1965 Porsche 912

Imported to the UK on 15th August 1965, this car left the factory with the ‘Light Ivory’ finish and red upholstery with which it is specified today. 

This actual car, then as now bearing the registration FYN 912C, was reviewed in Autocar road test no. 2946 on 24.9.65.

The conclusion of their very favourable review reads as follows, “There is something about a Porsche which gets you. A ride up the road is not enough, for it may be the weaker points that are noticed most. It takes a day at the wheel for the bug to bite but, from then on, the attraction blossoms to a heart-and-soul affair which can only end in complete captivation. Strangest of all is the way the Porsche seems to like you; it flatters your driving.”

This 1965 Porsche 912 was first seen by the vendor in 2010, when he was visiting a client’s house in his capacity as a building contractor. 

"I was invited to the guy's house and, as a sports car enthusiast, I couldn't resist asking questions about the pair of classic Lotus Elans I spotted at the property," recalls the vendor, who was already a Porsche-phile and the owner of a 911 (930) Turbo. "He explained they were his son's cars, before inviting me to take a look at his Porsche project in waiting. He told me it was an early 912 used as a press car by AFN, but had been off the road since the late 1970s." 

The vendor didn’t win the building contract but he did buy the 912.

"I'm no restorer, but I reasoned I could just about get the car back up and running under my own steam," the vendor says. 

While trying to hunt down spare parts online, he came across Mike Champion Engineering (MCE) of Banbury, a well-known and highly respected restorer of classic Porsches, and it was to Mike that he entrusted the restoration of this 912.

And what an extraordinary job he has done. 

This is, quite simply, one of the very best 912s you could hope to find anywhere in the world. 

It is aesthetically and mechanically living its best life and it has the inestimable bonus of being both vanishingly rare and possessed of superb provenance.

As much as anything, our job is to describe the ways in which any given car deviates from ‘perfect’. 

Well, with the proviso that no car on the planet is ‘perfect’, we can safely say that we really won’t have much to talk about when it comes to this car’s weak points.

The bodywork is entirely free of any dinks, dents, bangs, crumples, creases, ripples or folds of significance anywhere that we can see.

The ‘Light Ivory’ paintwork has a beautiful lustre and depth of shine to it.

All five wheels are entirely beyond reproach and the matching Vredestein Sprint Classic tyres have plenty of life left in them.

The panels, panel gaps and shut-lines are entirely consistent with the best tolerances sought and achieved by automotive engineers in the 1960s, and the whole car feels, and looks, very well screwed together.

The chrome work is exemplary and unimpeachable everywhere that we can see. 

The lights, lenses, badging, trim and other exterior fixtures and fittings all appear to be in first-class order.

The condition of the interior is every bit as impressive as its exterior counterpart and all the restoration work has clearly been carried out to the very highest and most exacting of standards. 

The soft, ‘Red Ambler Pebble’ upholstery on the seats and door cards renders the seats both comfortable and supportive. 

It also provides an aesthetically pleasing contrast with the marl-grey carpets and black mats – all of which are in excellent fettle.

Like the rest of the interior, the door cards look factory-fresh, and the simple wooden dash and delightfully uncomplicated instrument binnacle are following the same script in terms of condition and preservation. 

The only faults we found are two small tears at each side of the headlining where it meets the windscreen, and the fact that the passenger door is currently resisting attempts to open it from the inside. 

It seems that the lock release button at the end of the passenger door armrest has decided against working. 

The frunk, which contains a spare wheel and a fabric car cover, is as pristine as the rest of it.

As far as we’re aware, all buttons, switches, knobs and levers do what they’re supposed to do. 

The engine bay is spectacularly clean, shiny, dry and tidy. 

We’d give it 5 stars on a food hygiene rating, never mind a mechanic’s report, and everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

The undersides look to be as squeaky clean and minty fresh as the rest of the car. 

Everything appears to be possessed of plenty of structural integrity and nothing we’ve seen has prompted us to tut or raise an eyebrow.

This car comes with well-documented provenance and three thick files brimming with bills, receipts and invoices for work carried out. 

It also comes with various magazines (in which it stars), articles and correspondence. 

The car comes with full sets of keys, a V5C, a clear HPI check, assorted guides and handbooks, and an original driver’s manual that looks like it might have been found in the same cave as the Dead Sea Scrolls. 

In the year this car was built Julie Andrews was prancing about in an alpine meadow, Douglas Engelbart invented the computer ‘mouse’, and Tom Jones was requesting a status update from a pussy cat. 

And, somewhere in Zuffenhausen, a band of exceptionally skilled Teutonic engineers were tightening the final nuts and bolts on this splendid 912.

This ultra-rare RHD UK car is superb in every measurable way and is a joy to drive and behold.

It’s really, really very special indeed.

We are happy to offer this fine vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £70,000 - £90,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.