The one most enthusiasts overlooked.
Why the 912 existed
When the 911 launched in 1964, it was expensive. Porsche needed an entry-level car to fill the gap left by the discontinued 356, and the 911 alone was not going to do it. The answer was the 912 — a 911 body with a four-cylinder engine borrowed from the 356SC. Launched in April 1965, the 912 cost noticeably less than the 911 and offered most of the same package.
The four-cylinder engine was the air-cooled 1.6 liter unit from the 356, putting out around 90 horsepower. Less power than the 911's 130. But the 912 also weighed approximately 100 kilograms less than the 911, with more weight on the front axle thanks to the smaller engine. The handling balance was different — more neutral, less rear-biased.
What it sold for
In 1965, a 911 cost approximately $6,500 in the United States. A 912 cost approximately $4,700. For a buyer who wanted the new sports car shape and the air-cooled boxer character but could not justify the 911 price, the 912 was the answer.
It sold in surprising numbers. Across the 1965 through 1969 production run, Porsche built approximately 32,000 912s — more than the equivalent-year 911 figures in many markets.
The 912E
The 912 was discontinued in 1969 in favor of the 914 — a mid-engine four-cylinder Volkswagen-Porsche joint venture. But in 1976, the 912 made a one-year return for the United States market only. The 912E used a 2.0 liter air-cooled flat-four borrowed from the contemporary Volkswagen Bus, with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection. Approximately 2,100 were built. They wore G-body 911 sheetmetal and look nearly identical to a base-trim 911 of the same year.
Why enthusiasts love it
The 912 is the lightest 911-bodied car Porsche ever made. The handling is different — the front-rear balance is more even than any flat-six car. The sound is different — a four-cylinder boxer chatter rather than the six's deeper note. The driving experience is closer to a 356 than to a contemporary 911.
For years, the 912 was the cheap entry into air-cooled ownership. That is changing. Clean 912s now bring more than $40,000 at auction, and the 912E specifically has appreciated rapidly because of its one-year-only status and the involvement of period Bosch fuel injection.