Restoring a Porsche to past glory

Janice Harrison was born in San Francisco and raised in northern California. She married in 1968 and moved to Palo Alto in 1974. She has three children, all born at Stanford Hospital, and two grandsons. She has worked for BMI Imaging Systems, Inc. for 36 years as the controller. Her interests other than cars include reading and listening to jazz on KCSM.

My husband and I bought our first Porsche in 1968, shortly after we were married. It was a 1963 356 Cabriolet, which we traded in for our 1968 912 in 1972. We bought the ’68 from Gus Mozart in Palo Alto. We bought this car to drive on vacation to Canada, as it had more room and more power. All three of our children were brought home from Stanford Hospital in the 912, in the days before car seats. When they reached driving age, they all learned to drive in the 912, on its five-speed stick shift.

There was a time when the car sat idle in our garage. We were just too busy raising our family and maintaining our home, and the money was needed elsewhere. Since then, our children have grown up and have their own lives, and our 912 has deservedly received our attention. We gave it a rebuilt engine with more horsepower, a fresh paint job in the original Polo Red and a new interior. It is now an award winner at PCA events.

The Porsche 912 was only produced from 1966-1969. The 911 six-cylinders began production in 1965, but with so many four-cylinder 356 engines remaining, Porsche designed a 911 body, dropped in a four-cylinder engine and dubbed it the 912.

The 912 had many differences from the 911. It was less expensive, so they used rubber floor mats and steel wheels — not the alloy wheels of the 911. The radio and 5-speed gearbox were optional for an additional price. The 912 wasn’t as fast, and the suspension had the body raised a little higher than the 911. The 912 had a 90 horsepower engine, whereas in the 911 it was 160 to 190, depending on the model. The 912 had two two-barrel Solex carburetors, where the 911 had six or was injected. The body trim on the 912 was kept to a minimum.

Our 1968 912 has a Blaupunkt radio and the optional five-speed transmission. We have had the steel wheels chromed, which makes a big difference. The interior has been redone and upgraded with houndstooth inserts in the seats. We used a bore kit during the rebuild, so now the engine has 100 to 110 hp. This car will cruse all day at 70 to 80 mph. It has been repainted in the original Polo Red after a tree branch fell on the car in front of our house. The 912 didn’t fair too well in the 1989 earthquake. It was in our garage at the time and a cabinet nailed to a wall came crashing down, putting a dent in one of the front fenders.

Since buying this car in 1972, we have had the same mechanic. When he retired, his nephew took over the business, so it is still in the family.

Our 912 has been reliable and fun, and recently has become a desirable model. It’s been with us for 43 years and we still drive it daily. I take it to work about three days a week, depending on the weather. The car gets a lot of attention any time I drive it. This was a new car when it was sold in 1968, the year that we were married. We plan on driving this car out to dinner on our 50th wedding anniversary, and hopefully many more anniversaries to come.

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