1 of 9 in the USA: 1965 Porsche 912
This first-year entry-level Porsche 912 was imported to Seattle, WA as a brand-new vehicle in 1965, and it has lived there ever since. It’s currently for sale by it’s second owner, and appears to be in pristine condition with only 93,000 miles. The listing can be found here on Hemmings Classifieds with an asking price of $85,000.
The seller makes a big deal about this car’s relative rarity, while offering very little about the current running condition of the car. They claim that this might very well be the oldest unrestored 912 in the country, since this was the 344th 912 that was built, and one of only 9 that was imported into the US. It also comes with a stash of other items such as original documentation, factory tool kit, service receipts, and a lot of NOS parts. It apparently got into a small accident in the early 1970s, with some bodywork and a partial repaint performed before it was bought by the current owner in 1973.
One of the benefits of weather in the Northwest is the lack of salt on the roads, which means that the body on this car looks to have absolutely zero rust anywhere. Some photos make the paint look faded and others make it look glossy. It may have been cleaned at some point and photographed when still a bit wet, but it could also be just a trick of the light. Either way, no damage is evident and all the trim is present. The seller has even included a few shots of the underside of the car. It looks like there may be a few oil leaks that have helped to coat the bottom of the car and prevent corrosion.
The 912 was introduced as a bridge between the outgoing 356 and current 911 – it is extremely similar cosmetically to the 911 but instead of the 911’s flat-six it has the smaller 356’s 1.6 liter flat-four, essentially making it a less-expensive and less powerful alternative to the 911. Paired with a 4-speed manual transmission, this 102-horsepower engine provided a lot of fun while still returning up to 30 miles per gallon, thanks in part to a light body with little drag.
The interior of this Porsche has a classic red and black color combo, and looks like a fun place to spend some time. You can see the manual shifter here, but there is another handle right next to it. Any one know what it is for? As mentioned before, the seller doesn’t give any info about the running condition of this car, included whether the gauges work or not, whether it stops, or whether it even moves under its own power or not. However, I’d hope that its overall visual condition matches its mechanical condition and that everything works as it should. There aren’t that many extras present here anyways – a simple gauge package with manual locks, seats, and windows, so there’s really not much to go wrong. This Porsche looks to be a car that was driven, cared for, and well-maintained, and is ready for owner #3!
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Comments
That is a special car and about as original as one could hope for. Also looks as if the paint will respond well to a good clean and wax. I have never seen paint around the 3 gauges as all the later cars had vinyl around the cluster. Not a market expert on the 912 but the fact that it is so early a model and original (of course you will need to look at date codes to verify) that it should bring top dollar. I don’t see this one for sale long before it’s discovered and winds up in someone’s collection.
We have a repair shop/used car dealer here (Martin’s)
who has a 901 in the showroom.
I overheard someone asking about the asking price for it.
The answer was “over $200,000.
Amazingly,he still has it.
Small lever is the heater control. Nice car.
That part number the seller is showing is exactly that, a part number for the generator stand, not the engine number. I would be very careful before plunking down 85 large. Porsche-world values originality; original motor, paint color, etc. Not sure those headrests (seen in the listing, not here) were even an option in 1965.
“A few leaks have prevented corrosion to the underside of the car”. Yes, that was a Porsche exclusive option: the “automatic chassis oiler”. Seriously though, unlike a vast majority of 912s, this one has little if any rust.
The registration slip in the ad shows the car as a ’66.
If I’m going to pay 911 prices for a 912 I’m gonna want to know which one of the 9 this one was. Imagine my embarrassment when I show up to coffee bragging about being ‘Mr. 4’ when ‘Mr. 2’ shows up.
I have often wondered about the _ of _ claims made for all types of vehicles. Who cares? If it is 1 of 3 and trashed why would it matter? Just another method to gin up a sales pitch.
I agree. In my experience, it generally means that it was produced by a factory that hadn’t quite become efficient at producing a new model and/or a model which hadn’t had the time for the factory to work the bugs out of the design. But then, I’m more interested in cars you can drive rather than ones you just look at. I’ve driven 912s. They are among the most fun little cars out there. It would be sad to see this one become just a part of someone’s collection.
I wouldn’t really characterize the 912 as a “bridge” between 356s and 911. They were a less expensive 4 cylinder variant- and respectable cars in their own right.
My brother in law was taking a chef apprenticeship in Switzerland and purchased a new 912/5 speed (same color combo) at the factory in July of ‘65. It was titled as a ‘66. Upon completion of the apprenticeship he had it shipped to – Seattle- Back in those days they unloaded the cars off the ship using slings. When they unloaded his they broke off the radio antenna. He was really steamed and was going to go find someone to give him satisfaction for the damage. The next car over the rail was a then late model Jag XKE. It slipped out of the sling and crashed to the pier. He threw the antenna in the back seat and drove away.
In July of ‘68 he and my sister were married and took the car on their honeymoon to California. Upon returning he proudly displayed a speeding ticket issued by CHP for 129mph- the advertised top speed for the car.
He’ll get his asking price, or a negotiated very close price. Id love to have this. The body colored dash didnt last long and has of recent been common to many recent 911 restomods. Easy to see why in this day of plastic.
An early one, but a ludicrous price. I expect some money-head will buy it though, never to be seen again, or better still carry out a full nut and bolt restoration and then it’ll be up at $200k! Honestly, couldn’t agree more with the previous comments on all the “1 of blah-blah” right bush that gets pushed on here to try and hike the price. Rarity is relative and if the only thing that makes it rare is “fitted with 3 on the tree” or something else utterly irrelevant then woe betide you. We get it all the time in the UK. Constantly told how rare a car is in the auction description and yet there’s at least one of that model in every auction! A rare Mustang….they made over a million!
Two words used more in marketing than anyplace else Ive seen: Rare, and Only, as in “only” $1,999,999.00 for this “rare” specimen.