To put a big engine in a little car isn’t necessarily a major accomplishment. To put a big engine in a little car and still have it drive well – that’s a much different kettle of fish. It may be heaps of fun to take off screaming down the road with a low curb weight and big power, but making the chassis work to support the newfound horsepower is far more satisfying. This 1973 Porsche 914 listed here on eBay began life as a humble 2.0 but has had a 350 V8 under the hood since 1978.
If my Googling is correct, the company that made this conversion still exists today. The listing calls it a “Renegade”, which could be used generically in this instance to refer to any 914 with a 350 under the engine lid. Regardless, the website dedicated to V8 conversions in Porsche models – found here – is a fun read if you’ve got 10 minutes to kill. The listing indicates a drag car builder was the one who put this wild 914 together, so it’s likely the Renegade description is used on general terms.
The interior is surprisingly stock, looking like any other 914 inside. The seats are in great shape, as are the door panels and carpets. The seller indicates that he found this monster 914 tucked away in the builder’s garage after many years of inactivity, and that he himself has owned it for ten years. Interestingly, when the seller describes holding title to the 914, he also reveals that it has not been registered since 1994. Does this mean after he picked up the car, it didn’t see much use under his care, either? Hard to say but I’d love to know how many miles this 914 actually racked up after its hot-rod conversion.
The body doesn’t appear to have been modified in any way, and the rear tires are surprisingly narrow for such a screamer. This leads me to wonder what more could be done to highlight the beastly nature of this conversion. I would add some widebody-style arches and absolutely some wider rubber on more attractive wheels that fit a German car, such as a set of staggered BBS mesh-design rollers. The paint appears to be in good shape as does the bumper chrome; it’s certainly good enough to live with indefinitely. A very cool find, thanks to Barn Finds reader Tony P.
I owned a German spec’ed 914 while in Frankfurt in the USAF in the late 70s… it was like driving a go-cart, absolutely no tilt when cornering at high speeds….. I can only imagine what this one would do!
Probably wheelies!
Hey, Dave
I had a black ’73 as an Army MP outside of K-town in the 80’s.
You are right…..drove like a slot car. Until that darn circuit board heard a rainy weather report!
A real hoot, though.
Cool, but it is not on Ebay, it is on Craig’s List.
No to the widebody! Keep it a stealth Q-ship.
V-8 conversions to 914s used to be pretty common. Personally, I’d like the original 2.0.
24 photos and only one engine photo, the last year tag on the rear plate is 1994!!
Right! Is the engine in back or front?
Neither. It is in the middle. As in mid-engine. That is why the 914 normally handles like a go-kart.
There are 24 pictures and 22 are of the exterior. ???
Makes you wonder.
I was hoping for a video of it. I would love to see it in action. I know it has been off the road for a bit, but to see and hear it in action would be a real treat.
Holy macaroni and cheese Batman! Hang on to your shorts in this one. That’s pretty cool car. I wonder how it drives. It’s like it would be great fun on the weekends and it’s not ugly. I’ve always liked the 914 but I’m not so sure about the orange color. I think because it’s so far from original I would have to change the color on it. Maybe a medium blue metallic would look nice on it. Plus I probably pull that motor out of it find something a little Tamer for it and put that motor in something like a 69 Chevelle or something like that. Not sure it’s worth what he’s asking but there’s an a€£ for every seat. :-)
Nice car. Wouldn’t cut up a good car and repaint to another color. Our last 914 was this color and now has a 300 hp 911 engine in it. Have driven a V8 version and the car ran and handled great. Agree on changing wheels and would put the rear valence back on to improve the looks. We put 5 lug 911 hubs and 7 inch Fuchs wheels on and it looks just fine.
Is engine mounted in the front or the back?
Mounted in the rear of the car. True Renegade cars have a crazy radiator and plumbing system from front to rear. Two fuel pumps (also front to rear)
I’d love to see more pictures of the rear mounted engine.
It’s mid-engine–mounted on the back side of the bulkhead right behind the seats.
Don’t lift – ever….
Ihave had an RX7 V8 and a Jaguar XJ6 V8.Both professionally done. The car is never as fast as you think, the balance is off, they dont drive well. Not a fan.
Done right, you don’t just stop at putting the engine in. Needs a least 180 lb rear springs and upgraded shocks. There is a reinforcement frame kit made for race cars that puts more strength in the rear trailing arms and their mounts. Front and rear roll bars are also needed and should make a great handling car, especially with most of the added weight in the middle.
Bob: Any idea what the weight difference would be with (a mostly aluminum engine)? It seems that components are readily available today that would minimize the weight issues. Seems like the thing to do, unless someone really wants to preserve the “time period conversion”.
I have seen what renegade can do to a boxster and i simply love it , NO ims bearing on a LS engine , twice the power and a quarter on the maintenance sounds good to me , this little 914 must be a blast
Ruined it…It probably won’t handle at all with that much weight…
Don’t have the numbers on the 350 engine weight but the car I drove had the general suspension upgrades I mentioned above and it handled great. The stock suspension isn’t as great a handler as you might think. The front suspension is all 911 but the back is all 914 and not designed to do anything but street driving. Our our orange car above was originally modified while we built it to be an autocross/street car. Tested it on various tracks and it really was fast and took curves flat as a board and foot to the floor. Just to make everybody feel better about my comments I’d probably would have put one of today’s V6s in one of these. My Chrysler van’s V6 is light and has gobs of power.
You really ought to do a little research before passing judgement, check out Renegade’s YouTube videos, they have a great product and with where the engine is located a hundred or so extra pounds isn’t going to hurt a thing handling wise.
I seriously researched on dropping an aluminium v6 from a camry into my very light, nimble great handling mid engine toyota mr2, the added weight does nothing on handling , possibly a bit on the brakes but i weigh 180 pounds and my gf is 100 , so our weight saving is a performance improvement!
This little 914 must be a true blast and renegade is the one to watch
Didn’t Hot Rod magazine put an Olds Tornado 455 into 911, back in the late 60’s, early 70’s?
The Chrome bumper NO NO – Sold these new at our 2 Porsche stores.
Reason why Factory swapped it out?
These 914 Chrome bumpers reflect the road surface & created an optical illusion of the car being further away.
Result many head on collisions w/bad consequences.
Lots of guys like them, just beware of this fact other drivers often can’t judge the 914’s distance on approach on 2 lane highways.
That’s utter nonsense, the “factory” did no such thing. Painted bumpers cost less as did plain steelies with hubcaps.
Regarding this “renegade”: his claims are just that. He states that “The engine is a chevy 350 V8 5700 cc the special about the engine it was build by a drag racing engine builder it was cost in 1978 $3800 ( the stuck engine is approximately 1500-2000)” We must assume he means the STOCK engine, which made 90 hp. There are no details about chassis reinforcement which is a must for handling even a bit more power. The four lug wheels indicate it retains stock underpinnings, another red flag.
There are well executed V8 conversions out there… it’s telling the guy posted this one on 914 World and then deleted his sales thread. Pass on this POS.
Renegade refers to Renegade Hybrids of Nevada. They offer conversion kits and turn key cars.
YEAH,YEAH,YEAH…..My 66 Sunbeam Tiger with a built Boss 302 would blow the doors off this one, Later Gater
Ohhhh boy, must we fall to our knees !