Don't Laugh...

What is everyone's opinion on the 912? I am serious. If you saw my earlier post, I am new to the whole Porsche thing. I know they are 4 cylinders, but is there anyhing else I should know? Your help has been great, thanks...

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--Jason Liso

IMHO I just think you can get a 911 for almost the same money or just a little more. If you have a personal thing about a 912, I say buy it and have fun.

Would I have one as part of my ultimate collection? Oh Yes!

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Mark Isaak
'74 Targa

Thanks, I just am so bombarded with the whole Porsche thing. I have always loved the cars, and when my friends Dad got one, I caught the bug. I am still trying to sell my car, but am searching the market now. There is a 76 912E for sale around here with all three of the options (elec. mirrors,sunroof and 15" wheels). Is the 76E a collectors car since it is the last of them?

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--Jason Liso

That sounds like a neat car. I do not know enough about the 912 to say if its a collector. Be sure to get the VIN when you look at it. That is the key to the factory history of the car.

Will it be a daily driver or a weekend car? I only ask because a daily driver will need to be in good to great shape.

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Mark Isaak
'74 Targa

What do you want to know about the 912E? I've had one for years, and I love it. I actually bought a 911 after I had the 912E for a while. I thought it was a step up and the evolutionary move in Porsche ownership. Well, I sold the 911 3.2 Carrera about five or six months after I bought it.

I used to drive my 912E daily. I've put nearly 25,000 miles on it since 98! It's reliable, engine is durable and torquey, it's not exactly fast but it's quick enough for me. Plus, it's better balanced than the 911.

Mine has the sunroof and wheels. I switched to 16in. Fuchs, then to fully polished ATS Cookies, and I have a set of the original steel wheels with the chrome Porsche hubcaps that were standard, but not common.

The neat thing about a 912E is that it is the last air-cooled four cylinder Porsche ever built. That's a long line of cars, from the Gmund coupes, all iterations of the 356, the spyders, early 912 (1965-1969) and so on.

When I take it to car shows it always draws a lot of attention. It's unique. I can promise you that your 912E will rarely if ever be accompanied by another one at a show. They only built 2099 of them. I've never seen another one on the road, and I live in a relatively large area (Pittsburgh, PA). We have the largest vintage car race in the country here, and at the corresponding car shows there are thousand of old car and hundreds of sports cars. I have the only 912E I've ever seen there.

If the price is right, I'd go for it. I love mine. Let me know if you have any questions that I might be able to help with. My email address is ddc118@hotbot.com

Also, check out: 912registry.org

Best of luck

Dave

The 912 E was made for only one year....it has a injection system that was made for that model only and a 914 engine...parts are hrad to find....

I'd say a 912 is comparable to getting a 356. It's a nice looking car, but it's not a performer -- at least in the way Americans tend to see a performance car. It's light, agile and not as heavy in the rear as a 911. Great on twisting roads and light for nimble turns. But -- especially by contemporary standards -- it's not a car with a whole lot of punch. If it would bother you to be overtaken by some lady in an Accord, then you might want to look at six cylinders.

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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T sunroof coupe

That's about right, the 912E doesn't have a whole lot of "punch". And, that's not the first time I've heard of a 912 being anologized to a 356-type experience. In fact, my mechanic tells me driving my 912E reminds him of a 356! It's light, nimble, etc.

The injection is not exactly the same as that used on a 914. It's similar but I think the 914 has the D Jetronic whereas the 912E has a rare "L" Jetronic. That might be reversed. The last 914 in my family was sold in about 1973! Plus, my 912E has had the injection replaced with twin Weber 40's, (which give a tad more power), so I'm not up on my injection systems anymore.

If the one you are looking at has a sound and functional injection system, I'd say leave it alone. They're supposed to be reliable. Parts are not super hard to find, and a good wrench who knows Bosch injection should be able to maintain it.

FYI, the 912E was rated at something like 35mpg on the highway. With the gas tank of a 911 (23 gallons or so), the 912E will go a long, long way between fill ups! I get great gas mileage in mine. I think I read somewhere once that the 912E has the longest range of all Porsches.

Something to think about: it's not "fast" like a 911. But the early 911 models, especially the non-"S" models, aren't really all that fast either. No doubt the 912E is a lot slower, but a new Accord in a 5spd is probably faster to 60mph than a stock 911T anyway. No matter which is faster or slower, nothing matches the visceral appeal of an old air-cooled Porsche. I think that holds true for a four or six cylinder!

The 912 E has L jet FI...on a 2.0 with a 914 motor...the only 914 with L Jet was a 1.8...completely different...the car is a one off model....

I would say that it "vaguely" resmbles a 356 and/or an earlier 912....this
'was' a nice car, but not supported by parts and the factory....watch your butt,,,,,,

Please be advised...I am not trashing the 912E...I think it's a great car...just that you can't find parts for the engine, FI and smog if you live in a smog state.....


[This message has been edited by mikez (edited 10-22-2000).]

