1965 Porsche 912

Porsche's simplistic model lineup created a unique set of problems when it came time to replace its beloved and long-lived 356 sports car, which had established a reputation for its high quality, high performance, and competitive pricing. Its replacement would have to be as successful as its predecessor and retain its loyal followers while tempting new customers into Porsche ownership. Initially, sales of the new 1964 Porsche 911 were disappointing, partially due to its price and the continuing demand for the 356, which was scheduled to be phased out. Porsche tackled both of these issues with a more appropriately priced, four-cylinder, entry-level version of the 911 dubbed the 912 (initially 902).

Dimension Compairson

- The Porsche 356 had an 82.7-inch wheelbase and was 65.4 inches wide.

- The Porsche 911 initially had an 87-inch wheelbase and a length of 168.9 inches.

- The Porsche 912 had an 87-inch wheelbase and a length of 162.8 inches.

1965 Engine Comparison

The Porsche 356 was powered by a horizontally opposed, overhead-valve, air-cooled four-cylinder engine displacing 96.5 cubic inches (1,582 cc) and having four main bearings, solid valve lifters, a light alloy block and heads, and two carburetors. It produced 75 (DIN) horsepower at 3,600 RPM. The optional 1600 SC variant had higher compression (9.5:1 compared to 8.5:1) and produced 95 (DIN) horsepower at 5,800 RPM. Both versions produced 88 lbs-ft of torque at 4,200 RPM.

The Porsche 911 was equipped with a horizontally opposed, overhead-cam, air-cooled six-cylinder engine displacing 121.5 cubic inches (1,991cc) with eight main bearings, two Solex carburetors, 9.0:1 compression, and delivering 130 (DIN) horsepower at 6,100 RPM and 129 lbs-ft of torque at 4,200 RPM.

The Porsche 912 had the same four-cylinder engine as the 'base' 356, displacing 1,582cc and fitted with a pair of Solex carburetors. With a compression ratio of 9.3:1, it produced 90 (DIN) horsepower at 5,800 RPM and 91 lbs-ft of torque at 3,500 RPM.

1965 Mechanical Comparison

Both the 356 and the 912 were equipped with a four-speed manual transmission in the rear transaxle. The 912 could also be fitted with a five-speed manual unit (the 911 used a five-speed).

The Porsche 356 was suspended by parallel trailing arms with transverse laminated torsion bars and anti-roll bar at the front. The rear used swing axles with transverse torsion bars. Both the 911 and 912 used an independent rear setup with semi-trailing arms and transverse torsion bars. At the front were MacPherson struts with single lower transverse A-arms, anti-roll bar, and longitudinal torsion bars.

The Porsche 356 used a ZF worm and lever steering setup, while the 911 and 912 had rack and pinion.

Disc brakes at the front and rear provided the stopping power for the 356, 911, and 912.

1965 Bodystyle Comparison

- The Porsche 356 was offered as a 2+2 Coupe and a Cabriolet

- The Porsche 911 and 912 were solely offered as a 2+2 Coupe

1965 Price Comparison

- The Porsche 356 listed between $4,100 and $4,875 depending on body style and engine configuration

- The Porsche 911 listed at $6,490

- The Porsche 912 was priced at $4,690 with the four-speed and $4,770 with the five-speed transmission.

Production of the 356 concluded on April 5, 1965.

First available to European customers by June 1965, the Porsche 912 quickly became a market leader, a trend that continued when it went on sale in the United States. Beyond just the differences in engine size, the 912 lacked some standard features found on the 911, but not enough to deter a multitude of buyers. The enticing price of the 912 was more appealing than the more powerful engine of the 911, allowing the 912 to outsell its six-cylinder sibling by approximately 188% in 1966. During a five-year manufacturing lifespan, Porsche produced nearly 30,000 examples of the 912 coupe and approximately 2,500 of the Targa body style (the Targa production began in December 1966).

by Dan Vaughan

In 1963 Porsche executives decided to introduce a new four-cylinder entry-level model with 356 engine power for the European market. Initially, the new car was known at Zuffenhausen as a number with a zero in the middle, 902, like it's predecessor 911 (original internal factory designation '901'). This '902' designation was never used publicly and after 1968 the '912' project number was used to indicate the 12 cylinder flat-engine developed for the Porsche 917 racing car.

Paul Hensler, eventual Chief Departmental Manager for Development, Mechanics, was assigned the project in 1963 by Porsche to supervise the design and implementation of a new horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine for the 902. It was up to Hensler to use components from the new 901 six-cylinder engine and produce a higher performance than with their 356SC engine, all while keeping costs lower than their Carrera 2 engine. Claus von Rücker proposed increasing the displacement of the 356 Type 616 engine to 1.8 liters, add Kugelfischer fuel injection, and modify cooling and valve systems. Porsche chose not to go with either of these design projects and instead decided to modify the 1.6-liter Type 616 engine to the 902.

