August 2023 Featured Car

PORSCHE 912P

POLO ENGINED 912 OUT-911S THE 911

When the 912 was assembled, it was because the 911 was perceived as being more expensive and too luxurious in comparison to the 356 it replaced. The car was well balanced but lacked the power needed to be exceptional. Then came the 4-cylinder Polo engines where they cut two cylinders of a 911 engine.

The extreme power offered by the 2.4-liter twin-plug POLO installed in the back of this 912 comes with all of the advantages of a late-model flat-six, without all of the disadvantages brought on with added weight.

The light weight 912 was a byproduct of offering a stripped-down inexpensive entry level 911. 

The extreme power offered by the 2.4-liter twin-plug POLO installed in the back of this 912 comes with all the advantages of a late-model flat-six, without all the disadvantages brought on with added weight.

This assemblage of parts produced an engine 3 inches longer and weighing only 20 pounds more than a standard 90 horsepower 912 engine. That tick of extra weight was an acceptable tradeoff for more than doubling the power output and greatly increasing drivability. 

A custom 5-gauge cluster was accomplished by North Hollywood Speedometer, incorporating a higher redline on the tachometer, a 150 mph speedo and the combo gauges to the left of the tach were reworked to include a reading for oil pressure, and register the alternator’s voltage output.

The custom-reworked seats with inflatable bolsters, and higher sides added to the bottom cushion for cupping the driver in place. Once they had been shaped the way he wanted them, the seats were then subjected to a fantastic recovering in “Buchanan” tartan plaid centers and perforated black leather surrounds.