When it comes to owning an air-cooled Porsche, a 912E may not be the most exciting option. But it’s still a far more affordable entry into vintage Porsche ownership than most other models, as this project-grade 912E is priced at just $26,500. Now, that number is still staggering to anyone who has been around these cars fro a while and remembers when you couldn’t give 912 away, but those days are long gone. This example is one of less than 500 models made with an optional electric sunroof and is listed here on craigslist in Kyle, Texas.
Even if it is a lowly 912, it’s an air-cooled Porsche on Fuchs wheels – and you can’t go wrong with that. The body looks decent, with the door jambs representing some potential issues based on the rust that’s poking through. The pictures show what looks like a nicely preserved chassis, so you’re potentially avoiding the cost of replacement floor pans. The seller refers to it as “functionally solid”, so there may still be some repair work needed eventually. White on tan isn’t the most desirable color combo out there, but at least a white exterior can still clean up well even if the paint itself is “functionally” tired.
The interior isn’t bad, certainly not what we’d expect for a project car in Texas as the seat upholstery still looks reasonably sound and the dash pad doesn’t appear to be a spiderweb of cracks. The original steering wheel remains in place, but I’d actually toss that for an aftermarket three-spoke just based on the appearance of the OEM wheel – it’s not exactly attractive. This 912 has the standard buckets in good condition, and while this car doesn’t have the optional sport seats, you can address this shortcoming pretty easily with a set of aftermarket Recaros. No word on whether the door panels are included with the sale.
The engine is said to be the numbers-matching unit and while it was originally fuel-injected, a previous owner along the way converted it to dual carburetors. The 2.0L engine is claimed to have been recently rebuilt, but the listing doesn’t explicitly say that it runs. The seller confirms that the brakes and steering box are functional, so it’s at least a car you can roll and steer onto a trailer. The electric sunroof option helps this example stand apart from the crowd, but is that enough to drive home a sale price of over $25,000 for a 912E?
The “over $25,000 for a 912E” might apply but not for this 912E. These cars did not have the total dip galvanized bodies, just the rockers and trunk pans, so when I see rust on top of the coil it turns on my “check for rust” light. That interior looks pretty rough to me also. These are good cars. The carbs replacement doesn’t do much for power without a cam upgrade and fuel mileage is pretty lousy compared to the fuel injection.
These were reasonably good priced, not all that long ago. I would never pay that much for a 912. They had the style of the 911, and were good road cars. I actually considered a slightly used one once but decided it didn’t fit into my family at the time. Then would have been the time to buy. This price seems crazy.
the 1976 912 was a stop gap measure so Porsche could have an entry level model. It was a 911 with a four cylinder engine. The 924 wasn’t ready for production yet.
Way over priced! it’s a maybe 18-19k car as shown
Tis Pity, they put a VW engine in this nice looking car!