Chassis numbers 13328, 13329, 13330, 13352, and 13386 through 13397 had been set aside by the Porsche Vehicle Research Department for research testing of the 902 before 911 production began in 1964. Today the oldest 902 known to exist is Serial Number 13394. The Type 912 was a mishmash of Porsche products composed of a 911 chassis/bodyshell powered by a 1.6L, four-cylinder, push-rod Type 616/36 engine that was inspired by the Type 616/16 engine used in the Type 356SC of 1964-65. Though the Type 616/36 engine had five less horsepower than the 616/16 with a lower compression ratio and new Solex carbs, it still delivered the same maximum torque at 3,500 rpm compared to 4,200 rpm for the 616/16.

On April 5, 1965 Porsche officially began production of the 912 coupe as the 356 model production ended. After the Spring of 1965 order for 356s were no longer taken and production officially ended in September 1965. Manufactured as Porsche's entry-level offering, the 912 was a sports car introduced in 1965 through 1969. The type 912 was a variant of the legendary Type 911 and an efficient compact performance four-seater that delivered 90 hp at 5800 rpm. Because of the high-efficiency petrol engine, low drag and low weight the Porsche 912 was capable of up to 30-mpg fuel economy. The production Type 912 vehicle featured excellent weight distribution, handling, and range compared to the 911. Wanting to the keep the 912 price near the 356 Porsche deleted some of the standard featured on the 911.

In June of 1965 the 912 was first available to European customers, and soon became a market leader, predominantly in the USA. The 912 was especially popular in the US where many of today's Register Members car originated. During the first few years of the 912 production, the sports car actually outsold the 911 nearly two to one in 1966. The appealing 912 had smart styling and performance that made it very popular with new and old Porsche buyers, and the price, reliability and good construction only made it more attractive.

The Porsche 912 was a good transitional car between the 356 and the 911. The 912 was similar to the 356, and appreciated by the public for its power, exceptional aerodynamics, ergonomics, and style. The 912 weighs around 250 pounds less with the flat-four than a standard 911 of the same year, which greatly improved the front-rear weight distribution. The Porsche 912 was a 'green' low-fuel consumption car thanks to its low-weight, low-drag, and fuel efficiency, many years before hybrid vehicles became as popular as they are now. In 1967 the 912 won Car and Driver's 'Readers Choice' Poll for its class.

During a five-year manufacturing run Porsche produced nearly 30,000 912 coupe's and around 2,500 912 Targa body styles. In December 1966, production of the Targa, Porsche's patented variation of the Targa, was introduced as a 1967 model. The Targa came with a removable roof and heavy transparent plastic rear windows that opened with a zipper. Porsche transformed the Targa into a coupe with a removable roof in January of 1968 with a Targa 'Version II' option with a fixed glass rear window.

The German autobahn police (polizei) received a special version Type 912. The 100,000th Porsche car was outfitted into a 912 Targa for the police of Baden-Württemberg, the home state of Porsche.

After the 1969 model year, Porsche chose to discontinue the 912 production. At the time production facilities for the 912 were being used by the new 914-6, which was a six-cylinder high-performance version of the 914 Porsche-Volkswagen joint effort vehicles. The second reason behind Porsche's decision was that the 911 platform had returned to Porsche's traditional three performance-level ladders that included the powerful 911S, a fuel-injected 911E, and the base model 911T. U.S. emission controls also played a big role in the decision as stringent controls made it a lot of effort to make the 912 compliable.

The four-cylinder 914 superseded the Type 912 in 1970 as Porsche's entry-level model. Porsche believed that the 914 would be a little less expensive to sell and manufacture than the 912. Unfortunately, the 914 was soon discontinued in early 1976. In 1967 the 912 costs around £2,428.

As a 1976 model, the 912 was re-introduced to the U.S. auto market after a six-year absence as the 912E (internal factory designation 923). The new 912 models shared the 'G-Series' bodywork with the 911S and was powered by an 86 bhp 2.0 L Volkswagen air-cooled engine. The engine was refined with a new Bosch L-Jetronic (Air Flow Controlled) fuel injection system. The 912E took the entry-level space left by the 914. During this time the new 924, another Porsche-Volkswagen joint effort car, and the official replacement of the 914 were being finalized and put into production. Aimed at the U.S. market, around 2,00 of the 912 E were produced from May 1975 until July 1976.

Over the years the Porsche 912 has proven its capability also as a successful racecar. Sold to the public for street use, the 912 even made Porsche factory rally history when Polish driver Sobiesław Zasada was behind the wheel of a factory-loaned 912 to win the European Rally Championship for Group 1 series touring cars. Zasada drove once again in the 1967 Rally of Poland, the second oldest rally in the world, and one of the oldest motorsport events worldwide, in his 912 race No. 47 and finished first overall. The 1967 Rally of Poland had a starting field of 50 entries.

On January 29, 2012, Hayden Burvill, Alastair Caldwell finished first in class in their #35 1968 Porsche 912 as a vintage rally car, and 7th overall in the 2012 London to Cape Town World Cup Rally. The rally was a 14 country, three-continent, 8,699 miles, 26 driving-days events.

Sources:

http://www.912registry.org/history.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_912

http://www.912register.co.uk/porsche912histor.html

by Jessican Donaldson