« It’s absolutely amazing to me what Porsches are going for these days! I still remember when you could pick up nice 912s all day for $10k or less. When 911 prices started to climb, it kind of made sense to me, they are fairly fast cars for their age and they have always been known as a high end car. I can even understand the rise in 356 prices, they are older and have a low survival rate. But I’m amazed at what the entry level 912 can earn these days! This ’66 is an early example and is in pretty good condition considering it a Tennessee barn find, but is it worth the seller’s asking? »
« For those that don’t know much about the 911 and it’s lower priced 912 brethren, here is a brief history. Porsche introduced the 911 as a much more powerful and civilized replacement for the aging 356. The 356 had set a pretty impressive bar for an aircooled sports car, but anyone that has driven one can tell you they aren’t particularly powerful or fast. To remedy the issue, Porsche developed a more power air cooled boxer 6 engine to power the new 911. It transformed the car from a souped-up Beetle into a Autobahn warrior. It also jacked the price up and shrunk the potential market of buyers. There were hoards of people that loved the new look, but just couldn’t justify the expense or the snap oversteer. Porsche had spare 356 engines still sitting around, plus they were cheaper to manufacture than the new 6 cylinder, so they decided to slap these cheaper engines into that sexy new body. And so the cheaper 912 was born, although it didn’t fix the snap oversteer issue (at best it just made the car slow enough for it to not be much of an issue). »
« The seller claims everything is here and that it features the rare heater in the smuggler’s box option. That’s a term I had never heard before and had to look it up. Apparently there is a hidden cavity in the front compartment that was used to house the heater or illegal items for smugglers. While I’m not sure if that is a rare option, it definitely is an interesting feature I would want to study further. »
« I can honestly understand the appeal of the 912. They are lighter and more barebones than the 911 and subsequently more agile, but I still can’t grasp the rise in values. Yes they are cheaper than 911s, but this is serious money for a car that was built to be a more affordable car. It wasn’t built to be a lightweight and bare bones sport model that just happened to be cheaper, like say a Road Runner, it was simply a cheaper model. That being said, I’d love to have one and I think this one could be a great option if you are in the market. If you are, you can find it here on eBay in Freehold, New Jersey. Special thanks to Jeff atBoldRide for this tip! »