Guide price: £35000 - £40000.
- Early, short wheelbase, left-hand drive 912 with the simple 3-dial dashboard
- A super original example, superbly restored. Factory option wooden steering wheel
- Engine rebuilt by HP Motorsport 700 miles ago. The engine bay is a picture
- Classic shape. Unadorned and unmolested, an absolute delight
The Porsche 911 was introduced in 1963 to great acclaim and has become one of the world’s most enduring sports car designs.  In replacing the 356, customers immediately noticed the differences from its predecessor, as in addition to being more modern and more powerful, it was also considerably more expensive, especially in the US.  In Europe too, this was a problem, so to remedy this, a year after 911 production commenced, Porsche had a bit of a rethink and introduced the similarly bodied 912 as an entry-level/transitional model with the new car entering production in April 1965. Essentially a 911 fitted with the well-established 1600cc 356-type flat four, the 912 was a very capable modern sports-car in period, but was importantly more affordable, selling at near-356 prices.  The 912 produced 90bhp, some 40 horsepower less than the 911’s six-cylinder engine, but this deficit was offset by significantly reduced weight, resulting in a better-balanced car with greatly improved road manners and better economy.  The combination of the four-cylinder engine and the 'slippery' 911 shape was capable of achieving 30 mpg.  This new model had all the looks and style of the 911 whilst sharing its gearbox, monocoque steel chassis, independent front torsion bar and trailing arm rear suspension, and all-round disc brakes.  Despite being down on power, the agile 912 had a respectable top speed of 119mph, while the UK list price of £2,467 undercut the 911 by around 16%.  A little over 30,000 examples were produced at Karmann’s works (Porsche’s factory was fully occupied with the 911) between 1965 and 1968, and today the 912 is a relative rarity when compared with its better-known sibling.This little 912 is finished in Light Ivory and left the production line on the 10th of November 1965 prior to being shipped to the US in early 1966. It's a left-hand drive, short wheelbase car with the early three-dial dashboard and was specc'd from new with Chrome Plated Perforated Disc wheels, a wood rim steering wheel, seat belts and two fog lights. According to our vendor "I bought the car 3 years ago from a dealer that had imported it from California and had stored it for 15 years, the car was in good condition with very little rust to any of the body panels. Unfortunately, the car did not come with any service history" He has spent the last three years totally restoring the Porsche including a back to bare metal respray in its original Light Ivory (6604), all new suspension, brakes, rubbers, etc. The engine has had a total rebuild by HP Motor Sport and the car has only travelled 700 miles since completion.He has obviously put an emphasis on originality as the car looks pure 1966. The paintwork looks excellent, the interior crisp and period correct, and the engine bay is almost Concours. We don't think the lack of US history really matters as the car is what it is - a well restored, good-looking, early SWB 912 that stands well and is very sensibly guided for a model that becomes more popular every year.