This 1971 Porsche 914-6 is a nicely preserved car with its numbers-matching powerplant still installed and original Fuchs wheels bolted on. It has had rust repair performed in a common failure area resulting in the right side frame rail and “hell hole” being replaced with some remaining cosmetic work left to address. Find it here on eBay with a $65,000 Buy-It-Now.
The “hell hole” is the area behind and under the battery tray, a common spot where rust forms. The repair itself is fairly straight-forward, and you can buy kits with of the necessary panels for under $100. As per the frame rail, Porsche vendor Auto Atlanta notes: Ever wonder why your 914 sags on the passenger side or the door sticks when opening? The frame is rusted! (and most probably from battery acid!) They also sell a kit for replacing the affected area of the frame rail.
As you can see above, there’s still some bodywork left to finish. The seller says you could just repaint that section or ideally repaint the whole car. I wouldn’t go that far, preferring not to disturb paint that needn’t be and also keeping the cost down on a pricey car. The seller doesn’t confirm whether the “Signal Orange” paint is original, but I wouldn’t repaint the entire car if it was. The CoA confirms the details presented in the listing.
The original owner’s manual and tools are included as well, and the tool roll is impressively complete. The 914-6 is certainly an appreciating asset at the moment, in addition to being heaps of fun to drive. The seller would do well to provide some more info about the 914-6’s mechanical history, but from what we can see, this looks like a solid example with room to appreciate further once the panel is repaired.
Always liked these little moon rovers.
I had a 1973 914-4 when I was stationed in Germany. Nasty little bugger. Being young and stupid I spun it with regularity. Had it up to 135 mph on the autobahn, though.
Never started in the rain. Seems it had 1 circuit board and it was cracked. Any moisture and it just died.
Stole a candle from a restaurant to use as a defroster one night. Didn’t work and we ended up crossing over into Czechoslovakia. Not a good place for a Pershing missile guy to be in 1982. Good times…………..
$65,000 for an unfinished rusted car? Really?
Yes, really.
Now THATS ridiculous. Six or not………………
I didn’t buy one of these at the age of 17 in 1992 for $1200. Now they’re 65k…
All it takes is 30 years….just picked up a 1952 Popular Mechanics at an estate sale and read an article entitled “They Drive Classic Cars”. It described a group of guys (the first classic car enthusiasts) who were buying up 20 and 30 year old cars from the back of used car lots , restoring them and then driving them daily. One of the finds was a 1929 Rolls Royce for $500!
It could be worth $65K to someone who wanted an original 914/6 and who could accept the paintwork that needs to be done on the RR quarter panel.
Mind you, that someone would not be me, since I can think of at least a hundred other cars I’d rather have for that $65K asking.
These 914/6s have been selling in very good / excellent condition at major auctions lately for a median price of $68K, so the asking isn’t far off…and the $3K difference should cover the paintwork needed on the RR quarter. They only made 3,351 of these, and they are highly sought after, so it’s likely to appreciate if you hold onto it for while.
But like I said, that would not be me doing the holding….
Don’t forget the additional costs both buyer and seller incur buying at an auction. Those costs are frequently overlooked compared to a simple straight sale. So many of these cars have been torn up on the racetrack and generally abused there can’t be many decent originals left. They are a gas to drive on the edge.
What additional auction fees? EBay charges the seller a flat rate.
The appraisal was based on Auction house results……..have you ever bought or sold something at a place like Meachum’s or Barrett Jackson? All that promotion and hype doesn’t come cheep. eBay is more of a simple sale but I don’t belive those sales are even followed by appraisers. It is too difficult to judge what is real or the condition of the vehicle. They also have no idea about private sales. I know of cars (250 GTO IN particular) that sold higher than what they consider the highest auction sales price in a private confidential sale. As to this car, I had a friend with a Porsche shop in Southern California that sold his long raced 914-6 race car for 100K 15 years ago.
Actually eBay is one of the most reliable ways to determine true market value. Any “classic car appraiser” who isn’t following eBay sales isn’t worth paying.
No. Way too high.
Little high for a “fixer upper”. The extra power is fun but the stock 6 wasn’t that much faster. Our ’74 with the modified 2.7 was another story. Lots of power, lots of fun.
A race tuned 2.0 6 cyl dry sump engine will make over 300 HP……..reliably for a race car. Over 10,000 RPM….. and run all season on a fresh rebuild.
