Pick of the Day: 1966 Porsche 912

In the world of air cooled Porsche cars, it is harder and harder to find cars that are in any way affordable and those that are tend to need extensive work or have received some poorly conceived modifications. My first Porsche, a 1969 912 Targa was such a car. I bought the car in 1982 for the princely sum of $2,500, and on the drive home the floor pan under my seat literally dropped out of the car due to it being completely rusted. I was 16 years old and, while a fan of cars, did not know what to look for. While this might seem like a terrible experience it led me to get a job at a top Porsche repair shop when I was only a sophomore in high school, a job I had until my junior year of college. It was there that I got a thorough mechanical education and further developed my love of classic cars.

In addition, that 912 (once I had repaired it) was the perfect introduction to classic sports cars and Porsche in general. It was fun to drive, easy to service, and was a car that made me feel that I had arrived. That car was later sold, while I was still in high school to partially fund a used Ferrari, but that 912 was the car that taught me about all the things that make Porsche cars so special.

The Pick of the Day is a car that I almost did not write about as I thought of buying it myself, a 1966 Porsche 912 Coupe located in Naples, Florida.

The seller describes the car not as a show quality example, but one that offers a great opportunity to own a piece of automotive history that you can enjoy on the open road. It is painted in Ivory White, which looks to me to be Porsche factory color Light Ivory. Even though the seller states that the car has a black leather interior, I think that is an error because to my eye it looks to be a Porsche factory black vinyl interior. This is not a bad thing since the Porsche factory vinyl can last literally forever.

The seller adds that this 912 has zero rust, with nice body lines, solid floors, and no evidence of accident damage. This is important information to know, as I can tell you now that buying a rusty Porsche 911 or 912 is a very bad idea.

The seller of this 912 adds that this car is equipped with the optional 5-speed gearbox, is running its stock 1600 cc engine with original twin Solex carbs, and has covered 105,000 miles from new.

In addition recent services include new tires, new battery, new brake master cylinder, new fuel tank, new fuel pump, new distributor with an electronic ignition module, new fuel lines, and rebuilt carbs. All-in-all it sounds like the car had everything needed to make it a nice driver.

Some interesting observations I noted while looking at the photos in the listing: this 912 is a three gauge equipped car with the clock option added, making it a four gauge car. This is something I have only seen a few times and is kind of cool. The gauges are also all the correct era 1966 style with green markers instead of the later white ones that the 911 and 912 change to in late 1967.

Other important details I noticed on this car include the correct early 911/912 door cards without pockets, a factory correct 1966 Porsche steering wheel, correct Perlon grey carpets, and even a period correct radio. It also still has its early rear Porsche script and angled 912 badging, something that was often changed by owners in the 1980s to the newer style badging in an effort to make the car look more modern. All of these details lead me to believe that this 912 has lived a good life with sympathetic and understanding owners.

The car rides on factory correct Fuchs alloy wheels, something I think every early 911 should have. Yes, people love the steel wheels with hubcaps, but Porsche went to the trouble of having their designer Heinrich Klie create these wheels for the 911 and 912. I honestly think that they are the wheels that look best on every early 911 or 912.

Now for the reason I almost did not post this car. The seller is asking only $41,900 or best offer for this car. This is a very nice price, and if I were in the market I would seriously consider buying it myself as it looks like an honest example that would make a perfect entry into the world of vintage Porsche cars.

To view the listing for this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com, please click here.