Lot 387: 1967 Porsche 912 Coupé

A ‘modern classic’ if ever there was one, Porsche’s long-running 911 arrived in 1964, replacing the 356 and providing the Stuttgart manufacturer with a product worthy of comparison with the finest sports cars from Britain and Italy. The 356’s rear-engined layout was retained, but the 911 switched to unitary construction for the bodyshell and dropped the 356’s VW-based suspension in favour of a more modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement. In its first incarnation, the 911’s single-overhead-camshaft, air-cooled flat six displaced 1,991cc and produced 130bhp; progressively enlarged and developed, it would eventually grow to more than 3 litres and, in turbo-charged form, put out well over 300 horsepower. Although widely acclaimed, the 911 was necessarily expensive, a shortcoming that Porsche addressed by offering the 912 which, though outwardly identical, was powered by the 356’s 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine. As installed in the 912 the latter produced 90bhp, some 40 horsepower less than the 911’s six, but this deficit was offset by significantly reduced weight, resulting in a better balanced car with greatly improved road manners. The 911 gearbox was used, offering a choice of four or five speeds. Despite being down on power, the 912 had a respectable top speed of 119mph, while the UK list price of £2,467 undercut the 911’s by around 16 percent. A little over 30,000 examples were produced at Karmann’s works (Porsche’s was fully occupied with the 911) between 1965 and 1968 and today the 912 is a relative rarity when compared with its better known sibling.
A left-hand drive, ex-California car restored – we are advised – at some tine prior to 1995, this 912 benefits from recent expenditure in excess of £4,000, the work including an engine top-end rebuild and full repaint. Finished in Blood Orange with black interior, the latter featuring a wood-rim steering wheel, the car has the four-speed gearbox and classic Fuchs alloy wheels. It is offered with original handbook and sales brochures, current road fund licence, MoT to April 2008 and Swansea V5 registration document.