Porsche 912 E Rally Car Conquers Land, Sea, and Sky: Off-road Wednesdays
A 1976 912 E gets up early and turns the trails in Big Bear, California, into its own special stage rally.
There is no rule that states a Porsche rally car must be a 911. Sure, that is what most people think of, but there are plenty of other options. There have been some exciting Porsche rally cars using 4-cylinder power, such as the 924. Another good 4 banger option is the 912. Visually, it is practically identical to its better-known sibling. It may not have all the power of the 911, but it certainly generates all that is needed to push the little car along the trail, and in some cases over the trail.
To show us how much fun these can be, the folks at Saturated Visuals posted on their YouTube channel a film of Jason Lightner in his 1976 912 E ripping around some California trails. With a name like Lightner, it seems appropriate that he chose the lightweight, simple 912 as his rally car of choice. The 1976 912 E was never really supposed to happen. 912 production ended after the 1969 model year. However, with the 914 selling out and ending its model run and the 924 not coming until 1977 Porsche didn’t have a lower-cost option to slot below the 911. Enter the 912 E. Basically a 911 with a flat-four Volkswagen engine in the back, the 1976 E was the stopgap car Porsche needed. The 1976 car makes a compelling choice as a rally model as that was the only 912 offered with a corrosion-resistant galvanized chassis. Nice to have when you are blasting through water and mud. Less than 3,000 of these 1976 models were ever produced, and they are prized by collectors today.
This car can handle the trails without a ton of modifications. Lightner has added some safety equipment such as a roll cage and belts. The torsion bar suspension is adjustable and is in its maximum height setting. The wheels are OEM 15-inch “cookie cutters” which allow him to run a mud-terrain tire with a large sidewall to cushion the bumps and the landings. This car can catch an impressive amount of air. Amazing, for what was Porsche’s “affordable” sports car back in the ’70s.
Porsche sports cars are incredibly versatile and tough. They can survive a beating on an off-road trail as well as anything. Even after they have 40 years of wear and tear under their wheels. Watching these incredible cars do their thing is deeply satisfying. Although it does make us a bit jealous that it is not us out there pushing these cars to their limits in ways that some might not have thought possible.
Even if this car exceeds its limit at some point, Lightner is not likely to be too concerned. He owns a successful Porsche restoration shop in California. The shop specializes in early Porsche’s, so he should have no problem putting this car back together if anything were to ever go wrong. Let’s hope he keeps making and sharing videos like this so that those of us who can’t get out there ourselves can at least marvel from our screens.
Photos: Saturated Visuals
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