1975 Porsche 914

The Porsche 914 was produced from 1969 to 1974 and was only available as a Targa-topped two-seater roadster powered by either a flat-4 or flat-6 cylinder engine. Porsche had introduced its new six-cylinder 911 in 1964 and company management initially feared it would alienate faithful buyers accustomed to the 356. Sharing its body and chassis with the 911, the 912 companion model was introduced, powered by the 'four' of the outgoing 356. The 912's eventual successor was the 914, wearing designs sketched by Hans Gugelot and developed under Ferdinand A. 'Butzi' Porsche. It featured a Karmann-built body, a removable Targa roof, and a mid-mounted, air-cooled engine.

The 914 made its debut in 1969 at the Frankfurt Auto Show as a 1970 model and was sold as the 'VW-Porsche 914' by VW-Porsche GmbH in Europe and as the 'Porsche 914' by Volkswagen of America. Initially, it was offered in a choice of 11 exterior colors with standard painted bumpers. The fuel-injected engine was backed by a five-speed gearbox. Options included chrome bumpers, a vinyl covering for the built-in Targa-style roll bar, dual horns, fog lamps, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and pile carpeting. Only the driver's seat included fore-aft adjustment, while the passenger side included an adjustable footrest.

The Porsche 914 had outstanding handling and quickness, thanks in part to its near-50/50 weight distribution. The relatively small-displacement 1.7-liter engine later grew to 1.8- and finally 2.0-liters. Accolades earned during its existence included selection as Motor Trend magazine's Import Car of the Year for 1970.

For 1974, Porsche gave the 914 a slightly larger 1795cc base engine, while the optional engine that was introduced in 1973 remained the same. The 1.8-liter overhead-valve powerplant produced 72.5 SAE horsepower and was fitted with a Bosch fuel injection system. The optional 2-liter engine produced slightly more power, rated at 91 SAE. The 914 had a five-speed manual gearbox and disc brakes in both the front and rear.

The 914 was available with several available packages/options including the performance group option and the appearance group. The appearance group added a leatherette-covered steering wheel, leather boot for the gearshift lever, dual-tone horn, center console with gauges and clock, and bumper-mounted foglamps. The performance options included cast alloy wheels, a front spoiler, plus stabilizer bars in both the front and rear.

The 914 was available in several color choices including Ravenna Green, Zambezi Green, Blue, Saturn Yellow, Phoenix Red, Sunflower Yellow, Alaska Blue metallic, Marathon Blue metallic, Gold metallic, Silver metallic, Signal Orange, and black.

by Dan Vaughan

Targa
Chassis number: 4752906850

This Porsche 914 1.8 was imported to the United States through San Francisco and sold new by Felton Porsche-Audi of Mill Valley, California, to William V. Shaw of Los Altos. It left the factory finished in Summer Yellow with Bucksin leatherette interior and was optioned with tinted windshield and a center armrest console (a combined cost of $95 extra). In August of 1976 it received air conditioning by Anderson-Behel Porsche/Audi of Santa Clara. In 1978 it received running lights by Sunnyvale Porsche-Audi, at which time the car had recorded just 1,360 miles.

The car spent most of its life with its original owner. Currently, the car shows 3,192 miles on the odometer.

by Dan Vaughan

Targa
Chassis number: 4752905155
Engine number: EC043209

The Porsche-designed 914, built in collaboration with Volkswagen, was a mid-engined, Targa-top sports car assembled by Karmann of Osnabrück. For Volkswagen, it was intended to replace the aging Karmann-Ghia, and for Porsche, it would be another sports car in its arsenal. First displayed at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the 914/4 was equipped with a four-cylinder, air-cooled engine of the Volkswagen 411 with a displacement size of 1,679cc, while the 914/6 came with Porsche's 911T's 2.0-liter six. Both versions received an all-independent suspension and a mixture of Volkswagen and 911 components to which were married four-wheel disc brakes and a five-speed gearbox.

Production of the 914/6 was brief, coming to an end in 1972 after 3,332 examples had been built. It was effectively replaced by the 1,971cc four-cylinder '914 2.0', which also featured forged alloy wheels, front and rear anti-roll bars and an improved interior with additional instrumentation.

This particular 2.0-liter 914 is was finished at the Porsche works in November of 1974 and completed as a 1975 model-year car. It received a Signal Orange exterior with black seats trimmed with Velour center pieces. The alloy Fuchs weeks are wrapped with Pirelli tires. The 1,971cc overhead-valve, air-cooled flat four-cylinder engine is equipped with two Twin-Choke Downdraft carburetors and produces just over 100 horsepower at 5,000 RPM. There is a five-speed manual transmission, an independent suspension, and hydraulic disc brakes.

by Dan Vaughan

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 line up. The VW bodied vehicles were known as 914/4S while the Porsche variants were known as 914/6s. However, all 914S's sold in North America were considered Porsches.

