914 minus 2: 1969 Porsche 912 Targa
Those of us who know Porsches know the 912 was the baby, entry level Porsche introduced in 1965. Car & Driver asked Mark Donohue to test all 4, 901 models in ’69. He was impressed by how much power Porsche was able to extract from the air-cooled powerplants. But he was most impressed by the handling. “They have remarkable suspension systems,” he said. Not so much praise for the heaters however.
Our title 914 minus 2 refers to Ferry Porsche’s decision that ’69 would be the last year for the 912 (until its return in ’76 as a 912E). Seems they had some difficulty marshaling resources to meet the Feds air quality restrictions. And they had manufacturing constraints caused by the newly introduced 914/6. So bye bye 912. Now this one is tangerine cool. We had one just like it but with 2 more cylinders (911T). This 912 has only 2 previous California owners and looks really nice in the pictures.
You can tell a well cared for 911/912 by the interior and this one looks comfy good. The door pockets on these take a beating. They are a bit fragile and hard to repair or replace. These look good signaling thoughtful previous owners. They added a little extra entry/extra protection too. The engine bay has a few common modifications that are acceptable everywhere but at a PCA Parade Concours. Easy to fix that but why bother. The seller has a knack for finding great full time residents of California and pricing them for a fast sale. Although this one at $47,900 seems a little pricey, the market will ultimately determine if it is. Just buy it and enjoy the heck out of it. See it here at Wholesale California.