Oftentimes, on this website and others like it, we lament the fact that owners of long-stored project cars don’t decide soon enough to sell them on when progress stalls. In the case of this 1970 Porsche 914, the seller reports that he has stored it for 10 years and thankfully, it looks like dry, clean storage. The 914, despite being a California car, does have some rust, but it looks fairly manageable. For years, the 914 has been seen as a cheap entry-point to classic Porsche ownership, and it more or less still is – but prices are on the upswing. Find this project 914 here on craigslist for $1,500.
When the 914 was introduced, it wasn’t received warmly by the motoring media. Test drives at the time cast doubt on the entire endeavor, mostly because the 914 was constantly compared to the 911, or even the 912. Despite the lower price, it seemed unforgivable that anything wearing the Porsche badge wasn’t an absolute show-stopper when it came to speed and road-holding abilities. While the 914 fell short of a 911, it was never intended to be a 911 beater. And when Porsche introduced the 914/6 to quell some of the outrage, the car was slow seller and quickly pulled from the lineup.
It took many years for the 914 to lose this negative branding along with the association with Volkswagen. Despite being shared with its lesser corporate sibling, the 914 was still very much a Porsche in terms of assembly and build quality. The six-cylinder model was a truly impressive performer and deserved far more love than it received. Even today, you see parallels when a new model comes out that isn’t a 911 and the lack of interest in it from the Porsche faithful. The fact that a 912, which isn’t significantly faster than a 914, sells for $50,000 or more in restored condition tells you all you need to know. The 911’s physical profile is a significant reason why people buy them.
Rust is not uncommon on 914s, even ones from California. Fortunately, this paint scheme appears to be Zambezi, or Forest Green, one of the more desirable colors in a 914, which instantly makes the cost of rust repair more viable. The seller reports it is limited to the floor pan and battery tray, two areas you can find replacement panel sections for. The 1973 and later 914s made several key improvements in the driving experience and overall quality of construction, but the 2.0L engine was the biggest upgrade. This car, unless it has been swapped, almost certainly has the smaller engine, but the asking price seems more than fair for a project.
At the price it’s good for parts but the body is toast. The 1.7 engine is no barn burner but they can be upgraded to as high as 2.5 but then you have to go out and find another body.
The posting has been deleted from craigslist so I assume it was sold.
I wish I knew how to weld and was proficient at it as there are so many older cars that need rust rescue. I find the Porsche 914 an interesting car and very uniquely styled. Maybe not as attractive as the 911 but I would love to drive one of these one day just to get a feel for its go kart style handling.
I know someone with a rust-free chassis that was in a relatively mild fire. Setup for a 914-6 conversion. About the same price – contact Tommy @ Retrospec in Los Angeles if interested? Just passing this along…
The rear bumper is more than worth the price of this car, so yes, it is a parts car. That rear bumper is 914-6 BUMPER!
Early bumper – rare, but the 914-4 still used the same bumper as the comparable 6-cylinder of that era. People refer to them as the
“914-6 bumper”, but the early 914-4 cars used them too.
-Wayne
Ex brother in law had one stored in a 1 car garage for like 25 yrs or so…my sister had to move about it to do the wash…..it was still there when they divorced – he thought because it was a Porshe he would be rich…..never saw it run nor did my sister remember any rides…..to each his own….