I couldn’t help but notice this bright red Porsche from over a block away as we walked down the street in its direction; it’s about the easiest car to recognize from far off. As we got a bit closer, I started noticing the rather unusual wheels—certainly not the usual Fuchs alloys. Hmm; some sort of aftermarket alloys? But not one I’ve ever seen before on a 911 or 912. Vintage Porsches don’t have those modern offsets to their wheels either.
I was pretty perplexed until…I got close enough to see the painful truth: this pristine 912 is wearing some cheap plastic wheel covers! Oh, the humanity!
There’s the 912’s original chromed steel wheel hiding under that sacrilegious plastic wheel cover. It boggles the mind as to why someone would do this. Are they pranking us? Or is this really such a clueless Porsche owner? It’s hard to imagine that’s still possible.
If he’s trying to protect the original hubcaps from getting stolen, these early 911/912s look great and authentic without the hubcaps on their steel wheels. This is what everyone did back then when when they took their Porsche to the track or on a rally or such. All the vintage Porsche racers looked like this back in the day before the Fuchs alloys came on the scene, first time in 1967 on the new top-performance version 911S.
I would prefer to wax eloquently about this lovely 912, but those wheel covers are a constant distraction. My best guess is that this is a 1968 912, based on the revised sealed-beam headlights and some interior details. The 912 was built from 1965 through 1969, but the ’69 had a 2.5″ longer wheelbase (at the rear) and is pretty easy to spot. If this was an original US-spec car, then the mandatory side marker reflectors were removed, likely when it was repainted at some point.
The 912 was often misunderstood, commonly seen as a “stripper” or discount 911, with its 1582 cc pushrod boxer four engine largely carried over from the 356-C. In reality, it was the most direct successor to the 356, and was plenty quick, with a top speed of some 115 mph—more than the 356-C thanks to its more aerodynamic body. But the real charm of the 912 was its handling. Thanks to a significantly lighter engine back there the 912 had a much more favorable front-rear weight distribution, resulting in much better balance and reduced oversteer. As a matter of fact, the very early 911 had some serious issues with excessively twitchy rear ends which cause Porsche to add weights under the front bumper in an effort to tame its wild ways.
It took Porsche several years to make significant improvements in the 911’s severe oversteer, the wheelbase stretch in 1969 being perhaps the biggest single one. And there were also very real issues with the carbs on early 911s; these new six cylinder engines were quite temperamental, very much unlike the 912, whose engine had been refined for almost two decades.
It should be noted that the 912 outsold the 911 by a very healthy margin in the first few years, as much as 2:1. No, the Porsche 912 was not in any way a lesser Porsche; more like a more pragmatic one, which had always been a dominant characteristic of the 356. The 912 eased the way for the 911 to be become refined and eventually move into its intended role for the long haul.
This 912 was ordered with the optional 5-speed transmission. Unlike most 5-speeds, top gear was not an “overdrive” to reduce engine rpm. In fact, the 4 and 5-speed 901 transmissions had the same gear ratios in their first and top gears; the 5-speed just had a narrower spread between the intermediate gears,,which actually wasn’t much of an issue in the 912 since its engine was not peaky at all. In fact, the 912 engine had 5 fewer hp than the 356C, and a lower torque peak, so it was very flexible. That was certainly not the case with the peaky 911 six, which really needed the 5-speed.
The Porsche 5-speed back then had a “racing” shift pattern, with first gear down on the left below reverse, then 2-5 were in an H pattern. In racing, first was only used for starting off, and this made the shifts between 2-3 and 4-5 much quicker. Porsche eventually changed to a more conventional pattern.
If the 912 sold so well, why was it discontinued after 1969? In order to not compete with the 914, which was a major new addition to the Porsche lineup, although the 914 program turned out not to be very beneficial to Porsche. Full story on that here. There’s also the fact that Porsche was not inclined to spend the money to de-smog the 912’s engine. They had enough on their hands at the time.
Somewhat oddly, a 912E was reintroduced in 1975-1976 only for the US market, during the two years between the end of the 914 and the start of 924 production. It used a modified VW 2.0 L Type IV engine. Only 2,092 were built, unlike close to 33, 000 of the 912 models (coupe and Targa).
