TruSpeed Motorcars | Used Porsches | Air-Cooled Porsches

The 911 was a faster, more complex and – crucially – more expensive car than the 356 which came before it. Porsche didn’t want to lose potential sales to people who couldn’t afford a 911, so it introduced the 912 in 1965.

This was essentially a 911 bodyshell fitted with the simpler four-cylinder, 1.6-litre engine from the last-of-the-line 356SC, which produced a modest 90bhp. As you’d expect the performance was reduced but still respectable for the period – 0-60mph took 11.6 seconds and the top speed was 115mph.

However, a happy side-effect of the smaller engine was that the 912 was some 130kg lighter than the 911, and because the weight-saving was at the back, the car was actually more balanced, thus making it handle better than the often tail-happy 911.

The 912 made a brief reappear in 1976 in the North American market, where it was known as the 912E.

912 badge on rear
Rear-mount, air-cooled flat-four with two Solex dual-throat carburettors

Porsche 912 ~ 1965-1969