the 912 was just a better buy. It was the pleasure of having the design and the feeling of driving a classic Porsche.
The car today is on black license plated, and I still enjoy driving it regularly.
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