Just like the 911 was originally a 901, so the 912 was known as the 902 before Peugeot put the squeeze on Porsche’s use of those numerals. The story as it’s been told by Porsche and just about every source is that Porsche checked to make sure no other car company was using the 901/902 numbers. When nothing turned up, the 901 was shown publicly at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show. Peugeot objected, claiming that “901” violated French copyright and trademark protection laws. Porsche responded by pointing out that Peugeot was not using the 901 numerals. For that matter, a number of other car companies (BMW, Bristol) also used that sequence with a zero in the middle.
Peugeot claimed that they had secured the rights for all such number sequences with a zero in the middle and…did Porsche really want to do something about it? Well, the answer from was no, and now we know why, thanks to a French article that CC contributor Eric703 found and posted here recently (use Google translate if you want to read it in English). The gist of it was that Ferdinand Porsche, assisted by his son in law Anton Piech, managed to gain control of the Peugeot factory during the occupation of France during WWII. They eventually caused the factory to be stripped of its foundry and most of its tools and equipment, which were moved to the new KdF (VW) factory.
This brought on deep enmity for the Porsche clan by the French, and they even managed to arrest Ferdinand Porsche for 22 months after the war until a rich supporter posted bail. But the Peugeot family was eager to settle this score, and the 901/902 gave them that opportunity, even if it didn’t really hurt Porsche in any way except perhaps their pride. The last thing they wanted was a legal battle where their founders’ actions in the war would come out in full detail, so…911 it was. And 912 too.
Let’s not sully our parting image with those dreadful wheel covers, but rather gaze at the lovely and timeless face of the 902 912. Has a car design ever aged so gracefully as well? And in having the essence of its design been produced so continuously even with considerable changes through the generations of subsequent 911s? The 911/912 are truly immortal.
Related CC Reading
Curbside Classic: Porsche 911/912 – Immortality Attained? by me
Porsche: From 901 to 911, the real reasons for Peugeot’s anger By Paul Clément-Collin (at Barnes/Car Jager)
Curbside Classic: 1966 Porsche 912 – I Must Make Amends by Tatra87
Vintage Road & Track Review: 1966 Porsche 912 – “Oversteer Is A Thing Of The Past” by me
Curbside Classic: 1969 Porsche 912 – The Economical 911 by Dave Skinner
I wonder if those cheapo plastic covers were out on merely to protect the original wheels from road-rash or other abuse? Otherwise, why in the devil do it when the wheels themselves are attractive.
I wanted a 912 (over a 911) for years, a friend in VT has a beautiful dark blue ’68 that I coveted intensely. Waited too long, and they are out of sight now.
that’s a p not o on “put”
Last I knew my VT friend still has his 912, he’s in his 80s but will never sell his baby.
These cheap hardware store hubcaps are, at best, only marginally worse than the black steel rims underneath. “Original” or not.
So, let’s assume, for the owner’s sake, that the steel rims are only meant to be protected until the next tire change of tires, and then painted silver. That’s the only way they’ll really stand out.
However, without a center cap on the wheel hub, even this would only be a half-baked solution.
The steel wheels underneath are not black, they are chrome plated, a common option back then. They look a bit bluish in the shadow of the wheel covers, but I saw them up close.
They never came in black; either painted silver or optional chrome plate.
Lovely 912! Maybe the owner was being ironic, rather than moronic with the wheel covers?
Whilst working for Porsche I got to see the original blueprint drawings for the 902 badging, but I never knew the exact details of the wartime Peugeot connection. You really do learn things here on CC!
I must admit that, driving a somewhat related boxer four every day, with added twin Weber induction noise that sounds a little like the 356 SC I experienced, I also see the 912 as different, definitely not inferior to the 911s I have had. It is one of my “Bucket List” cars to drive, along with the 914.
912s really are something rather special!
Speaking of Porsche steel wheels, here is a beautiful 911 I saw at one of the Boston Larz Anderson Museum’s Cars and Coffee events. It is wearing wider alloy replicas of the steelies and the stance is absolutely perfect…
Imagine how awesome it would look in Chrome..
”why someone would do this” ? For someone who wants to hide their winter rims set and, like the old VW ad, what could be better than having the rear engine directly on the drive wheels? Driving your 911 in the snow is more classy than a proletarian Beetle.
Of course, in this case here these tires lack grip. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-snapshots-and-photography/vintage-snapshots-vw-beetles-in-the-snow/
FWIW, we don’t have “winter” here in Oregon. And steelies are very much original and appreciated on these early 912/911s. In fact, there’s more than a bit of Fuchs Fatigue, as too many owners put Fuchs repros on their early cars that never had them originally. Personally, I am Fuchs Fatigued too.
