Storing a car away for a short-term sojourn is something most of us have done at one point. The motivations range from going on a longer trip or deployment; time/space/financial needs determining it needs to be out of the picture for a bit; or simply caught between phases of work, where the project hits a point where a pause is necessary. This 1976 Porsche 914 looks like it was treated well and had the right parts thrown at it before moisture problems crept in and caused some unfortunate damage. It is now listed here on Facebook Marketplace for what seems like a reasonable price of $3,000. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Lothar… of the Hill People for the find.
The 914 has been enjoying some renewed appreciation in the marketplace over the last few years. I’ve heard more one-off conversations about Porsche fans considering a nicely prepped 914 as a new hobby car lately than any other time, likely due to long-hood 911s becoming so expensive. You can get into a 914 with the right upgrades for still-reasonable money and an absolute pittance compared to a 911 or 912 from the same period. The trouble is if you own a project-grade car like this one, you’re competing with the rational of simply spending a few bucks more and getting a turnkey example. This 914 does look like it was a tidy car when parked, at I see reasonably fresh seals, clean lenses, and paintwork that appears consistent from top to bottom.
Here’s where things go sideways in a hurry: the rust in the rockers, which appears to have been hiding beneath the covers that sit over them. When you look at a 914 with all of the trim pieces still installed, the carpet and weather-stripping curl up and over that lip right alongside the driver’s seat. A cover goes over the outside of the bottom edges of the door, quarter panel, and fender. In mentioning that the “…interior was very wet at one time,” the seller may be pointing to what happened when the car went into storage. If there was a water issue in the cabin, or the shed it was stored in either was damp or had water actively coming in, this was recipe for disaster if left in long-term storage. There are other photos showing additional rust and a compromised battery tray.
As a 2.0L-equipped model, this 914 has a lot going for it. 91 horsepower may not seem like a lot, but it was nicely matched with the light and tossable 914. When you combine the attractive colors with the engine spec and what otherwise looks like a car that was truly decent at one time, you begin to see the possibilities for revival. Unfortunately, with driver-grade cars out there that have little to no rust outside of the battery area selling for $7,000 – $10,000, it becomes a harder sell for anyone who lacks the ability or desire to do their own welding. What do you think the future holds for this shed-find 914?
If that battery box rust didn’t get into the right rear suspension everything else is easy. Parts are available and information is all over the place. The engine is wide open to take upgrades in power. We got 140 hp out of one with only bigger pistons, street cam, and higher compression.
Rust in the box side section that holds the car in one piece is very suspicious for rust inside the side box. I had something similar in the box rollover section of my X1/9 and the mechanic told me ‘ do that yourself, i cannot quarantee for it’. I did it by opening a large hole and inserting brushes with antirust material. For what i can see, the Fiat Bertone X1/9 had the lifting jack below the box and not inside the box that attracts moisture. This created over the years another problem as the car lowers with usage of the jack not fully entering the hole, solved by lengthening the jack bar.
Many years ago my MGB was at a shop getting a few rust areas addressed… parked next to my ‘B was a 914-6 essentially there for the same thing. And although the Porsche looked fairly good at a quick glance, a closer look revealed what was really going on… that thing had rust in places I didn’t know were places. I remember the body guy saying he’d rather do 10 MGBs than one 914. I hope this one is better… GLWS.
Sold.
My wife drove a yellow ’76 914. It was a blast to drive. I wish we still had it.
I looked at dozens of these cars from ’85 to ’94 until I found a low mile example originally from a dry MT area, which had been sitting for a long time. Due to mechanical issues it sat in an enclosed garage next to his daily driver and zero rust was anywhere normally seen in chassis, rear trunk, and ‘hell hole’ under the battery support. Even on 15 year old cars, improper use in rain, snow, ice, and with chemical treatment on surfaces driven, many had damage nearly irreversible. I felt extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to have the mechanicals addressed and bring my very early ’74 two liter in Sunflower, made show worthy once again.
This car seen here has some significant issues with sill damage and one may be nearly assured there will be damage in the firewall behind the passenger seat, under the battery tray, the right longitudinal, and very likely in front of the tail lights in the rear trunk floor pan. Doors are getting expensive if they are from dry climates and labor on patch panels, rear trunk floor, longitudinal repairs are going to triple the cost of purchase in a heartbeat.
I am hopeful the new owner has the fortitude and saves another, because this is a quite desirable color even though these last ‘big bumper’ teeners get less respect than the earlier 2.0 liter models of ’73 and ’74. Thanks for showing us another great project ~
Buy a 2000 to 2005 mr2 and enjoy driving it or buy this and work on it …
I always liked these cars; I would love to have the opportunity to drive one at some point. It sounds like they’re getting a little on the pricey side for a good clean example though. As with everything else that piques my interest, I’d fancy a 6-cylinder version though so as with most of my other projects I’d have to get one in this type of condition and suffer thru it slowly throwing small amounts of money at it until it was pretty again lol. I hope someone saves it.