Porsche 912e automatic?

[Tigg]

Hi
Asked on other forums but I have recently had a motorcycle accident and I lost my leg below the knee. My license has been changed to automatic here in the UK.
I love my 912e and is a family heirloom.

I want to convert it to automatic.

I wondered if it would be a straight swap?? Part number is 925.301.301.3R

Other numbers on the casing are 925/13 the lower line is 766 1175.

Would this fit the 912e?

Any ideas?
I

[jess p]

That auto trans was also used on the 914’s as well as some 911T from 72-75 and yes it will fit. The only challenge you may face is getting the shift assembly and a flywheel (for the starter). The Porsche 914 Haynes manual as well as the Porsche Haynes manuals that covers 911 from 1965-89 has extensive articles on the Sportomatics. If you are missing any parts I recommend calling cogscogs here in the US. They stock parts for that. Another thought I had was about Mendeola. Now they make high performance transaxles for VW/ Porsche applications. Not sure if they make a version in auto. Sorry to hear about your accident.

[jess p]

One more thought on this. Call Dr 914 at ***********. He owns a 914 Sportomatic. Now I know your car is a 912E but it will work. I own several 912’s.

[Tigg]

Hi
Thanks for your kind message.
May ask what serial numbers should I be looking for on the gearboxes??
Does the flat 6 fit the same as the flat 4?

I take it the 923 sportsmatic gearbox from the 911 doesn’t fit?

Any guidance would be most appreciated.
Many thanks

[jess p]

The sportomatic you have 925/13 came on the 76 911 Row ( rest of world). I believe it is a 3-speed auto. Many Porsche enthusiasts convert it to a 4 speed auto. Type 925/13 designates as a 3 speed auto. The gears in these automatics are the same gears found in the Porsche cars 914, 911,912 and I believe 904. If you have a sportomatic you can change the gear ratios. So depending on the engine you mate it to (power output) you can swap gears from other Porsche transaxles to accomplish what works for you. Highway driving etc.
The 925/13 designates it as a 76 box.
Other numbers may be 925.301.301.3R or 925.301.301.2R
I have never heard of a Type 923
You may want to look at the cv joints on your 912e. The 75 and earlier sportomatics used 108mm cv. This is really not a problem. I’m not sure on 76 sportomatic cv joints.
The only sportomatics I know of are the 905 and the 925
Here are some sportomatics types
925/00
925/01
925/02
925/09
925/10
925/12
925/13
925/15
925/16
925/17
Any one of these will fit in your car.

[Zuffenwerker]

Your problem is going to be the sportomatic engine oil circuit. The sportomatic uses engine oil in the torque converter. The oil is pumped with a camshaft driven oil pump on the left side of a 911 engine.(same as a 930) It returns to the oil tank after going through the converter.
There would need to be some engineering and fabrication to make it possible in a 912E. I work on a lot of sporto 911s and they are a joy to drive.

If the car was a 6 cylinder 911 it would be more of a straight forward swap. Never seen a 4 cylinder sporto car. Not sure how it could work it would have to be some auxiliary oil pump and resevoir system. Then you’d have to figure out how to mount the vacuum control valve which has a plunger that’s integrated into the throttle linkage….I think it’s possible with the right guys! Keep your hopes up and pm me if you need any advice.

[jess p]

In 1970 the 914 1.7 L type 4 was available with an auto. In addition to the vacuum server on the transaxle you would need a vacuum canister mounted within the eng. compartment. A vacuum canister can be purchased from Jegs or any of the aftermarket suppliers. I have heard of an electric torque converter that has been used on these sportomatics. As I mentioned you would need a shifter as it is unique to the sportomatic. If your sportomatic is 915 based which I believe it is and btw the earlier ones are 901 based. The 912E used the 914 type 4, 2 L. The oil pump on a 914 can be modified to provide engine oil to the converter. L&n engineering, and steve@rennsport 503-244-0990, and 815-472-2939

[JT912]

I have never heard nor seen a factory 914/4 Automatic. Yes, they made a 914/6 with a Sportomatic which would be an extremely rare car (5 cars). The 923 transmission was a 912E-only part and very similar to the 915 transmission. A possible option might be to look into a VW Autostick which are used on type 4 motors. Anything can be done with the proper amount of funds.

[JT912]

Originally Posted by jess p

In 1970 the 914 1.7 L type 4 was available with an auto.

Will you please provide links to verify this?

[jess p]

www.barnfinds.com rare 1974 914 Sportomatic. There is another one posted about a 914 1.8 in Germany. I will post that reference.

[JT912]

There are zero images or supporting evidence showing that the Copart 1974 914/4 is a Sportomatic. Labeled by Copart as an "automatic" I would be certain was the result of a lazy key-stroker.

[jess p]

Originally Posted by JT912

There are zero images or supporting evidence showing that the Copart 1974 914/4 is a Sportomatic. Labeled by Copart as an "automatic" I would be certain was the result of a lazy key-stroker.

I was at the Frankfurt auto show, Frankfurt Germany 1974. I know they exist, although very rare. My focus is to help the author of this thread. He has lost his leg and wants to keep the 912. I sympathize with him and have tried to identify what he has and How he can move forward to convert his car. It is possible to install the 925/13 trans in that vehicle provided he obtain the shifter, a vacuum canister and oil which can be accomplished via an oil cooler or from the oil pump. I’m not going to get into a pissing contest with you about wether some car existed or not.

[JT912]

The intent is to save the poster some "leg" work and have a quick link to a solution if someone has already done this swap. No pissing match.

[WFBowen]

Tigg:
First off, I'm sorry to hear about your injury. That said, I assume that the sportomatic trans will physically fit into the 912E. The downside here is that, as mentioned in prior posts, there are some modifications that you'll be faced with (the oil supply situation, shifter & cable, pedal cluster and maybe a good number of smaller bells and buzzers to complete the swap.)
I'm not sure what your specific situation is, however you might consider a so-called duck-clutch which mounts to the existing shift lever and actuates the existing clutch linkage. A second device accomplishes the same result via infrared sensor also on the existing lever. If I recall, this latter device was basically what Porsche used for the Sporto cars.
Here's a video demonstrating the duck clutch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug5UqfGNsEA
I don't know if these devices could be accepted as "automatic gearbox" by your licensing people (MOT?) but it has the advantage of being much simpler and retains the driving experience and originality of your 912E, avoiding a lengthy, costly conversion with questionable results since the 912s and E's were never equipped with such a transmission.
Good luck,
Bill