Of the 912 E, based on the 911 G-series, only 2,099 units were built. A prototype, light yellow in color, was the pioneer of the series. This is his story
It was 1971, when Porsche considered the project of creating a new generation of the 912 to market it internationally, including in Europe. Starting in 1972, the profitability and development of this new 912 were discussed. The project was based on the 911 F-series, the predecessor of the G-series, but did not go beyond the prototype stage. The US dealer network was not initially interested in this 912, because the 914 was already successful as an entry model and did not compete with the 911. An inexpensive 912 would probably have stolen some customers from the 911. made the decision to develop the 912 E, then already based on the G-series 911. The reason for doing so was that, in 1976, the Volkswagen Porsche 914 was to be discontinued, and its successor, the Porsche 924, was still it would not be ready for sale in America. Therefore, the 912 E would only be sold in that market.
This is where it comes into play
the 912 E light yellow that this article illustrates, the prototype of this exclusive version that would only be sold for one year, 1976, and only in North America. The model traveled a total of 95,471 kilometers on the road and on test benches. Porsche had not only upgraded the engine with a Bosch L-Jetronic injection, but also equipped it with secondary air injection and exhaust gas heat treatment to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons, as well as a system recirculation to produce less nitrogen oxides.
All of this was intended to ensure compliance with US emission standards. On July 30, 1975, Porsche received the Certificate of Conformity to the “Clean Air Act” from the State of California, confirming that the 912 E complied with the legally prescribed emission limits.
A year later, the 912 E prototype was withdrawn from service.
The engine was changed and it was sold. to a private buyer from Leonberg, thanks to the mediation of Helmuth Bott, then Director of Development at Porsche. The car remained in his family for 29 years until, in 2005, it was acquired by Hamburg’s Automuseum Prototyp, a museum for car prototypes.
That’s where he was noticed by Jan Adams, an expert and passionate hunter of select automotive treasures who knows both the technology of cars and their history. He restores and repairs them, acts as a middleman, buys them, sells them and collects them. It specializes in classic Porsche and Volkswagen models, but has also known how to find, for example, a Lancia Delta Integrale or other exotic models commissioned by its clients.
Adams was struck by the fact that in the rear of that model there was a 90 hp four-cylinder boxer, the same as that of some Volkswagen models or a Porsche 914. He wanted to buy it, hear how it sounded and feel how it drove. . Oliver Schmidt and Thomas König, directors of the museum, accepted the deal.
Weeks later he finds himself next to his 912 E on what is one of the first warm days of the year. He gets in the car and starts the engine, which only develops 137 Nm but is not lacking in thrust. Reduced to the essentials, it is a sports car in its purest form, a model of such singularity that it really
seems to have soul.
Sensations of 356
The two-litre boxer engine sounds like a Volkswagen, but like a well-tuned T2 van or 914. The 1,957cc displacement doesn’t provide massive power, but the response isn’t bad and it’s usable thanks to the box. 5-speed gearbox installed. At 4,900 revolutions per minute it sends its maximum power to the rear axle, but it is not necessary to go that far. Like many old sports cars, it responds better to gentler handling. In fact, you feel the touch of a 356 in a 911, just as it was in the first generation of the 912 (1965 to 1969), but in this case in a 911 G series. The Americans accepted both versions of the 912, although the 912 E (type 923) only went on sale in 1976, with a total of 2,099 units.
*Article originally published in issue 20 of the magazine
Porsche Classic.
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