1971 Porsche 914/6
The first outright victory for Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hour race was in 1970, which overshadowed the 6th place overall finish of Porsche's new GT car, the 914/6 GT, which won the 2.0-liter GT class in the process, having started from 45th place on the grid.
The Porsche 914, also known as the Volkswagen-Porsche 914, was jointly manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen and Porsche from 1969 to 1976. The mid-engined sports car was available as a targa-topped two-seat roadster powered by either a flat-4 or flat-6 engine. Volkswagen had needed a new car to replace the aging Karmann-Ghia, while Porsche had been seeking another option to add to its lineup. Originally, the four-cylinder version was to be marketed as a Volkswagen and the flat-fix-cylinder engine as a Porsche. Porsche, who was worried that Volkswagen and Porsche sharing the same body may be detrimental to their image in America, convinced Volkswagen to allow them to sell both versions as Porsches in North America.
When Volkswagen's chairman, Heinrich Nordhoff, passed away on April 12, 1968, his successor, Kurt Lotz, who did not have the same connection or loyalty to Porsche, severed ties with the project. Lotz did not want to share the project with Porsche since they did not share in tooling expenses. As a result, the price of the 914/6 skyrocketed, ending up costing nearly as much as the 911T, Porsche's next lowest priced car. Porsche discontinued the 914/6 variant in 1972 due to slow sales, with 3,351 examples built. The 914/5 sold for better than $2,500 more than the four-cylinder cars, about $6,100 in the United States. Production of the 914 ended in 1976, with the 2.0-liter flat-4 version continuing to use the 912E engine. During its production lifespan, the 914/4 was Porsche's top seller with over 118,000 units sold worldwide.
Both the 914/4 and 914/6 had an all-independent suspension - a mixture of 911 and VW parts - a five-speed gearbox and four-wheel disc brakes.
A small batch of 914/6 GT examples was built in 1970, with the engine tuned to produced 220 horsepower. Fiberglass panels and Plexiglass helped keep the weight to a minimum, and dramatically flared arches accommodated wider wheels. Porsche also offered a GT kit that could be ordered with a regular 914/6 to be installed by designated Porsche dealers.
The Porsche 914/6 was homologated for racing in March 1970. Each individual GT car was tailored to a specific purpose, with common characteristics that included steel fender flares, fiberglass deck lids, bumpers, and rocker panels. They had ventilated 911 S brakes, a front-mounted oil cooler, and wide Fuchs alloy wheels. The chassis was stiffened and the components were uprated. They had competition-prepared interiors and long-range fuel tanks. Several states of tune were available to the flat-six engine, from a conservative 911 S spec to a full-blown Carrera 6 variant producing 210 hp at 8,000 rpm. Depending on gearing, the 914/6 GT was capable of around 150 mph flat out.
Guy Chasseuil and Claude Ballot-Lena's Sonauto scored a class win at the 1970 Le Mans race in the 914/6 GT with an average speed of 99.27 mph. Other successes soon followed: in August 1970, the works 914/6 GTs captured a 1-2-3 finish in the 86-hour Marathon de la Route at the Nürburgring. In 1971, a factory-entered 914/6 GT scored a class win at the Monte Carlo Rally. In America, Hurley Haywood and Peter Gregg dominated the inaugural IMSA GT championship with their 914/6 GT.
Only 16 examples of the 914/6 GT were built in 1970 by the Porsche Racing Department for customer use.
by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2020
Related Reading : Porsche 914 History
The Porsche 914 was introduced in September of 1969 as a collaborative effort between Porsche and Volkswagen to produce a sporty car. The car they came up with was a mid-engined vehicle with seating for two and featured a Targa top. A 4-cylinder boxer engine provided the power. Volkswagen needed a vehicle to replace the aging Karmann-Ghia while Porsche was looking for another option to add to their....
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Related Reading : Porsche 914 History
Just happening to be the cheapest modern Porsche one could buy, the Porsche 914 debuted with a low price point to attract buyers. When first introduced at the Frankfurt Automobile Show in September of 1969, the Porsche 914 was a return to Porsches roots. The 914 was a much more affordable Volkswagen-based sports vehicle that was conceived to bring the pride and pleasure of owning a Porsche....
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In 1969 and 1970 the Porsche Racing Department built 12 914/6 GT cars for the factory entered races. Three prototype and test cars, 2 Targa Florio practice cars, three Marathon de la Route cars, 3 Monte Carlo rally cars and one RAC rally car. This ca....[continue reading]
This vehicle is one of just eleven 1971 914/6 GTs built by the Porsche factory and wore the Brumos Porsche 'famous 59'. The first race it won was at Virginia International Raceway on April 18, 1971, with Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood at the wheel. T....[continue reading]
This particular car was entered by Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood in 1971 in the 6 hour IMSA Race at Watkins Glen. It was a Brumos car and ran #59 in this race. In 1972, it was sold to Hector Rebaque and was raced in the IMSA Race at Bridgehampton, D....[continue reading]
Chassis Num: 4712914147
This Porsche 914 is finished in Continental Orange with black upholstery and rides on Fuchs alloy wheels. It was prepared for vintage racing for Tommy Trabue by Sanders Imports of Marietta, South Carolina. The 1991cc SOHC flat 6-cylinder engine has t....[continue reading]
Targa
Chassis #: 4712914147