Jack Olsen is exactly right. Remember, the population doesn't really know much about your 912 (if you get one) except the general style and the Porsche name. You will get stomped by Joe Cool in is Maxima. Parts as just as hard to find and expensive for that car as any porsche which is Exactly the reason cars like 914 are wholly unworth investment.
As the owner of a 914 for many years, I'll say, I wish it Didn't say Porsche on it. Really, I do, cause 16 year old Peter the Pecker in his Mommy's minivan could pass me waving, after giving me a 2 second head start.
You will be trying to increase the power, I guarantee it, within a few months, and you'll waste money trying to do so.
Go with an older 911. A 6 cylinder is an absolute must. Just my opinion


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Kurt B
1984 911 Carrera Cabriolet
75 914 1.8

Ahh, at last-us 912 guys get a little attention-lol. The original, early 912's were sold as entry-level models for those that could not afford the big price jump from the the last of the 356's to the (then) new 911-or preferred the simplicity of the familar air-cooled flat four. 912's are 90% 911's-the chassis, body, transmissions, and most of the interior are the same as a like-year base 911-the engines, of course, are completly different, and there are other details-like the 3 guage dash in the early cars, the lack of a rear sway bar, torsion bar rates and such, but nothing really major. The '76 912E was a one-year only car (it's engine is basically a VW Type 4/Van engine) sold as a stop-gap measure between the end of 914 production and the start of 924 production-Porsche felt it needed to sell something as an entry-level car. My '66 912 project is a little past halfway done, and yeah, I might have to be careful on the streets up against Junior and his Accord with the big, obnoixious exhast tip-but if all I was worried about straight line acceleration, I would have kept my 5.0 Mustang-(0-60 5.8 secs with 2.73s!). Autocross courses are what I have in planned for my little Porsche when it emerges from it's restoration/rebuild/upgrade cocoon with a stroked and bored 2.1 liter flat four, poly bushings, Lexan windows, etc, etc. More details on my site(see below). These 911 guys tolerate me in here 'cause the 912 board gets so few posts-:>

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Clay Mcguill www.geocities.com/the912guy

Sorry but I disagree with parts being tough to get for a 914. I've owned 5 different ones & have never had a problem getting any part for my 914s either from Pelican, dealer, or parts yard. And you're way off stating that the 914 should have never carried the name. First of all you don't get a 914 or 912 for speed! You get it for it's agility in the corners etc. If you know your history about Porsche the 914 or 912 wasn't built for speed so any buyer should know that before they purchase one. Just my two cents.

not to mention that the 912 has a racing history unto itself in Porsche history. Isn't the 912 the hill climb racer? I thought I read that somewhere.

Just to respectfully disagree regarding 914 parts. Brake calipers are virtually unobtainable at a reasonable price if you want new ones, yet they're so crappily designed that the rear calipers get the adjustment allen screw cap frozen and you can't replace the pads or adjust the E brake. Which is why 914 ebrakes never f'ing work. And the calipers cost the same as 911 calipers If You Can Find them, so do other parts. The brain boxes are expensive...in fact virtually everything is expensive but go price 914s in the paper.
A 914 doesn't look like a 911. No one expects it to accelerate like one either. And if you have a 6 cylinder, you can surprise them a bit. The problem with the 912s is that they look and talk like 911s but they definitely don't Walk like 911s.
I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather avoid getting spanked and then explaining, "No, it's the 911s that will stay with you light to light, not 912s...sorry for the confusion."

And I'm Not ridiculing the cars. I'm just saying, hey, I wish I had held out for the fastest Porsche I could get rather than take the 84 carrera thinking it was "fast enough" for me. It's quick, but I could have done better if I had not settled so quickly.




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Kurt B
1984 911 Carrera Cabriolet
75 914 1.8

Ahhhh the 912 lives!

I must say several of you folks are right, the 912 is certinaly not a stoplight racecar of any sorts. DO NOT I repeat DO NOT race kids (or adults) who want to race you so they can brag about beating a Porsche in a drag race because belive me you will loose if you're in a 912

However you should challenge them to a roadrace. I've smoked so many so called "PERFORMANCE" cars on the curvy backroads of Kentucky in my underpowered Porsche. From 00 LS1 F-bods to C4 Vettes you name it they've been beat in my 912

Maybe it's just because the car has a rollcage, racing harness and a nut behind the wheel I don't know but I've put a lot of high dollar V8 American cars 6-feet under with it.

I got my 912 at a bargain, the car is currently in the body shop getting all new paint, a few new interior pieces and a few more upgrades including new tires

I wouldn't take triple my money back for the car. And yes triple what I paid for it would be way over market value for the car. I wanted a 69-72 911 for so long but jsut couldn't afford it.

If it wasn't for this 912 having came along at just the right time I would probably be driving some riced out car and never got to experince the ownership of an aircooled Porsche (I had a 944 and theres no comparison).

912s are darn good cars as well as an excellent idea.

BUY ONE!

Later,
Dustin