UPDATE: 12/31/2021: It seems that the owner of this 1976 Porsche 912 is determined that it should go to a new home, as he has chosen to list it for sale on a second site to double his chances of success. Therefore, if it disappears from the original Craigslist listing, you will find it offered for sale here on Facebook. Its price, location, and other details remain unchanged.
12/27/2021: This 1976 Porsche 912 retains striking Arrow Blue paint over classic polished Fuchs wheels, and looks downright tidy from end-to-end with claims of no rust to be found. The 912 was bought new by the seller way back in August of 1976, and has been with him ever since. It must have been nice walking into a Porsche dealership and being able to buy an entry-level sports model that looked like the 911 but offered buyers a bit of a discount. Those days are long gone, so perhaps reliving them in a car like this is one way to remind yourself of how pure the sports car experience used to be before it became a wasteland of technology and car flippers. Find the 912 here on craigslist with an asking price of $48,000 and under 50,000 documented miles.
I’m still in awe on occasion about these stories of sellers who walked into the Porsche dealer, at what – 30? – and drove off in a brand new sports car. If a 912 cost around $10,845 in 1976, that works out to be over $50,000 with the inflation calculator. Aside from the money market guys and hedge fund sharks, I’m always curious who is throwing around that kind of cash early in their working lives. Regardless, the seller was clearly proud of their acquisition, as the 912 remains in extremely nice shape with lots of small details preserved, like the polished exhaust tip, the rear bumper overriders, the period-correct PCA badge on the engine lid, among other examples.
Though the 912 is now in California, it was purchased new at a Porsche dealer in Salt Lake City, Utah. The black interior pairs nicely with the smurf blue outside, and looks to be in excellent condition just like the rest of the car. The dash shows no cracks and the original steering wheel reveals no flaws. The same goes for the black carpeting and the factory gauges. The door panels appear to have larger aftermarket speakers, but they’re so cleanly integrated, I barely even noticed they were there. The 912 listing includes a photo of the original window sticker which mentions features like a quartz clock but not air conditioning, which may not have been needed in the temperature climate of SLC.
Certainly, another feature of cars from this part of the world is their clean undersides owing to the dry conditions. The 912 presents very well underneath and presumably, has original floor panels. The blue paint is a bit scraped up on the rockers, but that’s OK with me – it shows the 912 was actually driven. This is the first time this 912 has been offered for sale since leaving the dealership all those years ago, and I always find cars like these so interesting – is there anyone out there who remembers this distinctive Arrow Blue leaving Dave Strong Porsche/Audi, never to be seen again until the original owner lists it for sale all these years later? Car histories are fascinating, but especially when it involves special examples like this one.
It’s actually a 912E using the 914 2.0 engine with an upgraded fuel injection system. It was the first year of the rust proofed chassis which was accomplished by a total dip into a tank of galvanizing liquid. Had one in Europe and could cruise the Autobahns at 100 mph all day. Got over 500 miles to a tank of fuel which in the ’70s was great because European fuel was over $3 a gallon. Cars were only built for one model year as the factory was gearing up for the introduction of the new 3.0 911 engine cars and didn’t have enough room to build both cars. We picked up our car at the factory and they were still pushing the body shells around the assembly line on four wheeled dollys. Today the factory is about the size of Cleveland.
Fantastic story! Thanks for sharing!
It’s built as a stopgap between the discontinued 914 and the 924, which wasn’t ready for the US market. I owned one in the early 80s. It was a great long distance driver.
I have also read the 912E was a filler in the Porsche offering until the 924 model was ready for release. The 914 was being discontinued and Porsche needed an entry level car so the one year only 912E was offered. I looked at one a number of years ago with my friend who was looking for a inexpensive project. At the time my thoughts were to install a 911 powertrain into the chassis. Nothing against the humble 2.0 VW engine as they can be modified to make some serious power I just prefer the sound of a N/A flat 6 with triple choke Weber carbs. That sound to me is like a drug.
Sorry to get caught up in my story. The 912E listed is beautiful. Love the blue and a hat tip to the owner who kept it meticulously since new. I hope the new buyer continues to do the same.
Don’t ever be sorry telling a story in the comments. We learn so much from first person (and third person) facts from that time, either from ownership or just being there…
That’s what makes Barn Finds so great!
Wow, a 912 that isn’t brown or yellow. Amazing.
While detailing a ’74 912,I noticed that the
air pump was the same as the one on my ’71 Toyota-
1200.
No ’74 912, only ’76. Desmogged the power jumps significantly. Headers in place of the cat converters, no pumps, tweaking the ignition module, etc.
I have a 1968 912, F body style so different. I notice the side mirrors are different, I have had difficulty seeing out of the passenger mirror, maybe these later mirrors are a solution.
Your 1968 912 had a Porsche type 616 engine while this 1976 912E has a Volkswagen type 4 engine.
Thanks, something doesn’t add up on my 912, the drivers mirror is ok but I cant see anything on the passenger’s side – the mirror too far forward (door has same mounting points as drivers door). Perhaps my door was changed at some time in the vehicle’s history. Not a show stopper, just an annoying, thanks fir taking time to reply.
Paul, I seem to recall something about mirrors being mounted asymmetrically on driver vs. passenger sides due to line-of-sight differences, so perhaps your passenger mirror was added as an aftermarket item, erroneously drilled to match the position on the driver’s side before they realized their mistake.
I doubt the 1968 912 had a passenger side mirror as delivered by Porsche. Maybe someone added a mirror meant for a right-hand-drive 1968 Porsche.
48,000 miles since its California it was probably stuck in second gear for most of them I hope the rest of the gears work well
It’s got the 911’s 915 transmission in it. About a bullet proof as it can get.
The cars are the stories – the stories are the cars.
Except for a G50.
Name another mass produced car that escalates in value like the Porsche?
BMW e30 M3, Lancia Delta Intagrale, Mercedes 190 2.5 Cosworth just to name a few.
Well Jeff all I can say is pick a degree in something you’re INTERESTED in. Make good grades. Get recruited out of college. Go to work at 630AM everyday to read the WSJ and check the updates from the Asian exchanges. Work until 8pm every night making calls. Understand what motivates people. Then you can walk into a car dealership and drop 40 grand cash for the car you want AND have enough leftover to drop 25 grand more on a piano. All of this in 1990 btw. No hedge funds or trust funds required.
Paul… Your car came from the factory with only one mirror on the left side. One mistake made by a lot of folks is putting the right mirror in the same position as the left. The 912Es came with only one left mirror like the ones on the blue car. Couldn’t see the right mirror good enough to say for sure but it looks like it’s too far forward like your car. If you look at pictures of the later cars you can see that the right mirrors, installed by the factory by the late ’70s’ are a good way back from the left.
Good point Bob. My 76 suffered the same fait. Someone installed a passenger mirror using the drivers mirror as a guide.
Friend ran his late ’70s 911 SC through a barbed wire fence on a weekend tour. Cars had two mirrors at that time and the insurance company replaced both mirrors. Got the old ones, stripped the scratched paint, color matched to our car and correctly installed them on our ’76. Much better than the smaller early mirrors and electronic adjustable.