I’ve been looking for a second impact-bumper Porsche 911 Coupé shell for a while, as shells are getting harder and harder to find, and I am not done with building hot rod 911s quite yet.
Built from May 1975 to July 1976 and for the US market only, the Porsche 912E (factory type 923) has the narrow IB body: quite rare with a galvanised shell and a look I really like. Yesterday was 12/12/12: the most perfect day ever to buy a 912E, so I bought the one you see here.
The 912E was originally equipped with a 90hp 2-litre flat 4, but I bought this one without running gear. Not that I’ve got anything against flat 4s – after all, I drive Subarus every day – just this was in my (cheap) price band as being sold with no engine or transmission.
Between the 914’s demise and the 924’s arrival, the 912 filled the entry-level Porsche slot. I’ve already got a 924 Turbo and a no-frills 944, so I’m happy to have secured this little 912 chassis. History tells us that the bargain basement cars are often the ones that don’t get saved, so it’s good to keep this one together.
Will it go back to factory? Beyond the paint code, I doubt it. Ferdinand’s 912E has some dodgy white paint over factory Arrow Blue – one of my favourite colours. So we will put it back to Arrow Blue but not with the stock running gear.
The plan is to bring it back to the UK from its current CA home and build something on it eventually. No idea what yet: maybe a backdate 3.6-litre 911 ST: something like a backdated 911 using EB Motorsport 911 ST body panels, or just a narrow body 4-cylinder, but not with Porsche 4-cylinder power unless they do some 1.8-litre Turbo Boxster down the road. Probably flat-4 VW 1.9 or 2.5 from the WEVO stable if we go 4-cylinder.
I have a bunch of Porsche parts in CA that need to come home, so they can all travel in this now. Pretty excited by my purchase, as you can imagine!
My $0.02?
If you go for a VW flat 4, whatever else you do and however much you spend, the value will be severely haircut when you get round to selling it.
If you just want something fun to drive, then build it like Jevvy would. If you want something that preserves some of the dollars you put into it then build something close to a replica of whatever takes your fancy – ST, RS etc. Aim for something that Maltons would be prepared to sell on behalf, sort of thing.
Yes, I would only build the 4-cyl to be entertaining, like an early 912. I see a 3.6 ST in my future – which is what I was going to do with the Gemini Blue 911T. Will be SEX whatever 😉
Subi Flat 4 it! Keeps the 912 spirit with added oomph. A bit like the 912 with 996 GT3 engine you did an article on, but a leicht version.
Can’t wait for SEX.
And a big hole in my already pained bank account! Thanks for the heads up, Alexander: will probably be a 3.6 but stock.