The Forgotten Love-child: Porsche 912
Year: 1965 – 1969 and 1975
By 1963, the Porsche 911 had already found it’s way to the showrooms, and is as much appreciated 40 years later as it was in 1963. While quite a few thousands found their way into customer garages, there was a certain Porsche model, that was working wonders for Porsche in it’s production run of four years, the Porsche 912.
What came to be known as the poor man’s Porsche, for those not fortunate enough to own the fabulous flat-six endowed 911, earned itself quite a cult following. The 912, was supposed to ease the transition from the 356s to the 911s, and was fondly known as the 356D. The 356 loyalists could swear by the same quality of construction, aerodynamics, ergonomics and quality of construction in the 912. The interiors were much reminiscent of the 356s design.
So much so, that in 1965, the 912 outsold the 911 by two cars to one. Any critics whatsoever, were easily dismissed when this feat was achieved again in the year 1966, this time the ratio being almost three cars to one. The ‘100,000th’ car built by Porsche was a 912 Targa Polizei car for the Badem-Wurttemburg state police. The 912 also won the 1967 Car and Driver’s ‘Reader’s Choice’ poll for it’s class. Production eventually slowed down in 1968 and 1969, when focus was shifted to the quicker 911s, and eventually was retired off the production lines in 1969, to give way to the Karmann-built 914. By this time, almost 33,000 of these 912 found their way into the hearts of enthusiasts. However much to the industry’s surprise, the 912 reappeared in the lineup, as the 912E, using the then new 914’s engine. But more on that later.
The two-door coupe, had a rear mounted four-cylinder , air-cooled Boxer engine, in true Porsche tradition, displacing all of 1582 cubes of air. This, for those can remember, was the same flat-four that did duty in the late 356s too. This engine resided in the external body which was same as the 911, albeit 250 pounds lighter. The engine produced 90 bhp and 86 lb/ft of torque, to lend the car brisk performance in the form of a 0-60 mph time of 11.6 secs, on to a top whack of a 115 mph. Porsche offered an option of a four-speed or racing pattern five-speed transmission. Disc brakes were standard all around, as was four wheel independent suspension with torsion bars. This made the 912 a much nimble handler and won acclaim for it’s traits. In 1969, the famous racing great Mark Donohue, tested the 912 for Car and Driver and said, ”And you've got to admire them [Porsche] for getting so much out of a relatively small engine, even the 912 - although I was most impressed with the handling. The cars have remarkable suspension systems.” Recaro seats were standard and the options included air-conditioning, three-point seatbelts and electric sunroof. The interesting bit about the 1965 and the 1966 912s were the Nadella halfshafts, which they shared with the notorious 904 and 906 racers. Advantages of the Nadella Halfshafts:
1). They can withstand high amounts of torque, hence the racing application.
2). The joints are sealed.
3). Extra points in a concours.
Of course they had their disadvantages too, they weren’t constant velocity joints and could not be easily rebuilt. Also, the integral mechanism to allow axial movement was not symmetric, so when extended they could be unbalanced, which could create extra vibrations.
The 912 Targa
The Targa prototype was unveiled at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show. Porsche’s Targa assembly line took shape in 1988, and built one 912 Targa for every ten 911 Targa produced. The Targa was more expensive than the Coupe, but air conditioning was standard equipment and did not hamper engine performance. About 2500+ Targa were produced, which was less than 10% of all 912s made. The Targa had a flat ‘safety hoop’ rollbar which supported both a lift-off folding top and separate rear window. Wind tunnel testing revealed that the with the top down, and the windows up, resulted in minimum interior turbulence, even at high speeds. The 1967 910/6 racing prototype had appeared with the window up/ top off configuration.
The 912E (Type 923)
The fuel-injected 912 appeared in 1975 for one model year only and primarily for the USA. The 914 production had just ceased and the 924 was yet to arrive, so the 912E was introduced to bridge the gap. The 912E came with a 914-derived 2.0 litre flat-six engine. Power figures stood at a 90 bhp and 98 lb/ft of torque. Top speed came in at 110mph while 0-60 mph took a more earthly 13.0 seconds. The car was also heavier than its predecessor by almost 178 kgs. Five-speed transmission came as standard though. The 1976 fuel crisis and lowered American speed limits made the 912E a practical choice. With a 21 U.S. gallon fuel tank and a fuel efficient engine, it was probably the Porsche with the longest range ever too, at almost 600+ miles. Options offered included electric sunroof, limited slip differential and airconditioning. Only 2 Targa 912Es were ever built, and hence extremely rare. The 2099th 912E built, was the last air-cooled flat-four powered Porsche built.
Racing 912s
A Porsche that does not go racing, is not a Porsche. Like it’s predecessors the 912s had their share of racing heritage too, if not as glamourous as the 356s. Factory Rally kits were available which included anti-roll bars, racing brake pads and dead pedal rests. In 1967, a Polish racing driver by the name of Sobieslaw Zasada etched 912s name in Porsche racing history by winning the European Rally Championship for touring cars. In October that year he entered the Grand Prix of Argentina, a five-stage 3307 km grueling race patterned after the Carrera Panamericana, in which his 911 (rumours are it was a 912 with a different engine) was the sole Porsche amongst 376 competitors and he won. Today 912/E competition racers regularly take part in vintage races, autocross, rally events and the occasional hill climbs.