Porsche 914

Porsche 914
Manufacturer:	Porsche
Class:	Sports car
Drivetrain:	Mid engined
Production:	1969 – 1976
Predecessor:	Porsche 912
Successor:	Porsche 924
Body Styles:	Targa Coupe
Engines:	1.7 L, 1.8 L, 2.0 L flat-4 2.0 L flat-6

The Porsche 914 was a sports car built and sold collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche from 1969 through 1976.

History

By the late 1960s, both Volkswagen and Porsche were in need of new models; Porsche was looking for a 912 replacement to be their entry level model, and VW wanted a new range-topping sports coupe. At the time, the vast majority of VW's developmental work was handled by Porsche, part of a setup that dated back to Porsches founding; VW needed to contract out one last project to Porsche to fufill the contract, and decided to make this that project. Originally intending to sell the vehicle in four-cylinder trim as a Volkswagen and in six-cylinder trim as a Porsche, Porsche decided during development that having Volkswagen and Porsche models sharing the same body would be risky for business in the American market, and convinced Volkswagen to allow them to sell both versions as Porsches in North America.

Ferdinand Piëch, who is the nephew of Dr. Ferry Porsche, was in charge of research and development and responsible for the 914 project (as well as production of the 917 racing car).

Development became complicated after the death of Volkswagen's chairman, forcing the deal to be reworked. As a result, the price of the chassis went up considerably, and the 914/6 ended up costing only a bit less than the 911T, Porsche's next lowest price car. This had a serious effect on sales, and the 914/6 sold quite poorly. In contrast, the much less expensive 914-4 became Porsche's top seller during its model run, outselling the 911 by a wide margin, with over 118,000 units sold worldwide.

The unique rear of the Porsche 914

Volkswagen versions originally came with an 80 hp fuel-injected 1.7 L flat-4 engine based on the Volkswagen air cooled engine. Porsche's 914/6 variant came with a carbureted 110 hp 2.0 L flat-six engine, taken from the 1969 911T. Karmann manufactured the rolling chassis at their own plant, then either sent them to Porsche for fitment of the Porsche suspension and flat-six engine or kept them in house for Volkswagen hardware. 914/6 models used a similar suspension and brakes to the 911, giving the car handling and braking superiority over the 4-cylinder Volkswagen models in addition to higher power output. A VW-Porsche joint venture, Volkswagen of America, handled export to the U.S., where both versions were badged and sold as Porsches. In Europe, the four-cylinder cars were sold as Volkswagen-Porsches, at VW dealerships. This "tainted" the car in the opinion of many automotive critics of that era, and a little of that attitude persists to this day.

Slow sales and rising costs prompted Porsche to discontinue the 914/6 variant in 1972 after producing 3,351 of them; its place in the lineup was filled by a variant powered by a new 95 HP 2.0 L, fuel-injected version of Volkswagen's Type 4 engine in 1973. For 1974, the 1.7 L engine was replaced by a 76HP 1.8 L, and the new Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection system was added to American units to help with emissions control. 914 production ended in 1976. The 2.0 L engine continued to be used in the 912E, which provided an entry-level model until the 924 was introduced.

The 914 was Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year for 1970 [1] and a 914/6 piloted by Frenchmen Claude Ballot-Lena and Guy Chasseuil won the GTS class at Le Mans in 1970 and finished sixth overall [2]. Since the launch of the 914, shade-tree mechanics have always looked to upgrade the 914.

Planned for the early 1970s, a version known as the Porsche 916 was cut short when cancelled after only eleven prototypes. The 916 was to have either the 2.4 engine from the 911S, or the 2.7 from the Carrera: also a fixed steel roof, wider wheels and flared fenders as styled from the 914-6GT cars. Ventilated disc brakes were fitted to all four wheels, and also a "mid-engined" version of the then-new 915 transmission, giving a conventional shift pattern with 1 to 4 in an H and fifth out on a limb. One 916 was built to US specs and on delivery to the USA was unfortunately fitted with air conditioning by the dealer (Brumos). One fact that may make 914/6 purists wince is that at least one of the 916's proves, on close examination, to have been built using a 4-cylinder VW-engined 914 as a base. Porsche obviously had a "waste not, want not" attitude to their prototypes that was also evident with the 914/8's (see below). Sadly, the car was crashed into a pond and the car had to undergo a restoration before its final home in Georgia.

