All Four. Why Porsche’s 912 Owes its Life to the 356C
Classic Examples. How Four Cylinder Pressure Shaped Porsche’s Future
In a year of much to celebrate at Porsche, the 356C turning 60 may seem like just another anniversary. But it’s certainly an event worth celebrating. And what better way to do that, than to ponder the fascinating story behind that car’s incredible contribution to the existence of the 912 that followed through Porsche nut Peter Ellinghorst’s pigeon pair.
The only reason the 912 ever came about, was thanks to the 356 in the first place. This amazing story goes back to the middle of the 20th century, to the early races of the space age, and when Porsche was pondering its first step away from the 356.
Ferdinand Porsche had tasked son FA to develop the new car. Several different prototypes later, the younger Porsche presented the 911’s progenitor, Type 901. An iconic design, ask a child to draw a sports car today, and more often than not, they will sketch a 911. Not all existing Porsche owners were very happy with Porsche was doing back then, however.
Porsche 356 Owners Still Wanted a Boxer Four!
It was not so much boss Ferry Porsche’s concerns that the new car lacked intrinsic 356 subtlety. Or Erwin Komenda’s design of a pure two-seater with foldaway rear seats under a straighter roofline. The problem was rather twofold. One was simply that the new car cost 21,900 Deutschmarks,.Or 5,450 DM more than a 356 1600 SC Coupé.
And the other quite remarkable problem, was that die-hard boxer four Porsche 356 fans simply hated the new car’s bulky central camshaft boxer-six engine! They still swore by the original 75 HP four-pot! So, despite the new car’s performance, modern 911 styling and popularity with new clients, Porsche could not convince its old clientele on the new six-pot.
Customer reluctance to move away from concepts they knew and trusted, became an unexpected and somewhat significant issue for forward thinking Porsche. It had the likes of designer Komenda and FA Porsche scratching their heads to solve it. And that’s where the Porsche 912 came in.
So Porsche Put a Four Cylinder Into the 901
A simple solution, Porsche simply took the new 901, tossed the 6-cyliner and stuffed a 90 HP version of the 356’s good old four pot in the back. A bridge between two eras, the 912 killed two birds with one stone. It gave those flat four fans what they wanted. And at the same time delivered splendid new 911 looks for all of a 356-like 16,250 marks.
That is also where the story of Peter Ellinghorst’s pigeon pair of four cylinder Porsches in his Bielefeld garage started. Peter always dreamed of owning a Porsche and worked through his school holidays to afford to buy his 356C. He then spent all his spare time though college restoring the car with a little help from his parents on a loan to ensure a quality restoration.
The 356 served as his wedding car and became part of the family. Which is where it could have ended. Peter however liked the idea of a 911 ‘roommate’ for his 356C. An ad for a ‘painted pile of rust’ crash damaged Porsche 911 soon saw him off to the Netherlands, where he dug what turned out to be his 912 out from a heap of junk. The dealer wanted rid of it and the rest is history.
A Fine Restoration Project Lurked
Turned out that the Californian reimport was actually in good mechanical order. It had clean chrome, good doors and all the original fittings, roof lining and interior kit in place. All the location points even aligned perfectly on the chassis jig, so the body wasn’t buckled. And even the engine and gearbox numbers matched. Perfect for restoration!
Working with friend Peter Neitzel in his barn, they tackled the 912 restoration. They stripped the car and farmed its bodywork, paintwork, upholstery, engine, and transmission work out to expert workshops. Then Peter and Peter gathered it all back together, and assembled it again, also replacing the original rims with first-generation Fuchs 14-inch wheels.
Peter Ellinghorst is fascinated by his cars. “It’s astonishing how much is the same,” he points out. “The wheels, the brakes, the interior and wing mirrors, the physical engine and much more is close to identical between the two cars. That’s why both cars are painted in the same colour. It’s a Jaguar Satin Silver, which is a little darker than original, but does the chrome better justice.”
Less Separates This Boxer Four Duo Than You’d Ever Believe
While the 356 does little to hide the fact that it is related to the Beetle, the 912 is quite different. But they still share so much. “Less separates these two cars than you’d ever believe,” Peter reports. “The seats and driving position, braking, and that evocative sound.
“They’re both totally unmistakably Porsches, and are totally drivable every day. The 912 however has the better chassis and steering, and it’s livelier with its extra power and more modern five-speed gearbox.“
Peter’s Porsches may be separated by a generation of design, but they were built only two years apart. 1964 and 1966 models, respectively, but they have many parts in common. The 912 will however always owe its existence solely to the 356Cs and their original owner’s staunch reluctance to change. Otherwise the Porsche 912 would never have been, in the first place.
All of which makes Peter Ellinghorst’s pigeon pair of Porsches pretty special and most unique in their own right.
Porsche: 356 C Coupé 912 1600 Engine: 1,582cc H4 1,582cc H4 Output : 75 HP 91 lb.-ft 90 HP 89 lb.-ft Compression: 8.5:1 9.3:1 Carburetion: 2x Zenith 32 2x Weber 40 Gearbox: 4-speed 5-speed Weight: 2061 lbs 2195 lbs 0−60 mph: 14.0 sec 13.5 sec Top speed: 110 mph 115 mph Build: 1963-65 1965-69 Units: 16,668 30,745
Photos: Porsche