1973 Porsche 914/4 1.7

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 coupé to replace the Karmann Ghia. At the time, the majority of Volkswagen's developmental work was handled by Porsche, and VW needed to contract out one last project to Porsche to fulfil their end of the deal. They decided to make this new car that final project, so Ferdinand Piech, who was in charge of research and development at Porsche, was put in charge of the 914. It was originally intended to sell the vehicle with a flat-four cylinder engine as a Volkswagen and with a flat-six engine as a Porsche, however, Porsche decided during development that having both companies 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 1st March 1968, the first 914 prototype was presented, however development became complicated after the death of Volkswagen's chairman, Heinz Nordhoff, on 12th April 1968. His successor, Kurt Lotz, was not connected with the Porsche dynasty and the verbal agreement between Volkswagen and Porsche fell apart. However, in the end it didn't really matter and, over the seven years of the model's life, the 914 would outsell the 911 and eventually find over 118,000 homes.

In its earliest form, the 914 was powered by a fuel-injected 1.7-litre flat-four engine, based on the Volkswagen air-cooled engine, developing a modest 80bhp and to counter this the engine was mid rather than rear-mounted, ensuring the little 914 was blessed with excellent handling, aided by all-round independent suspension. The Targa roof clipped neatly out of the way to the underside of the boot-lid when you wanted fresh air and set a fashion that cars such as the Fiat X1/9 would follow well into the 1980s.

CCA 823M was imported from the States initially in 2015 and purchased by our vendor as a lockdown project in February 2021. The intention was to fully strip the car and rebuild it from top to bottom. Our knowledgeable vendor was aware of which marque/model specialists he wanted to use and the work was assigned accordingly. Dan Wearing in Stourport was tasked with the project and duly stripped the 914 back to bare metal exposing the poor floors, so the car was put on a jig and the relevant panels were procured from Holland. Any defective metal work was duly cut out with fresh metal inserted, fully etch-primed and treated to a fresh coat of solid Black, as it was when it left the factory. A total of £12,000 was spent alone on the bodywork and fresh paint.

A further £3,500 was lavished on the interior by Stitch Perfect of Droitwich, including seat covers, door cards, carpets and a dash-top and VW Heritage rebuilt the power plant and stripped the gearbox back making sure all was good. A brand new wiring harness was fitted, the suspension was fully rebuilt and re-bushed, as can be seen in our images, and the calipers were rebuilt by Big Red of Worcester. Excluding the initial cost of the car, a total of around £22,000 has been invested to bring this pretty little 914 up to the standard you see today.

914s are now the last of the affordable air-cooled Porsches and combine period charm, uncomplicated engineering and versatile fun motoring. On offer at No Reserve, this ready to enjoy, turn-key German classic is sure to generate some good interest.