I used to have a 1967 2=912, 5 speed & 5 gauge, it was a fun car and the best driving old Porsche I’ve even driven .
Sadly the tin worm had made some inroads so I sold it o to a restorer .
-Nate
I used to have a 1967 912, 5 speed & 5 gauge, it was a fun car and the best driving old Porsche I’ve even driven .
Sadly the tin worm had made some inroads so I sold it o to a restorer .
-Nate
Lovely, I like the 912 over the 911 any day.
I have to think that the hubcaps are pranking us, it’s the only way I can let it go..
The original steel wheels are great, but the pep boys bargain bin wheel covers make this a real sleeper…
I first learned of the 912e on Wheeler Dealers. The 914 was something; I prefer the 912e.
“In racing, first was only used for starting off”
What else would it have been used for?
Slowing down so much that you have to downshift to first, but without stopping
You missed the point of what I said. In racing, first would only ever be used at the start, then not again. In every day driving in traffic, first would commonly be have to be used quite often, like at every Stop sign or red light or traffic backup. That is precisely why first is where it is in the great majority of shift patterns. Whereas the “racing pattern” favors the higher gears, from second up.
Are you getting it yet?
Oh, I understood all the time, but the way you stated it was a bit strange.
So how would you have written it, by using the least number of words necessary? (I believe in the economy of words)
Thanks for linking that French article, I hadn’t noticed that comment. I’ve read a couple different Porsche biographies/VW company histories, and the war era stuff is typically a bit light. I think the gist from “Small Wonder” is that Porsche designed some German military equipment, and was jailed perhaps unjustly to give some help to the Renault 4CV design. The truth here makes him quite a bit more complicit.
On a similar note, I read the Audi produced “Audi a History of Progress”, and while they do note that the Auto Union was involved in the war and did use concentration camp labor, taking over French factories wasn’t covered. The book then flips to post-war, and notes that several executives were executed by the Soviets, without any further discussion
It’s a complicated story that probably has never been completely unraveled objectively. Of course Audi, VW and Porsche are going to put their spin on everything. And the French rightfully had a serious grudge.
This blurb from Wikipedia spells it out fairly clearly:
In November 1945, Porsche was asked to continue the design of the Volkswagen in France and to move the factory equipment there as part of war reparations. Whilst in France, Porsche was also asked to consult on the design/manufacture of the upcoming Renault 4CV, which led to a serious conflict with the recently appointed head of Renault, the former resistance hero, Pierre Lefaucheux. Differences within the French government and objections from the French automotive industry put a halt to the Volkswagen project before it had even begun. On 15 December 1945, French authorities arrested Porsche, Anton Piëch, and Ferry Porsche as war criminals. While Ferry was freed after six months, Ferdinand and Anton were imprisoned first in Baden-Baden and then in Paris and Dijon.[46]
While his father was in captivity, Ferry worked diligently to keep the company in business, developing a division for the repair of automobiles, water pumps, and winches. A contract with Piero Dusio was completed for a Grand Prix motor racing car, the Type 360 Cisitalia. The innovative 4WD design never raced.
The legal basis of Piëch and Porsche’s imprisonment was principally Ferdinand Porsche’s contribution to his country’s war effort and personal friendship with Hitler. In the Porsche family’s own account, the affair was a thinly veiled attempt at extorting money and forcing them to collaborate with Renault;[47] at the same time, the family was deceptive about the use of forced labor and the size of their wartime operation.[48] It was later shown that approximately 300 forced laborers were employed, including Poles and Russians.[49] During the war, it was common practice for German factories of this size (about 1,000 workers) to use what was essentially slave labor, often with Slavic prisoners of war, who were frequently worked to death. The post-war French government required a payment of one million francs, variously described as ransom or bail, for the release of Piëch and Porsche. Initially unable to obtain this amount of money, the family eventually raised it through their contract with Cisitalia. During a trial, witnesses were brought forward to testify that no French prisoners had been imported to work at the plant.[50]
Porsche was eventually exonerated
To think my father looked ar a 1968 Porsch 912 just before he looked at the 1968 Cougar which he eventually bought. To think I could have ended up with a green 912 instead of a green Cougar.
Always thought of the 912 as just a less powerful, cheaper 911 and pretty much ignored it. But, reading this CC post I realize the 912 had distinct balance advantages over its 911 brother.