1971 Porsche 916

The Porsche 916 was intended as a more luxurious and powerful replacement to the 914, inspired by the highly modified 914 GT that placed sixth overall at Le Mans in 1970. It was to be a direct competitor to Ferrari's 245 Dino, but only eleven prototypes were built before the program was canceled due to escalating costs.

The Porsche 914 was a collaborative project between Volkswagen and Porsche that began during the late 1960s when both manufacturers were looking for a new model. Ford Porsche, it was their entry-level 912 that was being phased out, while Volkswagen was seeking a new range-topping sports coupe to replace its Type 34 Karmann Ghia coupe. A new entity was created in 1969 on an informal (handshake) agreement between Porsche executive Ferdinand Piëch and Volkswagen's Heinz Nordhoff for the creation of a new entry-level mid-engined four-cylinder sports car with a Volkswagen badge. The Porsche version would be an up-market model equipped with a mild 2.0-liter flat six-cylinder engine. Development costs would be shared for budgetary purposes.

When Nordhoff passed away unexpectedly, his successor, Kurt Lotz, did not honor the verbal agreement between Volkswagen and Porsche. He believed that Volkswagen had all rights to the model, had invested considerably in the tooling expenses, and had little incentive to share it with Porsche. This led to the Porsche 914/6 being more expensive than planned, nearly reaching the cost of the 911T, Porsche's next lowest-priced car.

A total of 3,351 examples of the 914/6 variant were built before it was discontinued in 1972. Production of the 914 (Type 914/4) ended in 1974 and it became the company's top seller during its model run, with over 118,000 units sold worldwide (figures include the 914/4 and 914/6).

The Volkswagen/Porsche 914 was introduced in September 1969 at the Frankfurt Motor Show as the first German-built, series-produced mid-engined sports car.

The Porsche 916

The 1971 Paris Auto Show was the intended location for the unveiling of the first 916 prototype, but two weeks before the event, the entire project was canceled due to escalating costs. An additional ten pre-production examples had either been finished or were nearing completion. Five of these prototypes were later sold privately, and the other five were sold to friends and management of the company. It is believed that all of the 916 Prototypes survive, with several residing within the Porsche-Piëch families.

The first prototype, nicknamed 'Brutus,' went to Piëch, who gave the car to his wife. It was powered by a 2.9-liter RSR engine producing 245 horsepower.

Development

Using a standard 914 tub manufactured by Karmann, a new steel roof panel was welded by Baur, in lieu of the removable plastic top of the production cars. Baur strengthened the chassis by adding reinforcement plates to cope with the more powerful engine. Like the factory's 914/6 GT race cars, a set of steel flares were added to the front and rear fenders to house the larger wheels and tires. The fascias (front and rear) were of molded fiberglass modeled on those used on the 914-6 GT, with the ose containing a lip spoiler. There were recessed driving lamps and ducting for an extra oil radiator.

Engine

The Porsche 916 was intended to carry a 2.6-liter engine - for the United States, it would be a Type 911/56, while the European market would receive the 911/86. The first three 916 prototypes created received the 2.4-liter 911 S engine which produced 190 horsepower. Later cars received the 2.7-liter engine, producing 210 horsepower.

Performance

With the 210 horsepower engine and weighing approximately 165 pounds less than a 911 S, the 916 could sprint from zero to sixty mph in under seven seconds, making it the fastest-accelerating Porsche of its era.

Demise

The Porsche 916 development was too expensive since bodywork had to be purchased from Karmann and modifications from Baur. Had the Porsche 916 entered production, it would have been more expensive than the 911 S, making it the most expensive in Porsche's fleet.

by Dan Vaughan

The world was introduced to the Porsche 916 at the 1971 Paris Auto Salon. It had a 914 body (before the 914 had even entered production) with several unique modifications including flared fenders, 7-inch wide Fuch five-spoke wheels, and a steel roof instead of the Targa top. They also had body-colored fiberglass bumpers. In the front was an air dam that had a large cut-out for the oil cooler, and two smaller cutouts for the fog lights. In the back, there was a small hole for the exhaust and a flat surface for the license plate.

Modifications continued to the interior, with the door panels constructed from lightweight components. The inside was leather and velour. It had a Becker AM/FM Cassette stereo and a special antenna molded into the windshield.

Most of the cars were powered by a 2.4-liter powerplant sourced from the 911S which offered 190 horsepower and 159 pound-feet of torque. The engine was mated to a re-worked type 915 transmission.

The Porsche 916 weighed 165 pounds less than the 911S and had a top speed of 145 mph.

Although the company planned to produce 20 examples of the 916, just 11 were built and only one was officially exported to the United States by Porsche. Their low production figures were partly due to their intended sticker price of nearly $14,000, which was considerably more than some of the Porsche products.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: 9141430195

In 1971 the Porsche factory designers had a vision and hand built the first prototype Porsche 916. This unique mid-engine 2-seater body style would eventually lead to the production of the 914 Porsche series. It was affectionately named Brutus and this 916 was given to Corina Piech, the daughter of Ferdinand Piech, Chairman of Porsche Automobile Holdings and Volkswagen AG.

Brutus was built by the factory with many special options including the 2.9-liter RSR factory race motor, special body work and wheels, 100-liter RSR plastic fuel tank and custom interior.

Corina Piech drove Brutus for 6 years and sold the car to an American military Colonel stationed in Germany. The car was later imported to the U.S. where it remained with the Colonel until his passing. Brutus was sold and stored for many years until purchased by the current owner and recently completed a 2 year restoration.

Coupe
Chassis number: 9141430195

This Porsche prototype was sent to Brumos Porsche of Jacksonville, FL and featured on the cover of the February 1972 Road & Track magazine with the caption 'one of a kind for America.' It is one of eleven original 916 prototypes Porsche built to be their new supercar for 1972, but the poor reception at the time led to the cancellation of production. This example was the only 916 sent to the United States by the Porsche factory and has been featured in many sports car magazines including the Porsche Panorama and Excellence.

Coupe
Chassis number: 17

Plans for a new, more luxurious model based on the Porsche 914 began with a small test in March 1971 : the powerful engine from the 911S was packed into a 914, which was completed with an exquisite interior - and the result was Porsche's answer to Ferrari's Dino 246 GT. Karmann in Osnabruck, Germany, constructed the raw 914 body shells for the project, all painted Bright Ivory initially, and transported them to Porsche's Zuffenhausen factory, where they were finished. Regrettably, just 11 prototype examples of the new 916 were built before the project proved too costly and was canceled, so the 196 never officially went into production. Five of the eleven 916s went to Porsche and Piech family members, five went to loyal Porsche customers, and one was exported to the United States. Some of the eleven cars were specified by The Studio at Porsche, where Head of Design Anatole Lapine experimented with colors and fabrics - often with striking results.

This 1972 Porsche 916 prototype (chassis number 17) was among these cars, and was upholstered in a slightly psychedelic green and blue paisley print, combined with a vivid hoar-frost blue metallic. Its first owner was Michael Piech. The current owner, the car's eighth caretaker, has painstakingly restored it to its original specifications.

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