Have a working title so let’s fill in some details!
A little bit about me:
Prior to the ownership of this ’76 912E in June 2019, I have pretty much played exclusively in the Mazda Miata world since 1991. There were other shorter term affairs that weaved their ways into my car life during those times such as modern MINIs, E46 wagon, first generation Broncos, and a classic Corvette or two. But primarily, it was the first gen Miata for me. Rear wheel drive, simple to work on, lightweight, good handling, great shifting, and 100% affordable. Overall, I have had 19 of them – and 82.7% of those were in the sub $2,100 price point. My job allowed me to travel the back roads of North Carolina, and my favorite past time was to seek out the 3rd row of used car lots and messy backyards to hopefully spot a dilapidated early Miata that deserved to a second chance on life. And I was the guy for that job. I loved to bring home a sad Mazda that needed, used motor swap, interior refurb, clutch installation, soft top replacement, or whatever.
It was a self-sustaining hobby for many years as I would fix up, drive for 6 months and pretty much sell for what I had in it. Occasionally, I would abscond with the removeable Hard Top on several occasions and add them to my parts stash. I don’t hunt, I don’t fish, and I don’t play golf – shop time is my relaxation and brief escape from what pays the bills M – F.
A new job in 2012 came about and took more of my time with travel up and down the East Coast so no more serious Miata hunting in my future. But that was okay as I was dead set on a GM LS Swap in my favorite 1994 Miata. That transformation took about 18 months as I completed a rather thorough swap of 400hp drivetrain and unique suspension parts to build what I think was a rather fine V8Roadster in that I had always said was a “forever” car.
Insert build thread here:
https://www.v8miata.net/general-motors-v8-miata-build-threads-53/v8r-sloooww-build-94-miata-north-carolina-794/
A Mazda photo or two tossed in:
Well…, it moved on to its next owner after a successful No Reserve BaT auction in Dec 2020 to help recover some previously spent funds for the star of this build thread.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-mazda-mx-5-miata-55/
And the 912E-3.0 was purchased earlier in June 2019 at same interweb sensation:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-porsche-912e-16/
So, as you can see – the two weren’t very far about in $$ and sense.
So, Mrs. ToySnake was not a fan of the V8Miata but always liked the look of Porsche vehicles. …Well, me too! I have always dreamed of a 911SC after seeing them up close parked in the infield at my first Road Atlanta / IMSA race in spring of 1980 as a young teenager. That did it for me. I was smitten. Problem was that as I got older, the used 911SC market somehow always stayed just above my reach for decades – and maybe even more so in today’s market, lol..!
So in 2019, I think I broke the bell curve for 912E’s when I spotted this car on BaT and wasn’t really in the market for one prior to that moment cruising through the list of current auctions. But this car spoke to me, the owner (a good Pelican) represented it well/ communicated well, and I dove in headfirst with no consideration of PPI, fortune teller, tax advisor, nothing! I was lucky – I wanted the car more than the next guy, and I’ve never been more pleased with this automotive purchase. Took my brother and an open wheel trailer to the distant Northeast to retrieve what turned out to be a little solid car. No rust. Tidy. But as I later learned that there was a world of Porsche enthusiasts hanging out on the Pelican, some sweet aftermarket hotrod parts, and lots of support to help me make this car mine. This car was in need of some personality enhancement so it could better hang with its newfound air-cooled friends in the Raleigh area. And THAT has been the best unexpected surprise of vintage Porsche ownership – the people! The Pelican has been my daily internet hangout since 2019, and the local air-cooled guys and gals in Raleigh-Durham are a blast to be with on those brisk Saturday morning BBQ runs that run all over the backroads of central NC.
So that sorta sums up me. This thread will document the updates and various projects that I’ve either already done or have on the horizon for this pretty little narrow-hip middie. I’ve got several projects "while you're in there" going on this summer in my shop with this coupe, and that has got me motivated to start a thread here on the Pelican that has been so good me - entertain and educate on the wonders and idiosyncrasies of these special cars.
What’s a thread without photos? Not much! Here’s a few pics to kick things off. I’ll get my pictures and thoughts together in the coming days for some upcoming posts to help track the progress forward - and probably backwards as well – of this sweet little coupe.
Gratuitous Porsche photos here:
Best regards,
Patrick