The upcoming 991 series Porsche 911, which will be unveiled at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, will apparently not feature a flat-four cylinder engine in its line-up, yet. But, the model that eventually will follow, almost certainly will feature a frugal flat-four.
Some Porsche enthusiasts will try to convince you that this is almost sacrilege, but dig a little deeper into Porsche’s history and a flat-four isn’t such an out of place engine for a 911. When Porsche made the transition from the original 356 to the first 911s in the early 1960s, the gaps in price and performance were too significant. That’s why Porsche launched the 912. In the rear of this 911-bodied car the company originally used the 67 kW 1,6-litre flat-four engine from the last-of-the-line 356.
Now, don’t expect any fireworks, power is one of the last characteristics that determine if a car is a classic or not. The example I drove was for sale at the time, but it has found a new owner since. It has been with the current owner for 25 years and although it is in need of a full restoration one can still get the fundamental driving experience from this example.
Most of the interior bits are still original, such as the seats for example, the steering wheel and most of the dashboard. The pedals are typically offset to the left while the gearbox has that well-known dog leg first. Once up to speed and shifting through the gearbox you realise how loose the gearbox is, especially when going from third gear into fourth. It feels for a moment like you are going straight back into second, as second and fourth gear are extremely close to one another.
The steering wheel is humongous to say the least, but after a couple of turns at walking speed you are grateful as you do need the leverage to cope with the unassisted steering. With the steering wheel situated fairly close to the dashboard and instrumentation, you feel very much “connected” to the car.
As you will be able to hear from the video, the flat-four is fairly noisy and you have to speak a fair bit louder to your passenger. Even so, it all contributes to a driving experience you don’t encounter in any modern car.
For the lucky new owner that will hopefully do the right thing with this car and give it the attention it needs, it will offer the classic early 911 experience, even if it is called a 912.