Porsche 912: which version to buy
If you are choosing a Porsche 912, the data set three Coupe versions and two generations, not a GT3 RS, Turbo S, or Targa. All three listed cars make 90 hp (66 kW) and are Gasoline, 4-cylinder Opposite, 2 valves per cylinder, No boost, Rear engine, RWD. The buy decision is therefore not horsepower.
If you are choosing a Porsche 912, the data set three Coupe versions and two generations, not a GT3 RS, Turbo S, or Targa. All three listed cars make 90 hp (66 kW) and are Gasoline, 4-cylinder Opposite, 2 valves per cylinder, No boost, Rear engine, RWD. The buy decision is therefore not horsepower. It is gearbox (5 vs 4), displacement (1582 vs 1971 cc), fueling (Carburetor vs Central injection (single-point or single- point)), kerb weight (970 vs 1050 kg), tank (62 vs 80 L), and the 0–100 / top-speed pair that those choices produce.
People also search porsche 912 vs 911, porsche 912e, porsche 912 targa, porsche 912 turbo s, and porsche 912 gt3 rs. This catalogue has no 911, no Targa body, no turbo, and no GT3 RS. Generation 2 in these figures is the 2.0 MT Coupe of 1975-05-01–1976-06-30 (the 2.0 MT row itself is dated 1976-01-01–1976-12-31). Treat that as the 912 E-era car in this table: same 90 hp, more cubic centimetres, more torque, more mass.
Porsche 912 generations compared (what actually changed)
1 generation (1965-01-01–1969-12-31) is a Coupe with 2 versions, both named 1.6 MT. Same engine card on both: 1582 cc, 90 hp at 5800 rpm, 122 Nm at 3500 rpm, Carburetor, compression 9.3, bore × stroke 82.5 × 74. They split on the gearbox and on the stopwatch: one 1.6 MT is Manual 5 with 12 s to 100 km/h and 192 km/h; the other 1.6 MT is Manual 4 with 13.5 s and 185 km/h. Kerb weight is 970 kg on both. Tank is 62 L on both. Ground clearance is not measured. Wheel size is not measured. Gross weight is not measured. Fuel use (city, highway, mixed) is not measured. CO2 and eco class are not measured.
2 generation (1975-05-01–1976-06-30) is a Coupe with 1 version: 2.0 MT. Power is still 90 hp (66 kW), but it arrives at 4900 rpm, not 5800. Torque is 133 Nm at 4000 rpm. Displacement is 1971 cc. Fueling is Central injection (single-point or single- point). Compression falls to 7.6. Bore × stroke is 94 × 71. Gearbox is Manual 5. 0–100 is 13.5 s. Top speed is 177 km/h. Kerb weight is 1050 kg. Tank is 80 L. Ground clearance is 142 mm. Wheels, gross weight, consumption, CO2, eco class: not measured.
Generation gap in arithmetic, not in story: displacement +389 cc (+24.6% vs 1582), torque +11 Nm (+9.0% vs 122), kerb +80 kg (+8.2% vs 970), tank +18 L (+29.0% vs 62), peak-power rpm −900 (from 5800 to 4900), compression −1.7 (from 9.3 to 7.6). Power is unchanged at 90 hp. Against the faster first-generation 1.6 MT, 0–100 is +1.5 s slower (13.5 vs 12) and top speed is −15 km/h (177 vs 192). Against the four-speed 1.6 MT, 0–100 matches at 13.5 s and top speed is −8 km/h (177 vs 185).
Porsche 912 specs table (all versions, names as in the database)
| Version | Generation | hp | Nm | cc | Fuel | Cylinders / layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 MT (5-speed) | 1 generation | 90 | 122 | 1582 | Gasoline | 4 Opposite | No | Manual 5 | RWD |
| 1.6 MT (4-speed) | 1 generation | 90 | 122 | 1582 | Gasoline | 4 Opposite | No | Manual 4 | RWD |
| 2.0 MT | 2 generation | 90 | 133 | 1971 | Gasoline | 4 Opposite | No | Manual 5 | RWD |
Front and rear brakes on every row: Disc. Front and rear suspension on every row: Independent, torsion. Engine position on every row: Rear.
Porsche 912 engine: same 90 hp, three different ways it is used
Horsepower is not a differentiator. porsche 912 horsepower and porsche 912e horsepower both land on 90 hp / 66 kW in this file.
What does change is how that 90 hp is made and where it sits on the tachometer.
- 1.6 MT (both): 1582 cc, 90 / 1.582 ≈ 56.9 hp per litre, peak at 5800 rpm, 122 Nm at 3500 rpm, Carburetor, compression 9.3, 82.5 × 74.
- 2.0 MT: 1971 cc, 90 / 1.971 ≈ 45.7 hp per litre, peak at 4900 rpm, 133 Nm at 4000 rpm, Central injection (single-point or single- point), compression 7.6, 94 × 71.
