The 912 designation was revived in 1976 to again provide dealers with a low-end product after 914 production ceased. To fill in the gap before the 924 arrived in 1977, a variation of the 914 2.0-liter was installed in the 911 and sold as the 912E. The 912E's fuel-injected engine developed 86 bhp at 4900 rpm to go from 0 to 60 mph in 11.3 sec. Options included 5.5 x 14-in. alloy wheels. Porsche produced 2,099 912E models, listing for $10,845 compared to $13,845 for a virtually identical looking, but with nicer interior, 911S coupe.
In total, Porsche made a little fewer than 33,000 912s. The 1967 models differed from the earlier cars by including the five-gauge dash as standard equipment and offering 4.5 x 15-in. Fuchs alloys as an option. In 1968, U.S. safety and emissions laws mandated sidemarker lights (these disappeared in 1969), a dual-circuit brake system, and air pump-driven smog controls (also gone in 1969). Standard wheel width increased to 5.5 in. as did that of the optional 15-in. Fuchs alloys. The 1969 cars featured the longer wheelbase, upgraded interior and optional 6 x 15-in. Fuchs wheels.
Owning And Driving A 912We assembled a cross section of 912 owners and their vehicles to get a firsthand look at the 912 ownership experience.
Ken Fish has put a little over 90,000 miles on his immaculate 1969 Targa since the day he traded in a red 1965 356 to buy it new. Ken takes pride in keeping his car as original as possible, including having the original distributor rebuilt as opposed to replacing it. His car is a frequent entrant, and class winner, at PCA concours events.
John Benton, on the other hand, has put his 1968 912 through many transitions during his 16 years of ownership. John's fondness for 912s goes back to his senior prom in high school, when he borrowed his cousin's 912 for the big event and "had more fun with the car than I did with my date."
Presumably things went better romantically for John after he purchased his own 912 from its original owner in 1986, did a mechanical restoration, and then took it on a honeymoon drive from L.A. to San Francisco. It then went into service as his daily driver until he attended a Porsche Owner's Club track event in the early '90s.
"I ripped it apart to make it a racecar," he said. He installed a rollcage and made major modifications to the suspension, brakes and engine. After running near the top of the POC time sheets for four years, John detuned the engine (compression ratio decreased from 10.5:1 to 9.3:1) and converted his car for high-performance street duty.
"The 912 makes a great tourer," Benton said. "It gets great gas mileage and has lots of room for traveling. On the racetrack it has better balance than a 911; it's more neutral. And the maintenance is easier to deal with."
Independent film producer Brian Maeda collects classic VWs and sold a 356 that he owned for 20 years to buy his restored black 912E two years ago. Our other 912E owner, Brad Hooper, has always dreamed of owning a 356 cabriolet but considers his red 912E as an acceptable and affordable substitute. The L.A. Police officer never drove a 912E until he purchased his car from a neighbor four years ago.
"I'm the guy they made the 912E for," he exclaimed. "I like the look and feel of the 911, but not the expense or the temperament. The 912E is the best of both worlds. It has the look of a later 911, but the maintenance is nothing-just an oil change and a tune-up."
Hooper sums up his 912E, which has 145,000 miles, as "an affordable, everyday Porsche."
No matter which version they own, all our 912 owners agree that for them the 912 combines the best of both worlds with the looks, handling and comfort of a 911 but with a mechanical package that is less temperamental and expensive to maintain. They also don't mind the tradeoff between slower acceleration and more miles per gallon.