Porsche 912

Das Fahrzeug im Detail

History

In 1969 Porsche stretched the wheelbase of the 911 and 912 2.3 inches and added fender flares to the front and rear wheel arches. They also added substance to the interiors of the “long wheelbase” cars by trimming the dash differently and adding solid door pockets, shoulder belts, and headrests in the seats. The reason Porsche stretched the wheelbase was to tame the ill-handling 911. The heavy rear weight balance made the “short wheelbase” cars a handful to drive near the limit and they often caught even the most experienced drivers in arrears. Spinning backward off the road was a common thing in these early cars. The lengthened wheelbase effectively moved the bias towards the front wheels and the “long wheelbase” cars were mostly tamed.

The 912 had a motor package that was about 250 pounds lighter and in the “short wheelbase” car, it was fun to use the nimbleness inherent in the rear weight bias and these cars outshined the 911 on any curvy road. Lengthening the wheelbase in a 912 had a similar effect on a 912 as it had in a 911. These “long wheelbase” 912’s were more stable in corners and extremely comfortable on the open road. It was a real refinement to the 912 and the cars offer a lovely drive. This was the last year the 912 was built and only 3500 were made, making the 1969 912 the rarest of the 912s. Emissions compliance killed the 912 and unfortunately Porsche gave us the 914 as its replacement. No one celebrated.