The car sits very low and the suspension is stiff making it a great competition car rather than a touring car. The headlights hide in the hood and pop-up when needed. The Targa top can be stored in the trunk.

The horizontally opposed flat-four engine is mid-mounted and came in three different sizes, 1.7, 1.8, or 2 liters. The 1.7-liter engine produced 80 horsepower, the 1.8 produced 79, and the 2.0-liter engine produced 95. A five-speed manual gearbox was standard equipment on all models.

The 914/6 was short-lived with only 3360 examples produced between 1970 and 1972. All featured the 2.0-liter flat-six engine. It was raced using different engine configurations. This included the 'T' specification, which was basically a stock 911 engine. Another popular configuration was to use a converted Carrera 6 engine.

In 1970 Porsche entered a 914/6 GT in the grueling 24-hours of Le Mans race. It finished 6th overall and won its class. A remarkable accomplishment. This was only one chapter in the vehicle's extensive racing career which continues even to this day.

by Dan Vaughan

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 Porsche's 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 to a wider audience than before.

Near the end of the 1960's, both Porsche and Volkswagen were searching for new models. Porsche needed a new model to replace their entry-level 912 and Volkswagen was seeking a new range-topping sports coupe that could replace the aging Karmann Ghia. To fulfill their contract, Volkswagen needed to contract out one final project and the mid-engined 914 Porsche was this project. The head of this project was Ferdinand Piëch, a designer in charge of research and development at Porsche. The 914 with seating for two, featured a Targa top, and was sold collaboratively by Porsche and Volkswagen from 1969 through 1976.

The 914 was originally intended to be sold with a flat four-cylinder engine as a Volkswagen and carrying the flat six-cylinder engine as a Porsche, Porsche was able to convince Volkswagen to sell both versions as Porsches in North America. The Porsche 914 sat very low and had a stiff suspension which made it a great competition vehicle instead of a touring car. The Targa top can be stored in the trunk, and the headlights hide in the hood and could be popped-up when needed.

The first 914 Prototype was introduced on March 1st, 1968. Unfortunately, the death of Heinz Hordhoff, the chairman of Volkswagen complicated the development as his successor Kurt Lotz chose not to be tied within the verbal agreement between Porsche and Volkswagen. Lotz believed that Porsche had no claim at all to the model, and Volkswagen claimed all, especially when Porsche would not share in tooling expenses.

All of this resulted in the price of the chassis rising considerably and the 914/6 costing only slightly less than the 911T, Porsche's next lowest-priced vehicle. Sales were dramatically affected, and the 914/6 did not sell well. The less expensive 914-4 became Porsche's top seller during its run and managed to outsell the 911 very easily, with a total of 118,000 vehicles sold worldwide.

Taking the idea from the 1969 911T, the 914/6 variant featured a carbureted 110 hp 2.0 L flat-6 engine, while Volkswagen versions originally came with an 80 hp fuel-injected 1.7 L flat-4 engine that was based on the Volkswagen's air-cooled engine. The 914's engine was placed in the middle, in front of a version of the 1969 911's '901' gearbox, so it was set up for mid-engine operation. The rolling chassis was manufactured by Karmann at his own plant, and then either sent them to Porsche for fitment of the Porsche suspension and flat-six engine, or they were kept in-house for Volkswagen hardware. The brakes and suspension used in 914/6 models were very similar to the Porsche 911.

A joint venture between Volkswagen and Porsche in the beginning, export to the U.S. was taken care of by Volkswagen of America, where both versions were sold and badged as Porsches. The four-cylinder vehicles were sold as Volkswagen- Porsches in Europe, at Volkswagen dealerships.

From 1970 through 1972 the 914 models featured both front and rear bumpers that were flat across and were available in either painted metal or chrome. For 1973 the vehicle received new bumpers stops, and for the following year, bumper stops were also added to the rear of the vehicle. The bumpers were heavy and rubber covered from 1975 through 1976.

Unfortunately, the 914/6 variants were discontinued in 1972 due to rising costs and very slow sales. A total of 3,360 units were produced during its cycle. In 1973 a brand new 95 hp 2.0L, fuel-injected version of the Volkswagen's Type 4 engine replaced the 914/6. The following year, the 1.7 L engine was replaced by a 76 hp 1.8 L. To aid with emissions control, the new Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection system was added to American units. Production for the 914 ended in 1976 and the 2.0 L flat-4 engine continued to be used in the 912E, which was the entry-level model until the 924 was introduced.

For 1970, the Porsche 914 was named Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year. Finishing sixth overall at the '70 24 Hours of Le Mans, a 914/6 GT piloted by Claude Ballot-Lena and Guy Chasseuil won the GTS class.

Several special edition models of the Porsche 914 were created over the years. Nearly 500 models of the Creamsicle 914 were created; a light ivory-based color scheme concept, basically a carryover from the '73 911 Carrera RS series car design precedent. 500 Bumblebee models were produced. The Bumblebee featured a black exterior with yellow decals, bumpers, skirts, and wheels.

by Jessican Donaldson