Thoughts on 912E..

[Awolf]

Just curious as to what all of your thoughts are on the '76 912E. My father had one when I was a lot younger and I remember him really enjoying that car. I like the fact that they are fairly rare and have the 2.0 liter w/ the Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection. Would this be at all a competitive auto-x track car? What class would it run in? How is the reliability on them, cost of parts etc.? Did they have the same engines as the 914 2.0's ? Thanks for the help.
-Andrew

[Tim Comeau]

These were a "stop gap" model built only for the 1976 model year. They were supposed to fill the void left by the ceasing of production of the 914, and the beginning of production of the 924. Porsche wanted to offer a car in that price range so they took what is really a 911 body and put a (if I remember correctly?) Volkswagen 411 engine in it. You can see the motor mount holes for the 911 engine in the rear of the car. They're popular with racers because you can get a lightly used 911 chassis and drop a big ol' engine in there. Fresh race car!
The only made around 2,000 912E's? Obviously, the engine parts would be much cheaper than the 911's, and I'm sure it would be a nice little daily driver. Lower it, put on some bigger tires and wheels, hide the exhaust note, and most people would think you were driving a 1976 911S!

[twitte]

I had a 76 912E and the only thing I remember about it was the lack of power (compared to a 911) and oil leak. Unfortunately I sold it to a lawyer when it was still leaking oil (not recommended). I think it may have been common for other 76 912E's to also have oil leaks.

[hmeeder]

Yes, that's the same motor as in the '76 914. In fact, it's in the same AX class (CSS) but it would get its clock cleaned by the earlier 2 liter 914s. Remember that it has the same body weight as the 911 but has the weakest 2 liter motor Porsche made. It has a smog pump, lower compression and was de-tuned for lower emissions.

Porsche didn't have a motor on the shelf for the CA smog regulations of the day, so they emasculated the 2 liter. Tim's right in that it is the same basic design as the 411 motor (all the Type4 motors share the same architecture, 914s, VW 411/412 and the '73-78 buses) but the Porsche versions have different heads, cams and fuel injection systems. They are more powerful and generate more torque than the VW counterparts, but the '75 and '76 Porsche motors (1.8l and 2.0l) were the least powerful of the Porsche versions.

If you are looking for a good AX performer, the 912E isn't going to be it (IMHO.) It will drive fine, but won't be competitive.