Two prototype 914s, dubbed 914/8, were built during 1969. The orange 914/8 was the first constructed, at the instigation of Ferdinand Piech (then head of the Racing Dept), to prove the concept. Powered by the full-blown, 310 hp (222 kW) 8-cylinder 908 engine it was based on a surplus 914 handbuilt development prototype bodyshell (chassis no. 914111), hence the many differences from the standard vehicle (eg, the quad headlights). The second, silver, road-registered car, powered by a carburetted and detuned 908 race engine making 260 hp (194 kW). was then prepared as a gift to Ferry Porsche on his 60th birthday. Also based on a spare prototype shell (chassis no. 914006), it was much closer to the standard car in detail. By all accounts Ferry didn't like the car very much and it sits in the Porsche Museum. Neither car saw a racetrack except for the purposes of testing. An oft-rumoured third 914/8 was chassis number 9140430457. This was a semi official/semi clandestine factory project to create a 914/8 GT, which would have seen a racetrack in anger. Unfortunately orders came from on high sometime in 1970 that this project was to be terminated and the car appeared shortly afterwards with Sonauto, fitted with a 6-cylinder engine, though with some unique modifications that differed it from other GT's. As a 6-cylinder it had a long racing history and was last heard of in the USA undergoing restoration. The 914/8 was not considered for production as a regular model. Another factory prototype, a 914/6 (chassis no. 914114surfaced in the US in 2001). It was stolen and later recovered. Together with a surviving prototype Sportomatic 914/6 (chassis no. 914120), reputedly in Southern Germany, they form a unique and fascinating piece of Porsche history.

While the 914 has been out of production for 30 years as of this writing, most of the parts are still available. In large part this is due to small, pro-914 companies like Pelican Parts, GTPerformance and PMB Performance. These companies and many of the car's loyal car clubs such as 914World.com and 914Club, LLC are the reason so many of the 914s are on the road today. Just a few are hard to find and can be expensive when you do find them (such as US-spec rear turn signal lenses and D-jetronic Manifold Pressure Sensors), but most are available from a variety of mail-order sources while still others are tooled and manufactured by these loyal 914 companies.

Many enthusiasts see the 914 as a blank canvas upon which to create their own automotive dreams. Since the 1970s, people have been swapping different engines into the 914's sizeable engine bay. These swaps range from VW Turbodiesels, to 911 engines (following in the foosteps of the much sought after 914-6), to a popular small-block Chevy V8. Recently, swaps of Subaru engines have gained popularity, as high-performance Subaru engines have become more available in the aftermarket. Several companies specialize in making or selling conversion parts. Some of the 914 fans suggest only Porsche engines.

Body modifications are another popular way to personalize a 914. Some of these are simple, such as bolting on fiberglass bumpers that aid the 914 into morphing into a look of the 916 prototype. Some are more extensive, such as installing steel or fiberglass fender flares a la the super-rare 914-6 GT. Some involve completely changing the appearance of the car, often to resemble some other mid-engine car, such as the Porsche 904 or the Ferrari Testarossa. A very popular kit in the 1980s was a kit conversion dubbed the "9014." The "9014" never found its following, the parts were impossible to find and as a result the car-kit died off, though sometimes an entire car can be spotted on Ebay.

Due to its nimble handling and the low cost of a basic 914 (sometimes under $2000 at mid-decade), the "poor man's" Porsche of the 1970s, now into its fourth decade, has become the poor man's weekend racing car on amateur racing circuits. Owners have modified the original four cylinder motors to upwards of 170 horsepower, or put in Porsche 911 or Chevy Corvair air-cooled sixes, Chevy and other small-block water-cooled eights, or water-cooled Suburu four and six cylinder motors, with or without turbochargers--all using cheaply available adaptor kits. In these many configurations, the 914 probably competes in more different amateur classes than any other sports car.

External links

Non-Clubs, Clubs and Associations

• 914world.com The largest and most active 914 Community on the Web
• 914Club.com, LLC
• ClubNARP
• RoadGlue
• The 914 Owner's Association website
• Porsche Club of America - National Site

914 Sites

• 914/6 Prototype
• Tim's 914 Fan Page, one of the oldest 914 sites on the net
• Porsche 914 photos
• Armando Serrano's 914-6GT pages
• Otmar's Electric 914 conversion
• Category at ODP