This 1973 Porsche 914 has been nursed back to health by the seller who discovered it languishing in the back of a shop awaiting an engine swap that never happened. The 914 wears rare Zambezi Green paint and has been brought back to driving condition by the seller, who concedes he intended to use the car for a six-cylinder conversion but decided against it because of the car’s honest appearance. The 914 retains its 1.7L engine, but mileage and matching numbers isn’t confirmed. There is rust in some typical 914 trouble spots, but the seller contends you could live with it if concours condition isn’t a goal. Find it here on eBay with bids to $4,364 and the reserve unmet.

This picture shows the 914 as the seller found it, which isn’t quite as bad as I had pictured, but I imagine it would look far worst if it had been sitting in the back of a dimly lit shop. The paint is never confirmed as being original to the car, but the seller claims he sees no evidence of a repaint, and that any paint chips reveal bare metal underneath – not layers of paint. The seller notes rust in the floors on both sides and that it could be treated with POR15 and seam sealer if simply driving it around in the summer months was your goal. There’s a nickel-sized spot in the hellhole, a common 914 trouble spot – and it could be a lot worst, given other cars we’ve seen.

The interior is in decent shape, and brown is an unusual color for a 914 given how many came with black door panels, carpeting, and seating surfaces. To me, this makes it even more believable that green is its original color, as it seems like one of the few colors that can get away with brown over black in a sports car. The cabin has some minor flaws, with some minor splits noted the seats and a missing backrest light and no speakers. The dash pad has no cracks other than a very minor one near the ash tray which hasn’t grown in the six years the seller has owned the car. Speaking of, owning a project for that long tells you there were grand plans to restore it.

The engine is said to be healthy, producing solid leak down numbers and not showing any leaks at present. The 914 has stainless steel heat exchangers and benefits from a replacement electronics board, new fuel injectors and rails, new pushrod tubes, replacement shift linkage and joints, and more. There are some lingering issues related to missing parts, including the heater ducts, and the air flap for warm up is not working. The rocker covers, front bumper pad, spare tire, and bottom trim for windshield are also no longer with the 914, so you’ll have some parts sleuthing to do – but nothing major. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Russel G. for the find.