Luftgekühlt 3: Living The Air-Cooled Life

My own fascination with aircooled Porsches dates back a few years. I don't have one of those stories about a grandfather/uncle/neighbor owning one, but I do recall a time when ordinary folks used them for ordinary commutes.  I had a summer job (between years of college) working at a Porsche repair/restoration shop down in San Diego and learned a few things that I won't forget -- the first is that un-grounded sand blasting nozzles create an incredible shock when the potential exceeds the insulating capability of rubber gloves, next is that there is an art to cleaning the floor with a mop & a spray bottle of Simple Green, and finally that the 911, 912, 356, & 914 exude an unquantifiable quality that makes them special.  This last Sunday I was able to relive some of that feeling at the Luftgekühlt event at Modernica.

Auction Watch: 1969 Porsche 912 3.0 Swap

Checkout this 1969 Porsche 912 with 3.0 liter 911 flat-6 here on eBay bidding for $11,100 with auction ending today (Wednesday) at 12:23PM PST.

Urbane Outlaw: 1966 Porsche 912

I never thought I'd see the day where a hacked up Porsche 912 offered for something less than $20k would be a good deal...but then I never thought that kids would snort cinnamon and listen to Nickelback, so there are a lot of things that I'll never understand, but need to accept.  Find this 1966 Porsche 912 offered for $17,600 in Southern Oregon via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

Porschev: 1966 Porsche 912 V8 Custom

The Porsche 912 was the skinny kid in high school, you know, the one who was ridiculed for being powered by a flat-4 and not a 911?  Imagine a world in which that skinny kid joined a gym, got addicted to anabolic steroids, and hit the gym everyday for a decade.  Now he is back and looking for a fight with all the cool kids.  Find this 1966 Porsche 912 V8 Custom here on eBay bidding for $18,200 with 1 day to go, located in Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.

Out of the Blue: 1968 Porsche 912

The Porsche 912, a car that a few years ago was the laughing stock of the air cooled world, but got a massive injection of cool when early 911 prices went full Super Saiyan and the flat-4 little brother 912 just rode the fireball to previously unknown price heights.  Suddenly these unloved 90 horsepower slow boats went from $20k for a condition 2 "regional show winner" to $20k for the condition 4 "dusty driver".  Anyway, prepare to turn back the clock a bit with this 1968 Porsche 912 offered for a meager $12,500 located in SF Bay, CA via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

10k: Camorshe: 1969 Porsche 912 Chevy V6 Swap

The Porsche 912 was introduced in 1965 as an entry level companion to the Porsche 911.  To save costs,  it used an updated version of the pushrod flat-4 type 616 engine from the Porsche 356 SC.  For years the little brother of the 911 was very affordable, but in the past decade the prices have shot up as saving fuel and driving slow has become cool.  If you prefer to not experience the thrill of trying to merge into modern traffic with 102 aircooled horsepower, perhaps you might consider this 1969 Porsche 912 Chevy V6 Swap currently bidding for $8,251 with a few hours to go on eBay, located in Las Vegas, NV.

15k: Tailhook: 1966 Porsche 912 with Chevy V8

If the rusty Porsche 912 we posted yesterday left you feeling less than thrilled, perhaps today's clean and rust free example will get you going.  Yesterday's example may have lulled you in with its pristine interior before revealing some hideous rot underneath, but this one bludgeons you straight in the face with big fender flares, a whale tail and the thunderous roar of a small block Chevy V8.  Find this 1966 Porsche 912 with Chevy V8 currently bidding for $15,095 with less than 1 day to go on ebay, located in Alameda, CA.

15k: Flintstones Special: 1967 Porsche 912

 The Porsche 912 was the entry level offering from Porsche before the 914 was released and used a flat-4 engine similar to what powered the old bathtub shaped 356.  A few years ago the 912 market was in the dumps, but somebody figured out that they were cheaper to run than a vintage 911 and offered all the looks but with a little less performance.  Its not like a low spec classic 911 was a fast car to begin with, so it really isn't a big loss to go from 0-60mph in 10 seconds to 12...right?  Anyway, the 912 market picked up and finding one that runs/drives with a nice coat of paint for around $15k is good...right?  Hope you've got an up-to-date tetanus shot.  Find this 1967 Porsche 912 currently bidding for $16,600 with 2 days to go on ebay, located in Woodland Hills, CA.

15k: Buy In Bulk: Porsche 912, VW Bug, BMW 2002, Merc SL -- Lottery?

