1967 Porsche 912

The question of how to tempt new customers into Porsche ownership has always been problematic. On the one hand, you're trying to uphold the reputation of the company as a purveyor of high-quality, high-performance sports cars while on the other, you're anxious not to alienate those potential customers whose budget won't stretch to a new 911.

In 1964, Porsche had just such a problem with the sales of their new 911 proving a touch disappointing and continuing demand for the 356, which was scheduled to be phased out, necessitating that the production lines kept rolling. The solution seemed to be financial, and the decision was made to replace the 356 with a four-cylinder, more appropriately priced 911 and, as a result, the 912 (initially 902) was conceived. First available to European customers by June 1965 (initially with 1582 cc and 90bhp), the 912 soon became a market leader, particularly in the USA.

This very special, right-hand drive 912 has been owned by our private vendor for some 20 years. He purchased the car on the 17th January 1997 from a Mr. David Long who had owned it from May 1973 and there were three previous owners before him, which are documented in the history file. Our vendor understands from the previous owner that he had raced the car during his ownership and it was fitted with fibreglass wings. Engine "742371" was fitted to the car during that period but the original engine was part of the deal when our vendor purchased this 912.

In 1997 "354915" was subject to a bare metal body refurbishment by Hightone Restorations Ltd. Both front wings were replaced by genuine Porsche parts, a new windscreen was fitted, all exterior seals were replaced, all the brightwork was either re-chromed or replaced, and a new headlining and carpets were fitted. (All invoices are in the Owner's File).

The car had light use after that averaging around 1,000 miles per year until 2009 when the engine that was residing in the car was showing signs of needing attention. It made sense to refit the original engine that he bought with the car but since it had been stored in his workshop since 1997, and he had no idea of its condition, the decision was taken to have the original engine rebuilt.

The rebuild was entrusted to Andy Prill in 2009 and the vendor reports it was obvious on stripping the engine that it had done relatively few miles during its life. In fact, the original Mahle barrels and pistons were good enough to refit. It was also fitted with a 'Precision Matters' full flow oil adaptor. All invoices are in the aforementioned history file.

The car is fitted with its original Fuchs 4.5J x15 wheels which have been off the car since the vendor purchased it and are now fitted with brand new Blockley 165 x15 tyres. The current mileage is just short of 88,000 and the car will have a valid MOT at the time of sale.

This is a really lovely car and, apart from a couple of cylinders, has all the qualities of the early 911s that make them so sought after.