05 Jun 08
Porsche is celebrating its 60th anniversary this summer: the first 356 prototype was officially approved for road use on 8th June 1946. Ferdinand 'Ferry' Porsche's family firm has come a long way since its first Beetle-derived design, and its cars are as desirable as ever. Yet you too can own a Porsche: check out our rundown of 10 available for less than £10,000.
1. Porsche 912 (1965-69; 1976)
Price: From £3000-odd in 'rough' condition; usable, road-legal (but left-hand-drive) examples at £6000-plus; the best £10,000-plus.
Engine: 1582cc flat-four (90bhp).
The original 'poor man's Porsche'. The then brand-new 911 (launched 1964) was both considerably more powerful and more expensive than the earlier 356, so Porsche introduced the 912 as a cheaper alternative. It had the bodyshell and chassis of the 911, but the 90bhp flat-four 1582cc engine from the 356 and a four-speed gearbox (a five-speeder was optional).
Sounds slow? Not necessarily: the 912 was lighter than the 911, and thus more nimble - one won its class in the 1967 European Rally Championships, and many competed to some success. The 912 was even used by the German police force.
The 912 came as a coupe with fixed hard-top or a targa-top with either canvas or hard panels. A compact four-seater, it proved particularly popular in the USA, though it was still a bit pricey for the performance it offered.
The Americans loved the 912 so much that it was revived briefly in 1976, with some 2,100 sold to bridge the gap between the 914 and 924. The reborn 912E had a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, air-cooled Volkswagen engine (again 90bhp) - making it the last of the air-cooled four-cylinder Porsches.
Many of the 912s on sale in the UK these days are imports from California; they're left-hand drive, of course, but most have come into the country rust-free (even if they don't stay that way for too long - check carefully).
