Question :

The Outlaw 912?  Is there anyone out there brave enough to drive one on a daily basis with numbers and racing stripes?  Truly unique vehicles (ie: rally car replicas, vintage replicas, 912 Hot Rods, etc.)   Are you familiar with the Emorys of Parts Obsolete and their Outlaw 356s?  If the potential value of a fully restored 912 doesn't approach the cost of restoration, does this makes them candidates for becoming "Outlaws"?

Originally a Question of the Month, New comments and stories are welcome, join in at our new Renegade Bulletin Board!

From: Steve Goodman; Hello all:   Since a MAZDA rotary is an outlaw 912 then I guess my 912/180 is too.  The 180 means 180hp (and 235ft lbs of torque) from a 1966 CORVAIR turbo engine,  into  901 5speed from a 68  911.   The turbo helps alot at the higher elevations west of Denver, Colorado and the swb 1966 car is fun to drive on the twisty mountain roads.   In case anyone is highly upset by this combination; at least give me credit for saving the car from certain destruction since it was a badly stripped body w/no powertrain and little interior when I purchased it in 1988.    Regards, Steve   

From: Bayless Family;  ; just completed my 912 tube frame racecar. 4 years in the works. Built it from the ground up. The only metal body is the window-door frames, the rest is fiberglass or plastic and chrome moly tubes and aluminum panels. It weighs less then 900 lbs. More picture of construction steps at http://996tt.com/garybayless/
Hope to hillclimb and autocross/solo alot this year.  Keep up the good work, Gary Bayless, Santa Rosa,CA ,  

From: Bill Todd; 1966 912 coupe #452618. 1720cc NPR Big Bore kit. Mild cam. Balanced and blueprinted engine. Full flow spin-on oil filter and stainless Aeroquip oil lines. Fresh top overhaul and CB Performance Weber 40IDF upgrade.   Compufire electronic ignition in 009 distributor. Bosch Blue coil.  Extractor header with new "J" tubes several years ago. New muffler still waiting to be needed. 5 speed. Chassis is modified--full running gear from 911S including ventilated brakes and rear calipers. All kinds of trick chassis stuff--too much to list here. Very fast and very reliable. I have $21K invested and have receipts to show and maintenance log since I got it 17 years ago. It isn't a "concours car." It is a very enjoyable car that looks like a 1973 911RS. It's all set to race, and has all the goodies to do it well. [Note: Bill has sold this car but this gives the reader an idea of what can be done...]

From: chris debois;  Today I drove a Porsche 911T for the first time. Next week I pick up my 1967 lemon yellow 912. Its beautiful and its mine. Why on earth would anyone want to alter such a fantastic car.

From: David Corbitt; 1969 912; My car is running a 2.0 liter type 4 motor.  The cost of rebuilding the original motor was way beyond a college students income, and 914 motors are relatively plentiful here. few changes had to be made such as wiring for alternator or carb linkage, but it was simple work to do. I am a fan of the "outlaw" idea. My car looks stock from the outside with the exception of lowered stance. Underneath the skin, I've updated the brakes to 911 vented units, stainless steel brake lines, better fluid, weltmeister sway bars. All of this has been done for reasonably low cost since I just wait for the deals to come by. Much of the performance stuff so far has come from trading with other people. Now that I have graduated, I'm planning on rebuilding the transmission to accommodate the different torque and hp curves of the type 4, finish the suspension set up and build a nice type 4 insted of the pervious hack job motor. I believe that the key to a proper "outlaw" 912 is based on the classic look outside the car with a racing drivetrain and suspension setup. Reproduction decals such as 60's era mobil or gulf decals can really make the outlaw car special. After all, it's not that hard to tape off the windows and spray the car a unique color, or to buy a fiberglass duck-tail, or to install a mighty stereo system, but to make a classic looking sleeper can be something truly different. One final note, Grassroots Motorsports magazine is a great source for setup and parts for the regular guy as opposed to the CEO looking to have a shiny tip on his 993.

From: Michel Lauzon; GTE/michel1 ; I have owned a 912 for 6 years now. I have learned a great deal since owning this vehicle. I have rebuilt the engine myself twice now and would like to share my thoughts on this subject.  I used Harry Pellows' book "Secrets of the Inner Circle", as a guide. I have also met and talked with a variety of people on this subject. I tried to collect, gather and put into practice as much of all this great advice as I could.
On my first rebuild, I used one of those "new" rare 86mm 1720 NPR big bore kits. I also used a near stock Weber 270 degree cam. This engine had great idle even when it was not set up right and, under "cold" conditions. Low end was terrific. High end at 4500 to 6000 was just enough but not great.
The second rebuild became necessary because the case cracked at the oil cooler mount location. The heli arc repair of the case required the complete dissassembly of the engine. This occured after 12,000 miles!
On the second rebuild, I chose a different route. I changed the pistons and cylinders to the Shasta/AC type which are lighter and run with tighter clearances. I also chose the Norris 337s ( 290+ degree )cam.  I now have more than 1200 miles on this engine and it is simply a blast. It is a little more difficult to tune at idle, low end is still good and the power is so much better at 5500 rpm! It rally screams!
I also have experience with the MSD type ignition and the Pertronix ignition system. They are both good improvements and I recommend either or both. Now, if I were to choose between both, I would choose the Pertronics. I have not had great luck with the points system. They work for 5000 miles or so than just create problems.
I love my 912 for many reasons. This new engine is just another one. On most of my outings I feel like an outlaw....
Michel Lauzon, 66 912S

From: markmaui; ;
Yeah, yeah, yeah!!!!!!
Let's see more outlaw 912's out there....

