It is no secret that early Porsche prices have reached the stratosphere.  356s and 911s are selling in the six digits with regularity.  What about the four-cylinder 912s?  Have prices for pristine lesser Porsches also pushed past the plateau of sanity?  If you are looking for a good bellwether for the 912 marketplace, check out this gorgeous 1968 Porsche 912 for sale on eBay in Charleston, South Carolina with 76,846 miles on the odometer.  Still wearing its well-kept original finish, bidding on this Porsche is currently at $46,300 with just four days to go.  Where do you think it will top out at?

Many today don’t remember the 912.  When the 911 debuted in 1965, a four-cylinder variant was also sold as both a less expensive model and as an insurance policy in case the flat-six engine was not as successful as Porsche hoped.  The large difference in price between a new 911 and the outgoing 356 was a real concern for a company that had just one car to sell.  The 912 was produced through 1969, with the 914 taking over the lower end of the market from 1970-1976.  Interestingly, the 912 returned for 1976.  It came equipped with the 2.0 liter Volkswagen flat-four also found in the outgoing 914.

The 912 was a very good car regardless of the 911’s existence.  The flat-four from the 356 was a proven engine, and 912s managed to get as much as 30 MPG on the highway.  Customers could also order most 911 options, such as a Targa top.  Handling was comparable to that on a base 911 as well.  The 911’s notoriety has traditionally always created a large gap in the values between the two cars.  However, the recent craze for all things vintage Porsche has pushed the prices of these once-affordable Porsches beyond what we would have expected a few decades ago.

The big selling point of this Porsche 912 is that it still wears its original Irish Green finish 55 years later.  That is incredibly important for several reasons.  First and foremost, vehicles of this age that are as they left the showroom floor are a rarity.  You can learn a lot about how a vehicle like this was built by examining it closely.  Second, the bodies on 911s and 912s are prone to rusting.  An original finish vehicle of this caliber has been sitting in a garage somewhere for nearly all of those 55 years.  Rust hasn’t even had a chance here.

As you can tell by the pictures, this is a well-cared-for Porsche.  The seller tells us that both the paint and interior are original and that it also comes with original documentation.  Even the original keys are included in the sale.  A look inside shows a tiny bit of fading in the black carpet and a few wrinkles in the seat material.  Other than that, there is little to be concerned with.

One area that draws the eye is the entertainment system.  There is a plate where one would expect a factory radio to be, but a silver radio-like fixture under the dash.  The doors also seem to wear a very eighties set of speakers.  If any of our readers have any knowledge about what we are seeing here on this otherwise very original car, please let us know in the comments.

It will be very interesting to see what this amazing Porsche will top out at in the auction.  If it were a 911, it would probably be well over $100,000 by now.  Whoever ends up with this 912 will likely be very happy.  These are well-built, very balanced sports cars that earned a following for a reason.