1973 Porsche 914

After production of the 356 came to a close in 1965, Porsche relied on the 912, which was essential a four-cylinder 911, as its entry-level model. In need of an all-new model to attract young buyers to their showrooms, they formed a relationship with Volkswagen, who was also in need of a model replacement. Volkswagen would market and sell a four-cylinder version while the 6-cylinder examples would be sold as entry-level Porsches. Porsche lacked the finances to develop the car, so a verbal agreement was formed with Volkswagen to finance the tooling and manufacturing. The chairman of Volkswagen passed away well into the development of the new car, paving the way for a new chairman who had no such loyalty to an old handshake agreement. The 914 project was soon canceled leaving Porsche stuck with the bill to develop and build the new sports car, ultimately leading to a price increase that brought it dangerously close to that of the 911.

Following its difficult gestation period, the 914 proved to be a brilliant automobile. It was lightweight, fuel-efficient, and even practical with two trunks and a removable roof panel. The mid-engine design provided balanced handling and exceptional performance.

Despite the high price and the stigma of being considered a rebadged Volkswagen when new, sales of the 914 were strong. Production lasted from 1969 through 1976 with 118,978 examples built. The majority (115,646) were the 914/8 while 3,332 were of the 914/6. (An additional 2 examples were the 914/8).

Power was initially from a fuel-injected 1.7-liter Volkswagen Type 4 flat-four-cylinder engine delivering 80 horsepower. The 914/6 examples used a 2.0-liter air-cooled Type 901/3 flat-six engine from the 911T of 1967 through 1969. With revised pistons that lowered the compression ratio, smaller Weber carburetors, and new camshafts the engine produced 110 horsepower.

Both the VW and Porsche engine was placed amidship in front of the 911's Type '901' gearbox. Karmann produced the rolling chassis at their plant, with the final assembly being completed at Volkswagen or Porsche. The 914/6 versions had larger brakes and lower gear ratios to cope with the greater weight and higher power output of the six-cylinder engine. Additionally, they had ignition on the left side of the steering wheel and five-lug wheels.

The four-cylinder cars were sold as Volkswagen-Porsches at European Volkswagen dealerships while the U.S. destined examples were handled by a Volkswagen-Porsche joint venture, Volkswagen of America, and badged and sold as Porsches.

Production of the 914/6 was discontinued in 1972 due to steep production costs and slow sales. It was replaced in 1973 by a variant powered by a new 2.0-liter fuel-injected version of Volkswagen's Type 4 engine delivering 100 horsepower. The following year, the 1.7-liter engine was replaced by a 1.8-liter unit delivering 85 horsepower. U.S.-destined cars used the new Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection system to help comply with emissions control.

The 1973 Porsche 914 with the 1.7-liter engine had a base price in the U.S. of $4,500. The 2.0-liter version was priced approximately $500 higher. Both engines were backed by a four-speed manual transmission and steering was by a rack and pinion system. Disc brakes were located at all four corners.

Chrome or painted bumpers were used from 1970 through 1974. In 1973 the front of the car's gained bumper guards and the rear received similar treatment the following year. The headlight surrounds were white to mid-production of 1973 and subsequently black. Cars produced from early 1972 forward had a movable passenger seat.

Another change for 1973 was from the previous 'tail shifter' to the 'side shifter' gearbox.

by Dan Vaughan

Targa
Chassis number: 4732921032

This car is a clone of a Jagermeister-liveried 914/6 GT that raced in Europe for three years (1972-74). It was modified and restored by a young German mechanic 'inch-by-inch' of the original. Today the car is auto-crossed, shown at Concours d'Elegance (awards include a Best of Class at the San Diego Porsche Parade), and has been raced on the track. It has a full roll cage and five-point harnesses. The orange over black car is built on chassis number 4732921032. Given the car's chassis dynamics and 6-cylinder '911 motor' the 914/6 GT makes for a strong track race car in every sense. The 914 was not favored by rally drivers who found it 'stuck' too much and wouldn't slide.

Targa
Chassis number: 4732923664

1973 Porsche 914 2.0 is powered by a 1,971cc overhead valve flat 4-cylinder engine with Bosch Fuel Injection producing 95 horsepower at 4,900 RPM. The engine is backed by a five-speed manual transaxle and braking is handled by ventilated disc brakes. The suspension is independent with torsion bars in the front and coil springs in the rear.

This Porsche was delivered new to its first owner through Wester Porsche/Audi in Seaside, California, in August 1973. It had a suggested retail price of $6,174.50 and was finished in the extra-cost L99A Delphi Green Metallic. It rode on 15-inch forged alloy wheels, disc brakes, stabilizer bars, a clock, voltmeter, and oil-temperature gauge. Additional options included the tinted glass, intermittent windshield wipers, and dealer-installed AM radio.

In 1989, the Porsche was placed into storage by its original owner and resided in that location until 2018. Currently, there are fewer than 33,000 miles on the odometer.

by Dan Vaughan

Targa
Chassis number: 4732922773

The 914 was originally the product of a joint venture between Volkswagen and Porsche and intended to serve as a dual-purpose model that could be both an entry-level version of the Porsche 911 and as a Volkswagen 'halo car.' When Volkswagen chairman Heinrich Nordhoff passed away in 1968, his successor, Kurt Lotz, stipulated changes to the arrangement that would see the 914 marketed as a Porsche in the North American market and as a VW-Porsche in Europe.

The production 914 was introduced in 1969 at the Frankfurt Auto Show available in both 4- and 6-cylinder specifications. The front suspension and steering were from the 911, and the interior was a combination of Volkswagen and Porsche components. The 1.7-liter flat-4 engine produced approximately 80 horsepower and its 2.-liter 914-6 counterpart had 110 HP. Production of the 914-6 ceased in 197,2 but increased displacement in the 914's flat-4 to 2.0-liter and the replacement of its dual carburetors with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection brought a new level of performance to the small sports car.

This particular 1973 Porsche 914 2.0 5-speed Targa is finished in Ravenna Green Metallic paint with a black Targa roof. It has chrome bumpers, Continental tires on alloy wheels with colored Porsche center crests, and a black leather-and-fabric interior. There are bucket seats, a console-mounted shifter, a tachometer and clock, a heater/defroster, and an AM/FM radio.

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