Hi all. Stake in the ground post - two days ago, after 13 years, two continents, 15,000 miles of driving adventures, the 912 went to its new owner.
(Photo Doug Park)
I sold the car through Paul Kremer at Autokennel in Orange County on the recommendation of a friend who recently did the same with his 87 Targa. Paul is spectacularly knowledgable about Porsche. I needed someone, who wasn't me, who could present the car and qualify the work that had gone into it, and he absolutely nailed it. Cannot recommend highly enough. Of particular note at this point is the paint, which after 10 years on the road still looked almost perfect, and which, after the addition of a ceramic coat by a professional detailer, wrapped the car like liquid gold. Thank you Darren.
(Photo Doug Park)
I've never owned any vehicle for more than five years, so this was a unique one for me, and only really happened because the car continued to evolve since it was put back on the road. The engine got disassembled after a few years, and rebuilt with crank-fired twin-plug electronic fuel injection. The suspension was softened after I started going to the local track and discovered handled a lot better with a bit of front end compliance and a 15mm sway bay. It became a great testbed for experimenting and learning.
The car also became a focal point in my relationship with my son, who had been riding in it since he was only a few months old. He is just about to be seven and is obviously a huge Porsche fan (and can spot another in traffic from quarter of a mile away). The 912 was his favourite car, so he's pretty miffed. But there have been, and will continue to be, other cars.
(Photo Doug Park)
Reason for sale? I loved the restoration, I loved driving it, and I loved owning it. The next modifications were to increase compression ratio and change the cam duration to add more torque for road driving. I realized I was searching for more power, and 616 engines are incremental gains for a lot of money. I also struggled with being constantly asked what the car was worth - when I bought it I didn't care but now, just like the 1972 911T that I owned before this, 912s had transitioned from obscurity to the mainstream (this seems to be the curse with all the classics I own). I was worried about blowing up the motor, or crashing it off the track, or getting rear-ended by someone in a hurry to get their kids to school. In short, just like the 911, I recognised the creeping feeling stress of ownership beginning to outweigh the carefree pleasure of driving an old car that nobody cares about.
Thank you all, once again, for your advice, friendship, encouragement and inspiration. I'm not going to do a list because I'll make a tit of myself and forget someone (if you've read all 100+ pages of this thread, you'll know who these people are anyway!)
A funny twist - after I resigned to sell, I decided I'd take a little break from classic Porsche ownership. I watched the car go to its new owner on Saturday morning, and six hours later I was trailering home a 914 that I liberated from friend's brother. Classic Porsche is a disease.