1968 Porsche 912 Targa (soft rear window)

Built, according to the Certificate of Authenticity supplied by Porsche, on the 13th of September 1967, this ‘matching numbers’, left-hand-drive Porsche 912 Targa is finished in Polo Red with a black leatherette interior.

Fitted with the rare and desirable ‘soft’ rear window, it still has its original engine and transmission. Brilliantly – and unusually - the same key still locks all the doors and starts the ignition, a fact that says only good things about its conservation over the past half-century.

Imported after being restored in the United States, it’s been in the vendor’s hands since coming here in March 2019. Only for sale as he simply isn’t using it as much as he thought he would, this is your chance to own a strong, solid driver’s car that would benefit from a little cosmetic titivation to enable it to fulfil its considerable potential.

The coachwork has been restored and treated to a new coat of the original colour of Polo Red. The vendor tells us that he thinks the panels are all original apart from the nearside rear quarter panel, which looks like it has been replaced or repaired at some time. They certainly all line up well and have a great finish to them following the respray.

The chromework is good too with only very gentle pitting to the odd small area. The light lenses are all bright and clear, the glass is free of chips and damage, and the badging is good.

The 14-inch Fuchs alloy wheels (including the spare) are in pretty good shape being straight and free of damage. They’re fitted with matching new 205/60R14 Royal Black tyres too, and while these aren’t high-grip premium tyres there is a growing move towards fitting rubber with a lower level of grip because classics were never designed to generate the sort of G-forces we’re used to in our modern sportscars and many of us prefer the predictability and progressive loss of grip that tyres like these give.

Regardless of that, our experience shows that matching tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The targa top has been refurbished and fitted with a new soft rear window. It fits very well, lifts and refits easily, and appears to be good and weathertight. It really does offer the best of all worlds, giving open-air motoring when the weather is good, and the cosiness of the coupé when it isn’t.

It also looks terrific; funny old world isn’t it, when the coupé used to be the one people wanted until Porsche released a new Targa and everyone switched allegiance overnight.

Problems? None, really. Aside from the usual stonechips and minor marks that any car will gather with even the gentlest of use, there is a small scuff to the corner on the front nearside bumper and the rear nearside light lenses could do with straightening.

Other than that we’d rate the overall finish as strong, with nothing to worry about.

The interior has also been refurbished with a new square-weave carpet and the seats recovered with the original basket weave leatherette material. As you can see from the photos, both look stunning and make a significant contribution to the car’s very strong interior, so the time spent tracking down the right materials – and the considerable investment in labour to have them trimmed so neatly - was well worth it.

The dashboard and door cards are good too, as is the steering wheel, which is only lightly patinated and could easily be lived with. There’s an old twin-spindle-style Kenwood radio-cassette player too and it really is a lovely place to be, reeking of period charm.

The ‘frunk’ is solid but lifting the carpets shows isolated areas of light surface rust. There’s a steel spare wheel in there, plus a ratty tyre. The battery, on the other hand, looks to be fairly new.

Other work to do, aside from some tidying of some of the minor controls such as the handbrake and ashtray, includes sorting out a small rip in the leather hood behind the passenger door. The nearside door card is slightly grubby, too.

The vendor tells us that the “engine has been gone through by its previous owner, and the compression was found to be roughly 155psi on all four cylinders.” He also tells us that the brakes have also been recently overhauled.

He went on to tell us that it is “a very nice driver and could be used every day if needed.” We have test-driven it and have found that it starts and drives well, with a smooth gearbox and good clutch.

The underside has been welded but, as you can see from the photographs, the work has been done to a very high standard and is very well finished with a neat protective coating of underseal. The jacking points, one of the model’s few Achilles’ heels, look very strong.

The engine bay is clean and well presented. Importantly, as you can see, it looks to be oil-tight.

The Porsche doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The vendor tells us an interesting story about the cars life in California: it was stolen in the early and later found with the seats missing (nothing else, just the seats!).  At the time, new seats couldn't be acquired from Porsche so the insurance company wrote the car off.  It was then purchased by a dealer who bought some 911 seats and had them painstakingly re-covered to match the originals ones.  The next 40 years have been quite uneventful comparitivly.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

The vendor tells us that his research has revealed the sad fact that there are thought to be fewer than 150 of this model left in existence, which, if true, makes this example all the more exciting.

Because the 912’s time has come; after years in the shadow of the 911, enough are starting to appreciate its many virtues, not least of which are considerably reduced running costs compared to its six-cylinder sibling.

And yes, we know that you could buy an eighties 911 for the £42,000 to £52,000 we think this one will sell for but this one is suffused with the sort of effortless style that few of its ilk possess. That it is so rare only adds to its already considerable appeal.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment 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, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.