SURVIVOR

Survivor

1000 miles of driving in the most patina-heavy Porsche 912 we've ever seen.

“Driving this car is like being in your own parade - people roll down windows, give thumbs-up, and occasionally shout questions at stoplights. If I’m getting honked at it’s generally someone who wants to take a photo, people are shocked to see this pass them.”

Luftgekuhlt is one of those car events that’s as much about the anticipation of getting there as anything else. Every classic Porsche for hundreds of miles begins the journey bright and early, converging on the same point as if drawn by pilgrimage to whichever venue the now legendary air-cooled gathering is taking place this time.

Back in October we shared our coverage of Luftgekuhlt 11 as it happened, but that’s not where our trip really got started. Overlooking a Manhattan sunrise from the passenger seat of a 912, Luftgekuhlt began for us with Duane Wilson, some 500 miles from our destination in Durham NC, and we were going there and back again.

We’ve seen many cars that carry “patina”, a certain weathered aesthetic borne by decades of stories and use baked into the paint surface like a well loved pair of vintage jeans. We’re not sure we’ve ever seen a car take this quite as far as Duane’s 912 however, which looks as though it’s spent the last 3 millennia entombed in the Valley of the Kings.

“This car was one of those ‘could go either way’ Bring a Trailer finds - the kind where you’re 90% sure it’s a solid car but you’re still half expecting to be buying a parts car.” Says Duane. “No one really bid on it, internet detectives were sure it was a rust bucket, but I was able to talk to the owner at the time and all I saw was a Burgundy factory sunroof 912 that was all original, with some added Bondo and a weird blue paint job - an original survivor though, and that’s hard to come by.”

If there was ever a way to prove that Duane’s 912 is a lot stronger than it looks, a 1000 mile round trip to Luftgekuhlt 11 should do the trick. Admittedly, the car isn’t exactly as it was when Duane first bought it, plenty of work has gone into unseen parts to make sure it’s roadworthy, but from the outside you’d never know.

“I didn’t do a full restoration, I’d call it a mechanical restoration. My goal was to make it OEM+, so like-new mechanicals and electrics to make it reliable without losing its scars or authenticity. It received a new gas tank and lines, new brakes, full Elephant Racing suspension, rebuilt carbs, a valve adjustment, some metal repair and a Bursch exhaust for a little extra growl - the car really came back to life.

“I didn’t do a full restoration, I’d call it a mechanical restoration. My goal was to make it OEM+, so like-new mechanicals and electrics to make it reliable without losing its scars or authenticity."

"When we finally pulled into Durham the car looked like it had just survived a rally stage - bug splatter, dust, and all. That’s exactly how it should arrive."

The patina tells a story. Every nick, scrape, dent and bit of Bondo is part of what makes it special. I like that it looks like it could’ve just driven out of its long forgotten barn in Virginia, in reality it was towed out, but now it sounds and drives like it could win the Le Mans Classic.

The 912 is purely a weekend/road trip car. I live in Manhattan - I don’t NEED a car here, in fact it’s a bit of a headache to have not just one, but two Porsches in the city. This and my 944S make me happy to drive, especially early in the morning before the city traffic wakes up.

I’ve done several long hauls in the 912, but the standout has to be the Luftgekuhlt 11 trip. When we finally pulled into Durham the car looked like it had just survived a rally stage - bug splatter, dust, and all. That’s exactly how it should arrive. Between all the perfectly polished 911s, the car really stood out.

There’s always something left to do on this car, like the passenger door which broke the day before Luft and is now stuck in the shut and locked position. Having to climb in through the open window is fun and quirky if you only have to do it once, but these issues are part of the fun on a 57 year old car. I’m just happy that it’s finally reliable, and I love that it’s perfectly imperfect.”