Porsche 912

From 1965 through 1969, Porsche's 912 eased the transition between the 356 and the 911. For those who wanted a new six-cylinder 911 but couldn't quite afford one, the 912 had the same aerodynamics, ergonomics, style, and quality of construction. Porsche unveiled the 911 coupe to the public in 1963, and first offered it for sale in 1964. 912 coupe production commenced in April 1965. Diehard fans of the 356 could appreciate the 912's proven 356-based flat four-cylinder motor delivering 64 SAE horsepower/ liter. With the flat-four, an early 912 weighs about 250 pounds less than a standard 911 of the same year. Both 911/912s offered performance with four-wheel disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension, rack and pinion steering, 5 speed transmission, and Recaro seats. The 912 won Car and Driver's 1967 "Readers Choice" Poll for its class. With its nimble handling combined with high reliability, a racing 912 won the European Rally Championship in 1967.

Overall production gradually shifted from the fuel-efficient 912 to the higher-horsepower six-cylinder 911. 912s continued in production until the introduction of the mid-engine 914 and 914-6 in late 1969. Ironically, after production of the 914 ceased in late 1975, the fuel-injected 912E model appeared in 1976, powered by a 2.0 liter 914-derived engine. When 912E production ended, Porsche had constructed 34,959 of the Type 912/912E model. Options included three-point seatbelts, air conditioning, halogen fog lights, rear window wiper, and electric sunroof. Sunroof coupe 912s built from 1965-1969 912s are extremely rare. 912s had several components similar to 356 parts. In addition to its flat-four engine, exterior paint colors, seats and headrests, chrome wheels, gear shift, instruments, heater system, aluminum body trim, headlights, fog lights, luggage straps and mirrors were in the Porsche tradition.

Porsche's Targa assembly line started in December 1966, producing the first ten 911 Targas, and at least one 912 Targa. 912 Targas cost more than the coupes, but provided 'air conditioning' without reducing engine performance. Early factory workshop manuals called the Targa a "cabriolet", but absent was the fabric top and frame mechanism. Instead, a flat "safety hoop" rollbar supported both a lift-off folding top, and a separate rear window. Butzi Porsche decided that the rollbar should be covered with a brushed stainless steel surface. Factory window tunnel tests demonstrated that with the top off and rear window up, interior turbulence was low, even at high speeds. Targas first came equipped with flexible plastic rear windows ('soft-windows') openable with a zipper; the glass rear window was an option starting in 1968. Soft-window 912s Targas are extremely rare. Fixed glass rear window with electric defroster were optional and became known as the hard-window Targas. Many of the soft-window cars had been converted to glass over time.

some info courtesy of 912 registry

912 VIN number sequences

Note: (K) indicates a 912 assembled at the Karmann factory, (P) indicates 912 assembled at the Porsche factory.  (Because demand for Porsches exceeded the factory's capacity, Karmann constructed 912s under contract.)

912 production numbers:
6401 in 1965
9090 in 1966 (100,000 Porsche built in 66 was a 912 Targa for the German Police)
~6300 in 1968

2562 are 912 Targas from 65-69