Wheeler Dealers is a great show, but it is a general interest car show that doesn’t have the level of Porsche pedantry that I’m quite used to in my daily life. As a 912E owner, it is easy for me to critique this particular episode, as there were a few glaring errors that probably should be addressed. First of all, they say near the beginning of the episode that they’ve seen these selling for up to $70,000. They must be talking about longhood 912s rather than an E, as I’ve never seen an E anywhere close to forty grand. They also say that the 912E has plenty of punch and accelerates to 60 in just over 9 seconds. I guess that depends on what you consider “just over” as they were originally tested to make it there in only 13.5 seconds. It’s easily the slowest acclerating car I’ve ever driven, as it isn’t much more than a Volkswagen Bus with sportier clothes. Don’t get me wrong, the Twelvey is a great car and it’s a ton of fun to drive, but valuable and fast it is not.
Through the course of the minor restoration, Edd fitted this 912E with new fuel injection bits, the old-school air conditioning equipment, refurbished Fuchs alloys, lowered suspension work, and fitted chrome the optional chrome trim. Those Fuchs were wrapped in mismatched Fulda Karat rear and Falken Ziex front tires as a cost cutting measure, and while they’re better than what was available in 1976, they’re hardly what I’d call appropriate for a sporting car the caliber of even Porsche’s entry level. You’ll notice a few points of the car that remain undone for them to be asking what they are, the door panels appear to have been hacked for aftermarket speakers, and the sunvisors are splitting with the stuffing spilling out. That said, it’s quite a nice car that is ultimately worth what someone will pay for it.
It is perhaps the rarity of this car that makes it valuable, as it is one of only 500 fitted with a factory sunroof, and the fact that it was one of the handfull fitted with factory air conditioning, that’s something to actually write home about. Would I pay thirty-five thousand for a 912E? Not a chance. Am I happy with my slightly rattier 912E that I picked up for thirteen grand? Absolutely I am.
The great thing about this show is that you can catch the whole thing on-demand on velocity.discovery.com by clicking here.
