A superb and rare photo of
the Porsche
914 (1.7 L) - or VW-Porsche 914.
The Porsche
914
or VW-Porsche 914 is a mid-engined, targa-topped two-seat roadster designed,
manufactured and marketed collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche from 1969
to 1976. By the late 1960s, both Volkswagen and Porsche were in need of new
models; Porsche was looking for a replacement for their entry-level 912, and
Volkswagen wanted a new range-topping sports coupe to replace the Karmann Ghia.
At the time, the majority of Volkswagen's developmental work was handled by
Porsche, part of a setup that dated back to Porsche's founding; Volkswagen
needed to contract out one last project to Porsche to fulfill the contract, and
decided to make this that project. Ferdinand Piëch, who was in charge of
research and development at Porsche, was put in charge of the 914 project.
Originally intending to sell the vehicle with a flat four-cylinder engine as a
Volkswagen and with a flat six-cylinder engine 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. On
March 1, 1968, the
first 914 prototype was presented. However, development became complicated
after the death of Volkswagen's chairman, Heinz Nordhoff, on April 12, 1968. His
successor, Kurt Lotz, was not connected with the Porsche dynasty and the verbal
agreement between Volkswagen and Porsche fell apart. In Lotz's opinion,
Volkswagen had all rights to the model, and no incentive to share it with
Porsche if they would not share in tooling expenses. With this decision, the
price and marketing concept for the 914 had failed before series production had
begun. 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. The 914/6 sold quite poorly while the much less expensive 914-4
became Porsche's top seller during its model run, outselling the Porsche 911 by
a wide margin with over 118,000 units sold worldwide. Volkswagen versions
originally featured an 80 hp (60 kW) fuel-injected 1.7 L flat-4
engine based on the Volkswagen air cooled engine. Porsche's 914/6 variant
featured a carbureted 110 hp (82 kW) 2.0 L flat-6 engine from the
1969 911T, placed amidships in front of a version of the 1969 911's
"901" gearbox configured for a mid-engine car. Karmann manufactured
the rolling chassis at their plant, completing Volkswagen production in-house
or delivering versions to Porsche for their final assembly. 914/6 models used a
similar suspension and brakes to the 911, giving superior handling and braking
superiority over the 4-cylinder Volkswagen models along with higher power
output. A Volkswagen-Porsche joint venture, Volkswagen of America, handled
export to the U.S.,
where both versions were badged and sold as Porsches. The four-cylinder cars
were sold as Volkswagen-Porsches at European Volkswagen dealerships. 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 (71 kW) 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 76 hp (57 kW) 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 flat-4 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. A 914/6 piloted by Frenchmen
Claude Ballot-Lena and Guy Chasseuil won the GTS
class and finished sixth overall at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans. Two prototype
914s, dubbed 914/8, were built during 1969. The orange 914/8 was the first
constructed, at the instigation of Ferdinand Piëch (then head of the Racing
Dept), to prove the concept. Powered by the full-blown, 310 hp
(222 kW) 908 [flat-8] racing engine, it was based on a surplus 914
handbuilt development prototype bodyshell (chassis no. 914111), hence the many
differences from the standard vehicle (e.g., 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. The 914/8 was
not considered for production as a regular model. Another factory prototype, a
914/6 (chassis no. 914114) surfaced in the US in 2001. 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. Planned for the 1972 model year, the Porsche 916
program was cancelled after eleven prototypes with aerodynamic front and rear
bumpers and either the 2.4 engine from the 911S, or the 2.7 from the Carrera.
They were also to have a fixed steel roof, wider wheels, double grilled engine
lid, and flared fenders as styled from the 914-6 GT 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 fitted with air conditioning by the dealer (Brumos). Over the six model
years, Porsche made a number of changes to the 914. Some of these changes were
cosmetic and others were in response to changing crash protection standards.
From 1970 to 1974, the 914 was offered with chrome or painted bumpers. In early
1970, rear bumpers were produced with a straight crease on either side of the
license plate indent. Between 1970 and 1972, both front and rear bumpers were
smooth without bumper guards. In 1973, bumper guards were added to the front of
the car. In 1974, guards were also added to the rear bumper. In 1975 and 1976,
the chrome or painted bumpers were replaced with heavy, rubber-covered units.
The headlight surrounds were white from the first 914s to mid-production of 73
and subsequently black. Cars produced up to early 1972 had a fixed passenger
seat and a removable passenger footrest. Later cars featured a movable
passenger seat. Other interior differences included changing vinyl designs,
gauge appearance, and air vent configurations in the dash. Estimates of the
number of surviving 914s vary widely. Many 914s with serious but repairable
damage were salvaged over the years because cost of a new chassis was
relatively inexpensive compared to the cost and availability of repair parts.
Many cars were cut up over the years with the purpose of saving other cars. The
increasing scarcity of clean cars is driving up the value of the model.
Probably the best estimate is from the different enthusiast organizations who
are constantly gathering data, and one of them currently estimates the
remaining numbers to be at approximately 42,000. While the 914 has been out of
production for almost 35 years, many repair parts are still available. In large
part, this is due to small companies which specialize in 914 parts and many
enterprising enthusiasts who make small runs of parts to support the community.
While a few parts are considered scarce and expensive (such as US-spec rear
turn signal lenses (only available in the reproduction market) and D-Jetronic
Manifold Pressure Sensors (only available in rebuilt)), most are available from
a variety of mail-order sources while still others are tooled and manufactured.
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 modifications are more
extensive, such as installing steel or fiberglass fender flares resembling the
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. And still others produce a style all their own such as the Mitcom
Chalon, which marries the slant nose appearance of the Porsche 935 with flared
fenders that maintain the distinctive 914 rear end. A fiberglass kit inspired
by the Porsche 904, dubbed the 9014, was designed as a way to save a derelict
914 too expensive to repair by conventional methods. Increased 914 values over
the years have made 914s more practical to restore. In 1974, Porsche produced a
number of special edition cars for the US market, equipped with unique color
schemes and decals. It is estimated that about 1,000 of these units were
produced, about 50% Bumblebee and 50% Creamsicle. The Creamsicle: With a cream
color exterior (paint code U2V9), these cars sported Phoenix red decals, rocker
panels, bumpers, and Mahle wheels. This light ivory color scheme concept
carried over from the 1973 911 Carrera RS series. The Bumblebee: Featuring a
black exterior (paint code L041), these cars sported Sunflower yellow (paint
code L13K) negative Porsche decals, rocker panels, bumpers, Mahle wheels, and a
specially designed front spoiler. Black body paint color was always an
additional cost special option on standard 914 Porsche cars, but was included
as a standard component on the black 914 LE cars. All but one photo of the 914
Porsche Can Am prototype cars are Bumblebee cars. The black-based 914 LE color
scheme is unique to the 914 LE cars and has no precedent with the Can Am race
cars or the 1973 911 Carrera RS series cars. The majority of 914 Limited
Editions seem to be Bumblebees. Additionally, all Limited Editions were
equipped with front and rear anti sway bars, dual horns, foam covered steering
wheel, driving lights, anodized rear roll bar chrome, and a center console with
an oil temperature gauge, clock, and voltmeter. Another scheme, the Grasshopper
(Light Ivory (L80E) body / Green accent) was never formally offered as a
Limited Edition, but derived from the variety of stripe colors the Porsche
dealers offered at the time. Factory records verify that the color scheme was
never produced.
This is a very nice and very rare non period photo that reflects a wonderful era of Porsche ‘s
automotive history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance to
own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca.
8" x 9" (ca. 20 x 22cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for
framing.