The Porsche 914 doesn’t look like a Porsche or a Volkswagen, but it’s actually both.
The Porsche with the VW Badge
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Part Porsche, part Volkswagen, the Porsche 914 was a perfect balance of style, performance, and affordability. While it doesn’t get the historical shine that 356 or the 911 receive, in its day the 914 was Porsche’s best-selling nameplate and makes for an affordable introduction to the brand for modern collectors.
The car’s many oddities probably contribute to its afterthought status. For one thing, the 914 doesn’t look much like a Porsche. In the place of graceful curves are long (fairly) straight lines which both harken back to the mid-1960s and forward to the 1980s. It was also mid-engine to improve balance and therefore handling. This makes the 914 Porsche’s first mass-produced mid-engine car, though, yes, the 356 started life mid-engined before things got moved to the rear. (For more on the Porsche 356, check this out.)
And then there’s the lack of power. The 914 came in two flavors, a four- and a six-cylinder, the latter of which raised the price of the 914 perilously close to that of a base 911, and as a result sold poorly. Equipped with either engine, the 914 wasn’t a fast car. The four-cylinder model made its run from zero to sixty mph in about 14 seconds.
Development and Styling
In the late 1960s, Porsche was looking to develop an entry-level alternative to their 912 (basically, a watered-down version of the 911). Meanwhile, Volkswagen needed a replacement for their upscale Karmann Ghia model. The two closely linked companies thus began jointly developing a new sports car that could serve both their needs. The new 914 would be designed by Porsche, with bodies assembled by Karmann, and for the six-cylinder cars, Porsche would install the engine from the 911 T. The four-cylinder cars would be sold as Volkswagens, the sixes as Porsches, with North American Porsche dealers getting both.
In 1968, the first prototype 914 was completed and debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The death of Volkswagen chairman Heinrich Nordhoff threw the project into question. His successor, Kurt Lotz, felt Volkswagen wasn’t getting the best deal with the 914 and demanded Porsche cough up more money for VW’s tooling costs. Indeed, the entire 914 agreement between Volkswagen and Porsche had been informal given the two companies’ familiarity. That familiarity was in fact literal, with the 914’s designer, Ferdinand Piech being Nordhoff’s son-in-law and Ferry Porsche’s nephew. The deal for the 914 rested on a conversation and a handshake, which the new chairman Lotz was loath to honor.
A deal was eventually struck wherein Volkswagen would exclusively sell the 914 in Europe while Porsche and VW’s new luxury company Audi would sell the car in North America. Lotz, it should be noted, would only last a short three years as the head of Volkswagen.
Let us move on to the design of the 914. The design by Ferdinand Piech combined aspects of both the 356 and the Porsche 550 racecar. The profile is low and angular, with the 914 a full 4 inches lower and 1 inch wider than the 911. The signature Porsche headlights are only subtly referenced with the front indicator lights while the headlights themselves are pop ups. Crumple zones were integrated into the front and rear of the car, a novel safety measure in the late 1960s. All 914s came with a Targa top roof which could be stowed in the rear trunk. Volkswagen and Porsche even marketed the 914 as a practical sports car, emphasizing its (relatively) copious cargo space thanks to the dual trunks.
Initial reception for the 914 was cool from the public, who didn’t quite know what to make of the un-Porsche looking VW branded car. Heck, it wasn’t even rear engine! And yet, the car quickly won over the cognoscenti with its superb handling. MotorTrend named the 914 their Import Car of the Year for 1970.
Specs and Year-by Year Evolutions
Starting in 1969, the 914 came in two distinct varieties. First, the 914/4 which came with a fuel-injected 1.7L flat-four engine making around 80 horsepower. The 914/6 came with a carbureted 2.0L flat-six making 110 horsepower. The 914/6 was indeed the faster car, making it from zero to sixty in around 9 seconds, which was rather good for 1969. To further differentiate the two cars, the 914/6 was given five-lug Fuchs wheels and the option of Porsche’s new Sportomatic semi-automatic transmission that shifted without the use of a clutch (most buyers opted for the manual).
The trouble for the 914/6 was the larger engine which upped the price so that it was a stone’s throw from the entry-level 911 T. This proved a major hindrance to sales for the six-cylinder version, only selling around 3,300 units in prior to its cancellation in 1972. In contrast, the cheaper 914/4 was a hit for Porsche and would go on to out-sell the 911 and become the mark’s best-selling nameplate. Plus, Porsche graced the 914/4 with a new 2.0L engine in 1973 which made 100 horsepower, obviating any need a the six-cylinder altogether. A new 1.8L flat-four was added to the mix in 1974 to replace the 1.7L.
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Also in 1973, Porsche began racing the 914, entering it in the SCAA and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Porsche also intended to enter the Can Am, but a rules change scuttled this plan. The 1,000 homologation cars were instead given either yellow and black or white and orange paint jobs and sold under the moniker the 914 Limited Edition. In truth, these cars were little more than regular 914s with fancy color schemes.
The 914 would end up selling 118,978 units in total between 1969 and its final production year of 1976. It would be succeeded by the Passat for Volkswagen and the Porsche 924. As a gift, Porsche built a special 3.0L eight-cylinder version of the 914 for Ferry Porsche’s birthday, one of only two built.