From: Dave Aktinson;  My vintage race car is still street legal although I do have historic plates and insurance on it. This means that I am supposed to drive it only on Sundays or special occasions/events.
I do drive it once in a while ( numbers and all ) to work, and sometimes across town to the alignment guy. I don't do this very often because I don't care much for people staring at me or yelling questions at the traffic lights. Dave A

From: Jeanette Ahlgren;  Well, yeah...
you *could* turn a 912 into a wannabe monstertruck with and jitterbug hip-hop kit underneath....
you *could* add so much stereo equipment and neon lights that the batteries/generators/ (rack of alternators) cause the poor thing to bottom out, and make early electric cars look positively weightless....
you *could* add turbo flares, cooling scoops, 993 wheels, BIG RED calipers, Holstein interior, chainlink steering wheel, and chop the top off.....
you *could* paint the car five shades of dayglow, and then laminate sea shells all over the body....
you *could* do barfo graphics down the side reminiscent to the Le Mans cars some years back....
you *could stuff a V6 in the back.....better....stuff it in the front....
you *could*....
the trouble is, the 912 in it's original state IS an outlaw car.
the sound ... noisy
the acceleration ... punky
the handling... state of the art
the fun... off the scale
the rarity... equally off the scale
best to enjoy an outlaw the way it came....
.... with , of course... racing seats, a new radio, better tires,
racing
mags, maybe a few decals here and there,
be discreet...
no...
wait...
be overt....
Mobil 1 decals looks nice....
Jeanette

From: John Lacey;  Great Question. I have long-standing and quintessentially purist views about "outlaw" strategies for 912's. Almost all classic Porsche owners have needed to transcend the restoration cost vs. value imbalance paradox that exists in almost all categories. And we have. When was the last time you saw an ad for 2X asking price, but 1X restoration receipts in Hemmings? We restore out of respect for our cars and the abject enjoyment and pride it engenders I think.  We invest in houses or the stock market if we are looking for long term returns that are attractive. Lots of "outlaw" conversions seem to be only silly heresy. I saw so many "remuddlings" of 912's while I was looking for one six years ago, everything from "moonroofs" to Sears plastic wheel
covers, a few on cars with ostensibly less than 50k original miles, and all of which were being sold at a princely premium to PCA and Gold Book averages.
I am always befuddled by those who put 911 engines in a 912 body in search of  higher speed at lower cost. Turbo flares on a ' 66 912? In heaven's name why? Even blind people can tell through their ears alone that you are not driving a Turbo. Even a concours rebuild on a 912 engine ($5,000 plus in the
Eastern market or at Stoddards) will not necessarily pay for itself in the long term. Why not just buy a 911 for slightly more and retain both value and integrity? Adding a V8 is further diminution of value and heresy in my view, not to mention handling issues of the highest negative order. Big bore kits I do find a more appropriate strategy, as a 10% or 20% increase in performance matches the precise reason for the 912's limited acceptance by the market in 1966-9, "genetically underpowered given the price." But
the trade off is obviously Big Bores diminish originality and therefore value to   some buyers. Vintage Racing is a separate category altogether, though in my experience, on the basis of power-to-weight, candidate cars, costs, and purely opportunities for participation, 356's match aspirations and needs
much better than 912's it would seem. In all categories, including all track events, gymkhana, and concours, PCA is dominated by highly modified 911's and the occasional 914. In Connecticut Valley Region, the fastest growing region in the country with a very broad and sophisticated complement of
racing members, I have never seen a 912 used in competition.
The site continues to be a most enjoyable and valuable resource. Keep it up.
Best regards, John Lacey.

From: Dean Klein;  Sure! Why not? If you have a 912 that's not show value and doesn't warrant restoring to "as new", why not make it an "outlaw"? Granted, I'm the first person to blanch when I see whale tails or air dams on 912's, but some updates are good (but NOT turbos...The Maestro is rebuilding my engine as a result of some dolt slapping one on my '67 SRW Targa). Then again, if it's that far gone, part it out! God knows we could use more '65-'67 turn signals ;)
Cheers, Dean
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From: Giolli, Florio; I use my 912 as much as I can. I drive it for errands and to shop (when I don't expect to purchase a lot of 'stuff') and I autocross the car. I have spent a lot more on the car than the magazines tell me it's worth. I know this, but in the U.K. these cars are becoming quite rare and in the U.S. it's exactly that attitude that will cause more and more of these cars to go into the junk yards. This makes the used martket better for guy's like me and will make the car a rarity in this country as it is in the U.K. A British magazine said just the other day that 912's without impact bumpers are worth more every day. Having said all that, I spend on the car because it is a lovely car that drives well and is my little piece of history. Beside the car will run after the turn of century and I will be able to get around after all of the chips in those computer driven cars think its 1900 and want you to add water to the boiler. Flo

From: McCohens;   No I don't have numbers on my 69 targa, but the ducktail with a "912" emblem raises some eyebrows! Those who look closer see a set of nicely scrubbed  008R's on the fuchs and a set of "targa truss bars" inside the doors to keep  this flexy flyer a litle stiffer. Do I qualify for the outlaws?

From: Dan Urbach;  Just unloaded my newest project off the trailer. I comes to me here in Alaska from Colorado. It needs a LOT of work, but what the heck I have wanted one since about 1980 I might as well earn it .  .....    I had planned on turning this into a 72 Carrera RS/RSR, But I am having second thought. There is not realy enough there to restore and nothing in particular that makes it unique, but still it feels somehow "wrong" to build a "fake" RS Any thoughts on this ?