 An interesting advertisement appeared on SF Bay Area craigslist yesterday for a lot of 8 classic automobiles.  The full list is:  1969 Porsche 912, 1968 Porsche 912 targa, 1967 912 targa, 1963 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL W113, 1973 BMW 2002 , 1961 VW Type 1, 1962 VW Type 1, 1963 VW Type 1 and the seller is asking $120,000 for the entire lot.  Kaibeezy found the link and delivered it with a brilliant concept:  he should take $15,000 from 8 people and distribute the cars randomly! i'd aaaaalmost do it.  Find it here on craigslist.

10k: Check Your Bilirubin: 1969 Porsche 912 Targa

If you think of the Porsche 912 as a slow 911 it seems pointless, but define it as a prettier 914 and suddenly things get better. You could even call it a good-looking well-built Beetle or a 356 with better handling if you really want to mix things up...but don't get your sweater-vest in a knot with all these crazy ideas.  Find this 1969 Porsche 912 Targa for sale in Phoenix, AZ.  Update 11-21-2013: There have been a bunch of bid cancelations and sketchy stuff going on with this auction.  Caveat emptor.

5k: OverSpray UnderPrice: 1966 Porsche 912 w/Type 1 Flat-4

The Porsche 912 was in essence a 911 with left-over Porsche 356 engines shoved in the back...or so the rumors go.  The 912 actually outsold its flat-6 powered big brother for the first few years of production, probably because it gave the owner the 911 looks with a much lower price tag.  Additionally, previous Porsche owners already used to clackity-clack racket and abysmal performance of the Porsche flat-4 (related to the VW flat-4, but more expensive and evolved over the years for Porsche use) had no problem stepping from a 356 to a 912.  Find this 1966 Porsche 912 with Volkswagen Type 1 engine for sale in Redlands, CA for $6,900 via craigslist.

10k: World's Most Expensive Beetle: 1969 Porsche 912 Barn Find

If one vintage "barn find" is good - two must be better...right?  Fear not - we aren't planning some kind of all-barn-find day, but it does give us a good chance to compare two similarly priced cars with similar restoration needs but completely different markets.  Find this 1969 Porsche 912 project for $9,999 via craigslist, located in Berkeley, CA.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

15k: A Rose In The Valley: 1967 Porsche 912, Minty Clean

While stumbling through the ever growing web of project cars, sob stories and overpriced junk that dominates craigslist, we occasionally see a nicely presented and drivable car offered for a reasonable price.  Not a 'nigerian scammer' nice price, but something that does indeed seem like a fair buy in today's market.  Find this 1967 Porsche 912 for sale in Pasadena, CA for the price of $13,500 via craigslist.

10k: Options: 1968 Porsche 912; Some Assy Required

The Porsche 912 has seen significant appreciation in price during the last few decades and good running examples can command prices equal to a similar condition 911.  They are praised for low maintenance costs, good fuel economy and classic 911 handling, but you have to put the farty sound of a VW flat-4 behind you.  This 1968 Porsche 912 is offered at $8,500 in Monterey, CA surrounded by a few 911s for sale via craigslist. Thanks to tip from Kaibeezy T!

5k Flash: Bent Valve Special 1967 Porsche 912; Goldfish-Cracker Orange V8 Swap Candidate!

If you are in the market for a cheap 911 look-alike to cruise around the block giving your neighbors Porsche envy...this ain't it...because it doesn't run/drive.  What we've got featured today is a 1967 Porsche 912 with a busted engine, turbo flares, and a CalTrans orange paint job.  Find it on ebay curently bidding for $5400 with 4 days to go and buy-it-now of $6,250.

10k Flash: 1966 Porsche 912; Cheap Entry for Air Cooled

The Porsche 912 (1965-1969) was an entry level version of the iconic 911; using an aircooled flat-four (similar to the 356) it delivered better fuel economy in exchange for a cacophonous exhaust note and mild performance.  The 912 was unloved for many years, the red-headed step child of the Porsche family, cheap examples were parted out for interior/panel/misc parts to keep 911s running and looking good, but recently the 912 has come into its own, and like an ugly duckling turning into a swan, its spawned its own enthusiast sites and prices for nice examples have appreciated to nearly that of the flat-6 powered 911.  Therefore, it is surprising to see this numbers matching 1966 Porsche 912, located in Phoenix, AZ bidding on ebay for as little as $12,200 with 11 hours to go.