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Why The Porsche 912 Has Its Own Cult Following part 2
There’s nothing quite like looking out over the frunk of an early Porsche at night, pavement rushing at the nose, illuminated by the soft amber halogen headlights.
Not sure I’d be so enamored with it in dense fog or a torrential downpour, but on a clear summer night it’s just perfect.
Time to address the gigantic elephant in the room: yes, this car is slow.
Not glacially slow like their distant air cooled relatives of the same era, but slow nonetheless.
However, unlike those VWs, the 912 makes up for the lack of shove with one of the most rewarding driving experiences I’ve encountered.
When you get into a rhythm and are on the same page as the car, it’s a blast to hustle through corners.
Owners have repeatedly told me that their cars are more rewarding to run through twisties than the original 911 because they offer better weight distribution and superior handling.
Until I drove Eric’s car I had to take their word for it, but I was skeptical.
Having driven a 1969 911 (albeit a heavily modified one) I wasn’t so sure that the 912 would live up to the hype and make me a believer.
After all, I do like to go fast, but I’ll be damned if I wouldn’t rather drive the 912 everyday.
It really is well balanced and when I was in the right gear through a corner it felt so good.
Keeping the revs up is a must if you’re attempting any sort of spirited driving, above 3,000 RPM at least.
As it wasn’t my car, I was a bit timid to wind it out at first, but Eric reminded me that it is what the car wants.
So I put the 1.6 liter flat-four through its paces and, surprise, surprise, it was great.
Instead of the howling sound you get in a 911, you get a throaty rumble that will be familiar to anyone who has owned a Subaru with a hole in the muffler.
I liked the way it sounded and that was with a stock exhaust.
I highly recommend a quick search on YouTube to hear the sonic excellence than can be achieved with one of these motors.
Verdict.
Yep, I get it now.
I understand why the cult of 912 is a thing and why people join it.
It’s not just a baby 911.
It stands on its own and truly has its own merits.
Driving a slow car fast is hard; it requires practice and patience.
Both of those things seem to be in short supply these days and we’ve nobody to blame but ourselves.
Modern technology and more specifically modern cars offer us instant gratification at every turn.
You can hop in just about any sports car and feel like you’ve mastered it within hours.
If it’s just straight-line speed you’re looking for, any family sedan is capable of reaching triple digits with ease.
There’s no emotion involved; nothing special about it.
Driving the 912 is undeniably special, whether you’re giving it everything you’ve got in the canyons or cruising alongside the ocean.
It wants to be your friend, it wants you to have a good time and all it requires is your attention.
It won’t bite you the way a 911 will if you’re not engaged, but you won’t get the whole experience either.
That these cars remained overlooked for so long because they had a four-cylinder engine is a testament to how ridiculous the enthusiast community can be.
Eric was one of those smart individuals who saw the writing on the wall early on and picked up a 912 back before the bubble began to inflate.
The cat has been out of the bag for a few years now, and 912 prices are right up there with 911s.
Given the choice at the same price point I’d go 912 and in fact I intend to.
The car has had my attention for years, but now it has my respect.