The second-generation engine is larger and less specific: 11.2 hp/L less than the 1.6 (56.9 − 45.7). It makes 11 Nm more, 900 rpm earlier at peak power, and it is the only row here that is not a Carburetor. Searches for porsche 912 engine swap, engine rebuild, engine numbers, engine bay, engine diagram, and motor for sale are ownership topics; this catalogue does not list parts, diagrams, or asking prices.
If you want the highest specific output and the highest peak-power rpm in the set, that is either 1.6 MT. If you want the only injected, larger-displacement 90 hp, that is 2.0 MT.
Performance: 0–100, top speed, mpg
Fuel consumption is not measured on city, highway, and mixed for 1.6 MT, 1.6 MT, and 2.0 MT. CO2 is not measured. There is no mpg figure to rank.
The ranking that is measured:
1. Fastest 0–100 and highest top speed: 1.6 MT with Manual 5 — 12 s, 192 km/h. 2. Tied 0–100, different tops: 1.6 MT with Manual 4 — 13.5 s, 185 km/h; 2.0 MT — 13.5 s, 177 km/h.
The five-speed first-generation 1.6 MT is 1.5 s quicker to 100 than the other two and 7 km/h faster than its four-speed twin (192 − 185), 15 km/h faster than 2.0 MT (192 − 177). The four-speed 1.6 MT still outruns 2.0 MT by 8 km/h at the top (185 − 177) with the same 13.5 s sprint.
Power-to-weight (kerb kg per hp): 970 / 90 ≈ 10.8 kg/hp on both 1.6 MT rows; 1050 / 90 ≈ 11.7 kg/hp on 2.0 MT. The later car carries about 0.9 kg more per horsepower. That lines up with the slower 0–100 versus the five-speed 1.6 and with the lowest top speed in the table, even though torque is highest on 2.0 MT.
Porsche 912 weight, tank, dimensions, clearance
porsche 912 weight: 970 kg kerb for both 1.6 MT; 1050 kg for 2.0 MT (+80 kg). Gross weight is not measured on all three. porsche 912 weight distribution is not measured.
porsche 912 dimensions / size / 1967–1968 dimensions: overall length, width, height, and wheelbase are not measured in this data. Wheel size is not measured. Do not treat a missing dimension as a small car or a large one; it is simply not in the file.
Ground clearance: not measured on both 1.6 MT; 142 mm on 2.0 MT. That is the only measured ride-height number in the set.
Tank: 62 L on both 1.6 MT; 80 L on 2.0 MT (+18 L). Without a consumption figure, extra tank volume is extra volume only — not extra range.
Which Porsche 912 version to choose
Choose the 1 generation 1.6 MT (Manual 5) if the numbers that matter to you are the stopwatch and the top end. It is the only version at 12 s to 100 km/h and 192 km/h. Same 90 hp, same 122 Nm, same 1582 cc, same 970 kg as the four-speed 1.6 MT — the measured gain is the 5-speed Manual versus 4. Relative to 2.0 MT you give up 11 Nm, 389 cc, injection, 18 L of tank, and the only listed 142 mm clearance; you keep 80 kg less kerb mass and 15 km/h more top speed.
Choose the 1 generation 1.6 MT (Manual 4) if you want the same first-generation engine card (1582 cc, Carburetor, 9.3 compression, 5800 rpm peak) and the same 970 kg, and you accept 13.5 s and 185 km/h. Versus the five-speed 1.6 MT you lose 1.5 s and 7 km/h with no change in hp, Nm, litres, or weight — the whole gap in this file is the 4-speed box. Versus 2.0 MT you are still 8 km/h faster on top, 80 kg lighter, and equal on 0–100 (13.5 s), while giving up torque, displacement, and tank size.
Choose the 2 generation 2.0 MT if the later Coupe’s hardware list is the point: 1971 cc, 133 Nm, Central injection (single-point or single- point), Manual 5, 80 L tank, 1050 kg, 142 mm clearance. You do not buy more horsepower — still 90 hp — and you do not buy a quicker 0–100 than the four-speed 1.6. You buy more cubic centimetres, more newton-metres, a lower-rev power peak (4900 vs 5800), and the only non-carburetor feed in the table. You pay for it in mass (+80 kg) and in the lowest top speed (177 km/h). Specific output is the weakest of the three (≈ 45.7 hp/L vs ≈ 56.9).
There is no price in this data, so “what the extra money buys” has to be read as what the extra displacement and generation buy: +389 cc, +11 Nm, injection instead of Carburetor, +18 L tank, +80 kg, −15 km/h versus the quickest 1.6 MT, and 0–100 that matches the slower 1.6 MT rather than the faster one.
If a listing is sold as a Targa, Turbo S, or GT3 RS, it is not one of these three catalogue rows. If it is a 1.6 MT, ask whether the gearbox is the 5 or the 4: that is the only split between the two identically named first-generation versions, and it is the difference between 12 s / 192 km/h and 13.5 s / 185 km/h.