If there’s ever been an underappreciated German sports car, it’s the Porsche 914. For a long time, Porsche collectors didn’t view them as “real” Porsches and parts were a little too expensive for the VW crowd, but they’ve really come into their own in the past few years. Their limbo status meant that many of these cars were abused and unloved, making finding exceptional examples a bit of a challenge. We currently have one sitting in our garage, but it took a lot of hunting to find one that was solid. After our experience, we would steer clear of a rusty project, but if you find a solid car you better snap it up quick! The seller of this pair of 914s admits that one is very rusty, but the other is said to be solid. If you’re interested in buying this duo, you can find there here on craigslist in Littleton, Colorado with a $3,000 asking price. Special thanks to Gunter K for another great tip!
Looking this storage unit over, I have a lot of questions! First off, what is happening here? Both cars appear to be pulled apart with pieces scattered all over. The seller states that one of the cars is rusty, but has a drivetrain, while the other is solid and I assume lacks a drivetrain. They also state there are parts from two previous restorations. Does that mean these are the leftover parts cars or were they planning on completing a third restoration? Also, why are their five lug Fuch wheels here and are they included? The 914 only received the 5-lug wheels when it was equipped with the 6-cylinder engine from the 911. These wheels appear to be too large for a 914 (chances are they are from a 911 SC), so I doubt they would fit even if you converted the hubs to 5-lug, but they are worth a decent chunk of change if they are real Fuchs. Hopefully, they are included, as they would about cover the cost of buying the lot.
Rust is the 914’s Achilles Heel and it’s almost always an issue you don’t know about until you dig into the car. Everyone talks about the area below the battery box, it’s called the “Hell Hole” given its bottomless pit-like appearance and the nightmare that is replacing it. And while that area is an issue, it’s the area below it in the longitudinals that’s the real problem. This area is a critical structural point and repairing it involves separating the bottom half of the body into its component pieces. If a car has rust in this area, it’s hard to justify fixing it, as it’s typically cheaper to just buy a different car. If the less rusty car is solid in this area, it would definitely be worth restoring, even if it turns out to be a 1.7 or 1.8-liter car.
Speaking of the engine. Of the 4-cylinder cars, the 2.0 liter is the most sought-after. Not only does it have more displacement, but the cylinder heads were developed by Porsche to breathe better and the bottom end features a forged crank. There’s no word on which engine is in the rusty car, but chances are it’s one of the smaller two variants, although I do see what could be 2.0 air cleaner housing. Visually, there isn’t much difference between the engines, but the 2.0 had a slightly different fuel injection system, the spark plugs are located in a different spot and the intake runners featured four mounting studs rather than three. If you go view the cars in person, check the numbers on the engine case. The numbers are stamped near the cooling fan housing and will tell you exactly which engine it is and what year it was built. Honestly, if these cars were in Idaho, I’d be going to take a look. 914 values are at an all-time high and you rarely find ones for these cheap, even rusted-out projects. If there are enough parts to make one complete car, it seems like a worthwhile project, as these are really fun to drive cars!
Good write up Joshua. You pretty much summed up everything I would say about this ad. This looks like a steal with the added Fuchs which look to be 6” rims which are desirable especially if they all date code the same and could be used to offset the project. If it’s a 2 liter it’s a real score. I will never forget and always regret not getting the 73 2.0 while I was in California. I would still have it today. These are really fun cars to drive. Working on them can be a pain but fortunately once sorted they solder on without too much fiddling.
the older I get, the less cool I become and the cooler these become to me….I like them now!
Had two, one ’72 silver 1.7 and a built from ground up ’74 1.8 with all the things done to it the factory should have done in the first place. As stated, the wheels in the pile next to these cars are the mid ’70s 6 inch. We put the 7 inch wheels on our ’74 and they really kick up the looks of these cars. Ours were drivers/autocross cars and made driving fun.
The 2.0 liter engine IS more powerful. With that said, it’s not that much more than the early W-code 1.7. (90-ish vs 80) The main difference is that the 1.7, when properly tuned, return mid-30’s to over 40mpg on a long trip. The air flow injection system on the 2.0 can’t seem to match those numbers.
ALL 914’s are rusty..it’s just how much and in what places…..
I’m a bit too tall to sit in one with the roof in place, otherwise I might be heading to CO …
When I saw the 5 lug wheels I was hoping for a 914-6. I had a signal orange one back in the 70’s. A great car that was not accepted by the snobby 911 people especially the ones who paid more money for their 911 T model than I did for my 914-6. The 914-6 ran circles around a T model. One of the reason production stopped after 1972 on the 914-6 model.
I always liked the 914-6
but I did admire the 914 anyways, but these were not popular in my town while I was younger so I never ran across any used ones that I could afford, sigh, and now my project list is too full
bobhess, you wrote you did everything to the car the factory should have done —– Please elaborate. Thanx.
Someone call Dennis Collins. He would be there within the week to buy these.
Had an early model 914. Apparently corrosion hit a circuit board near the mid-engine compartment right under the rear window. At any rate, it was always a gamble whether it would start. Sometimes no problem, others it was if there was no electrical current at all. Dead in the water. Happened on a date once and that was it for this car. Too bad, loved it otherwise. Or maybe that’s in hindsight.
Great photos, Not!!
Wow pretty tempting, especially since I’m going to St Louis next week with my trailer. Must resist.
Who needs something hauled back from STL to Hampton Roads/SE Virginia or between?
Great Barn Find stuff. I bought a 73 1.7 at the beginning of the pandemic for 5K and put it in good order in about six months while staying out of the fray. I sold it at no profit for 10K and everybody was happy. It was fun to study and correct its wear and tear. It was mostly suspension and cosmetic work. Driving up and down the California coast in the mean time was a weekly blast. I paid no attention to the gas mileage and rarely put the top on it. Having a 58 TR3 and a 75 2002 in the carport meant I wasn’t keeping the 914, but it was fun while it lasted. My dream of having every car I’ve ever owned in a barn on the back 40 is not unique.
No it’s not! I wish I had several cars I used to own and my full time job was enjoying a different one each day.
I bought a 914 back in 1994-ish, running and in ok-to-fair condition. It cost me a WHOLE $100. I hope the next owner took better care of it than I did.