For $13,000, Is This A Poor Man's Porsche?

At one time Porsche's 911 went one rung up the numerical ladder to 912, while that car's cylinder count concurrently dropped from 6 to 4. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Porsche is said to the a former 911, but owing to its four-banger, it's now a 912. Will you find its price to be also be a numerical conundrum?

We need to come up with a term like 'butter face' for otherwise cool cars that are saddled with automatic transmissions, you know one that calls out that singular negative but perhaps not so misogynistic. I'll expect that you are getting right on that, m'kay?

While you're mulling over a new meme, let's see how yesterday's automatic equipped 1974 Opel Manta faired in our challenge. Ooh, not so good I see. Fully 65% of you couldn't see paying its asking and the main source of contention appeared to be that car's fun-sapping slush box.

Fortunately today's 1967 Porsche comes with a 5-speed. What it doesn't come with is its original engine, nor even its original cylinder count. Now we do a lot of engine switchers here cause their just so damn much fun, but it's not all that often that we get our metaphorical panties damp over a switch that involves going from 6 to 4. This car remains intrinsically intriguing even with its pistonectomy, but what the Hell exactly is its story?

Well, from what we can tell by way of the ad, this is a 1967 model year Porsche 901 (that's the internal code for the first-generation of cars) that is said to have been built in 1966. When it left Stuttgart it carried into battle a 1,991-cc flat six with 128-bhp, or 150 if it was the hotter 911S. A year prior, Porsche had closed the curtain on 356 production and transferred that venerable car's 90-bhp flat four to that same new 901 platform, thus creating the 912.

This car has that motor and hence it's a after-the-fact 912. From the looks of the pics in the ad the seller is up to his armpits in cool old Porsches so it's likely he knows what he's talking about when he notes that the VIN is for a six and that physical aspects of the engine bay – mounts, oil reservoir holes – don't jive with it being a factory 912.

Regardless of its provenance, it is a running early 901, and yowzah if those aren't tits-cool. This one seems to have a straight shell and a complete interior although the seats presently in the car are a little bolstery for the era. There do seem to be a stock set not in the car that perhaps come with?

The engine is described as having been recently rebuilt but exactly when and by whom goes unexplained. Its clean California title is also a plus, and seeing as it's older than dirt, there's no smog test requirement for it even in the Golden State. It also has a set of black-painted Fuchs, and while it's missing some trim it's otherwise seemingly intact.

Here's the thing though. This car has been around for a while, appearing on The Samba a while back, as well as BaT. And considering that early 901s are presently following their 356 predecessors through the value roof, this one's solid if Frankensteinian appearance seems ripe to do the same.

It is however, asking $13,000. Yeah, that's Chevy Spark money, but who ever got laid tossing a set of Spark keys on the Black Angus bar? What do you think about this Porsche for the proletariat and its price? Is thirteen large a deal for this Teutonic tart? Or, does the sleight of hand in the engine bay make your interest magically disappear at that price?

You decide!

SFBay Area Craigslist (although the car is in LA) , or go here if the ad disappears.

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