Well, I bought this for 7K this summer. I have to agree with Dolphin, so many nice values out there. If you are a P-person, go for it. Happy for you, each to there own, right? And I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! It is great to come here and talk cars and whatever. Take care, Mike.
Sweet! Really!
There’s so much out there for sooooooo much less! Love talking cars with all you knowledgeable gear heads. I learn something every day!
My six is a little more modified…
That looks more fun than ‘ numbers matching’ will ever be
That fuel cell is way bigger than I’d expect to see in a car used for track days. So it runs in a GT class for endurance racing? Must be some significant changes in handling as the fuel load goes from full to empty.
I thought these ugly duckling were Cheeper because the rich guys bought the 356’s and 911’s this is one of the ugliest cars to ever come out if Europe, and over the years there have been some dandies. The fact is this thing is just about as ugly as that home made yellow roadster with the roll bar. Its a toss up on the ug-o-meter for sure….! $65k bla haha…hahahaha….!!!
Why oh why did Porsche make these some damn ugly? At least they finally managed to get the engine ahead of the rear axle.
Side marker lights look like Pep Boys rejects.
These were not designed or made by Porsche. They were a product of the German Auto Confederation that Porsche did belong and contribute to but they were pure VW. In Germany they were never called a Porsche or sold in Porsche dealerships. They were built in Wolfsburg, not Zuffenhausen. The confederation was attempting to make an entry level car that would sell to people that couldn’t afford the lowest price Porsche. The problem came when the 914-6 cars started beating the 911’s on the track. The German’s considered them a sports car version of the large similar engined VW sedans.
Incorrect. The bodies were built by Karman in Osnabrück. Those meant for 4 cylinder cars went to VW’s plant in Wolfsburg for assembly. These also were branded solely as VW. However, the bodies destined to be -6’s were sent to Porsche’s factory in Stuttgart where they were assembled by Porsche employees. In Europe, the -6’s wore a badge that said “914-6 VW Porsche”. Finally, the 914 design project was headed by Ferdinand Piëch who was Porsche’s head of R&D at the time (and was also running the 917 project at the same time).
Some of us actually like the way these look. The design was modern and simple. Compare it to other mid-engine sports cars of the era and you’ll see what I mean. Take a look at a Fiat X1/9… Early Toyota MR2…
Yeah, I’ll take the 914.
There is nothing wrong with a VW sports car……..I like them too. They even have room for my 6’2” frame to be comfortable in.
They also have more shoulder room than a C3 Corvette.
Best looking Porsche ever made.
Why not buy a decent 914-4, and put a flat six in it?
That is a fun conversion for a driver. I drove one with a 3.6 (?) conversion that was unbelievable.
Cheaper and more performance to be had with an LS conversion. Did I just say that? Oh what sacrilege.
My dad had a 74 914 with the 2.0 liter 4 cylinder and 5 speed and he bought it right after he started working at caterpillar and when he and my mom got married he parked the car in my great grammas garage and the garage was a 2 car garage and the second stall came off the alley and my mom’s mom and sisters found out where the car was and got my dad’s Gramma open the garage and they got the doors unlocked and they poured 10 pounds of rice in the car to mess with my dad and the car still had some rice in it when he traded it and my great uncle had 2 73 914s at one time and he also had 3 other porsches at the same time
Dave they never had a 3.6 they had the 6 cylinder and they only had the 6 cylinder engine in the 914 for like 1 1/2 to 2 years and they stopped putting that engine in the car when it started beating the 911s in races and put the 1.7 liter or the 2.0 liter from 72 to 74 and in 75 they had a 1.8 liter and Jack it would take alot to change the 4 cylinder to the 6 you would have to change the instrument cluster in the dash and change some other things also
The car was a 914-4 with a 3.6 911 engine installed. There were (maby still are) conversion kits made to retrofit later 911 engines into 914-4 cylinder chassis. That was what Jack Quantrill was talking about and I was responding to.
I’m with Adam. 914s were built to be race cars… like our 2.5 four cylinder. By the way, the 911 instruments slide right in and only require wiring for the oil temp gauge.
Worked at a Porsche dealer as a car porter in high school. The 914’s were junks, the rich guys were all buying the Carrera’s. I am shocked, shocked I tell you what the 914’s are going for now.
Slot cars, riding on rails, big go carts, I worked at a dealership in Colorado Springs and loved it every time I got to drive a 6. The 911 want swap ends but not these.
Was relisted, apparently sold for the lower BIN of $58,500!
Not a whole lotta choices out there for $58.5k good deal. Just kidding.