POLO RED

Polo Red

Tomohiro drives us though Tokyo in his humble early Porsche 912.

“To me, the 912 is like a hybrid of the 356 and the 911 - such an intriguing mix.”

Gleaming in its shade of Polo Red through the busy streets of Tokyo, Tomohiro Johnson looks right at home behind the wheel of his 1967 Porsche 912. In many ways it’s the perfect city car, if you’ll indulge our reasoning for just a moment. Narrow-bodied, lightweight, torquey and above all else, visible in a crowd.

“I used to drive a 997.2, but I couldn’t shake the desire to own a narrow-body Porsche - so I switched to the 912.” Explains Tomohiro.

Though often lesser celebrated than its six-cylinder sibling, people usually forget that the 912 was originally a better seller than the 911. When the latter car first launched in 1964, Porsche had never sold anything with more than 4 cylinders, much less an engine with dry-sump lubrication and overhead valves, at least not en-masse.

To some of Porsche’s loyal following, the high-tech unit in the new car was initially too big a leap to make, so as the 356 was phased out, Porsche launched a simplified variant of the 911 that housed the 356’s tried and tested pushrod 4 cylinder, which they badged as the 912. It was the perfect transition car and the better balanced model to some, thanks to the lighter engine in the early short wheelbase shell.

Though often lesser celebrated than its six-cylinder sibling, people usually forget that the 912 was originally a better seller than the 911.

"My 912 was born in Germany, traveled the roads of America and eventually made its way to Japan. There’s something captivating about a story that crosses borders like that."

“I especially love the vent windows front and rear, and the clean, headrest-free interior. My 912 was born in Germany, traveled the roads of America and eventually made its way to Japan. There’s something captivating about a story that crosses borders like that. It sometimes refuses to run, but I’ve come to love even those moments. In fact, I feel like the car is always teaching me something, that’s why I want to take my time and enjoy the journey with it. The time I spend with this car is, without a doubt, the most peaceful and fulfilling part of my life right now.”