If you are thinking that I am on a Porsche kick right now you would be correct. Yes I did just do a Pick of the Day on a 1966 Porsche 912 but it’s not the same model as today’s Pick!
So, here is the story. Way back in 1975, Porsche realized that with the demise of the 914 and the upcoming 924 not yet ready, they had a gap at the low end of the market. What they decided to do was somewhat genius. They were building the 911 and they still had engines for the 914 laying round, so they decided to merge the two and build a more budget friendly car: an air cooled 4-cylinder powered 911. This was nothing new, as the 912 was in essence a 4-cylinder 911 that they built from 1964 through 1969, but this solution talked to the heritage of the company and filled a short term gap in the line.
What is most interesting is that the 912E is actually a terrific car, with better balance than the 911, considerably less expensive engine service costs, and able to deliver adequate performance, truly amazing fuel economy, and priced at around $3,000 less than the 911 it was based on. Porsche would only sell a total of 2,092 912E cars in 1976 making the 912E a bit of a rare Porsche road car of the time.
Journalists liked the 912E a lot with Road & Track magazine stating, “It’s a car with almost all the sporting virtues of the more expensive 911S. The fittings are simpler in this model although in terms of materials, trim and finishing the 912E is of high Porsche quality.”
The Pick of the Day is a 1976 Porsche 912E located at a dealer in Beverly Hills, California.
Finished in the factory color of Emerald Green Metallic over a tan cloth and vinyl interior, this looks to be a nice example of this rare model. The seller describes the car as having a 5-speed manual transmission, a 2.0 liter flat-4 cylinder engine. While these cars originally came with Bosch L-Jetronic injection, this specific car has been converted to Dellorto dual carburetors. Like all 912E models it features four-wheel disc brakes, VDO instrumentation, chrome door handles, exterior mirrors, and window trim. They add that it is riding on Bridgestone tires mounted on Fuchs-style wheels. I would check to see if they might actually be original Fuchs wheels, as that adds value to the car and I tend towards being a purist on these things. If they are not, I would still like the car but would eventually find original wheels for it.
This 912E includes its jack, spare tire, owner’s manual booklet and service receipts dating from July 1995 through December 2022.
This car is a nice example of a 912E in a good color and the asking price of $39,950 is the current market price for these cars. Sure I wish it still had the stock injection, but the carb conversion does increase the power output.
To view the listing for this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com, please click here.
