Had an email from my buddy Ryan down in Sydney this morning. Ryan is a hard core Porscher: sworn R Grupper, rallies a 911 ST and has been with us to Classic Le Mans, to taste the mania of Porsche that prevails. His email gave me an excuse to mark Australia Day by sharing one of the wild Porsche soft tops he’s owned in his career.

This red devil is a 1966 Porsche 912 with custom bodywork in the style of a 356 Speedster. Ryan takes up the tale:

The bodywork was all steel, with chassis strengthening along the sills between the front and rear sections. The car was ordered in left hand-drive through a German dealer, but originally delivered into the UK. It then made its way to the US.

Originally Slate Grey, the VIN went back to a 1966 3-gauge 912 Coupe: not a Targa. The car drove nicely. It started easily, pulled to redline, shifted well and brakes were no problem, holding it all in a nice in a straight line. It had period “Thunderbird” headers and muffler setup, which sounded great.

The original chrome wheels were replaced along the way with 16″ Fuchs. I think chrome 15″ steel wheels with taller tyres would have looked better, but it wasn’t a deal breaker for me.

The car used a cut-down 911 windscreen in a modified 356 speedster frame. It featured lots of nice design details, such as magnets sewn into the sides of the tonneau cover that worked very well, the recessed 911 grill in the 356-esque engine lid, and the 356 side stripes, mirrors and badges.

Ryan sold the car a while back (just $30K!), but I’d love to know where it went to next. This thing is right up my alley: would be great to catch up with it one day.

Happy Australia Day to all of our friends down under! Follow @cultofporsche on Twitter!