While my professional career has had me writing about cars—from an educated place, no less—for over 20 years, I’ll be the first to admit I know very little about old Porsches. I mean, sure, the first car I “technically” drove was my mom’s 914, which was really just me holding the wheel as I sat on my mom or dad’s lap while they gingerly drove down an empty street at walking speed. And yes, my dad subsequently had a 356 restoration project (which got sold to Chuck Yeager’s son) and then a mint 944, but honestly: Porsches were never my thing. I respect the hell out of them now, but I’d be lying if I said I wanted a 911 over something like, say, a Mugen-equipped EF Civic hatch.
Which is why I only learned about the 912 a handful of years ago. I know it was the “budget” 911, gaining a number but losing two cylinders, its 1.6-liter air-cooled flat four spitting out just 90 Teutonic ponies. But as air-cooled 911s climbed in value, those chasing that vintage Porsche vibe flocked to the 912, which has since caused these prices to skyrocket as well.
I stumbled upon this clean, but not overly pristine, example while taking a lunchtime stroll. I want to say that the Leica sticker on the back quarter window tells me its owner is a Venice (or Venice-adjacent) hipster, but what this whole thing really tells me is that its owner owns at least two nice things I’ll never be able to afford.
Since I’ve taken to also mentioning the tools behind these photo posts: both of these were shot with an iPhone 14 Pro, but through the Lightroom app for both RAW image capture and photo editing.
