Porsche 912E

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The year after production of the legendary 911 had commenced in 1964, Porsche introduced the identical looking 912 as an entry level model to the marque.

Although it shared its monocoque steel chassis with that of the 911, together with independent front torsion bar and trailing arm rear suspension with all-round disc brakes, the engine was taken from the outgoing 356. This was a 1,582cc flat four unit that produced 90bhp. Driving through a 5-speed gearbox it gave the car a top speed of 115mph, no match for a 911 admittedly, but with a lighter all-up weight and installed in the short-wheelbase 911 platform, it was still a fine sportscar in its own right.

The proven reliability of the 356's powerplant combined with the 911 bodywork and low price made the 912 a very attractive buy and it substantially outsold the much more expensive 911 during the first few years of production. It proved especially popular with the American market and around 30,300 were sold before it was replaced as the entry-level Porsche by the VW-designed 914 in 1969. However, the 914 proved costly to produce and relations between Porsche and VW soon deteriorated to the point where the 914 was discontinued in 1976 and the much-missed 912 was brought back.

This time around the 912E had a 2-litre VW air-cooled engine with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection which produced 86bhp and was slotted into the same galvanised body as the contemporary 911S. “In terms of materials, trim and finishing the 912E is of typically high Porsche quality,” declared American Road & Track magazine, their test driver recording a 0-60 time of 9.7 seconds and a top speed of 112mph. He summarised the E as “the prototypical road car: comfortable where the 911 is harsh, rational where the 911 is excessive.”

Only available in the USA and sold for just one year before it was replaced by the front-engined 924, only 2,099 examples of the 912E were produced and survivors are increasingly sought after today, being highly prized not just for their looks, but also for their exceptional reliability, ease of maintenance and sporty performance.

This particular car dates from 1976 and comes in a wonderfully period shade of brown. Recently imported from America with a Nova reference to show that all duties have been paid and a US Certificate of Title, it has just been thoroughly refurbished with many new parts including a tan leather Singer-style interior with new carpets; Fuchs-style polished alloys with new tyres all round; new petrol tank, sender unit and injectors; new brake discs and pads; European-spec lights; overhaul of the electrical system etc.

With some attention to the paintwork, which is somewhat poorly applied here and there, it could easily pass as a 911S costing over four times as much.