The middle engine car Porsche 914 originated of a cooperation of Volkswagen and Porsche and was built from 1970 to 1976 120000 times. Most models (914/4) came off the assembly line with 1.7 litres of VW-4-cylinder boxer engine with 80 HP behind the seats. The bigger (914/6) disposed of 110-HP-2.0 litres of 6-cylinder boxer engine of Porsche 911 T. Charasteristic features of 914 are the construction as a twoseater middle engine sport car with air-cooled boxer engine and the Targa-roof which can be stowed away in the rear trunk.
In the second half of the 60s VW looked for a sporty model as a replacement of the Karmann Ghia which based on the
VW-Beetle. An inexpensive entrance model was missing in Porsches model program, too, because in 1965 the 356 was stopped and
the 912 – a 911 with the motor of the 356C a 90 HP 4-cylinder egine - could not assert itself compared to the
sports-cars of the competitiors. Ferry Porsche and the Volkswagen boss Heinrich Nordhoff agreed by slap that Porsche takes
part by his sports-car knowhow in the development of a joint venture model which should be expelled, however, apart as a
Volkswagen and as a Porsche car. VW would provide about high sales for low production costs and Porsche should be paid with
low unit cost for the developing work. The assembly of the car bodies was planned for the Karmann factory.
It looked like perfect business. When the first 914 protoype was introduced in March 1968, Nordhoff was fallen seriously ill.
He died in April 1968. His successor, Kurt Lotz, should not have accepted the verbal arrangement between Nordhoff and Ferry
Porsche. His oppinion was that VW has all rights in the car body and Porsche would receive them only with participation in
the tool costs. This is why the price and marketing concept of 914 failed already before the beginning of the serial
production. As a compromise VW and Porsche founded the VW-Porsche Vertriebsgesellschaft GmbH for marketing and distribution
of 914 in the beginning of 1969 and soon it moved out of the Porsche area in Stuttgart to the nearby Ludwigsburg. This is the
reason, why factory vehicles of the 914/4 on photos mostly have a “LB“ on their license plate
In Europa wurde der Wagen daraufhin von der VG als VW-Porsche verkauft. Dies führte zur Verspottung als VolksPorsche
oder gar als VoPo, obwohl der Marketing-Leiter der VG, Fritz Huschke von Hanstein, bei der Pressevorführung eindringlich
gebeten hatte, diese Abkürzung der Volkspolizei der DDR nicht für den 914er zu verwenden. Zu diesem Image und der
unklaren Positionierung zwischen VW und Porsche kamen neben anfänglichen Verarbeitungsmängeln und
Rostanfälligkeit die typischen Folgen von Einstiegsmodellen: Sie werden von ihren Besitzern häufig wenig gepflegt,
aber umso mehr getunt.
In North America the 914 was sold on base of the Audi / Porsche distribution network as a real Porsche and was provided with
the correct logos and emblems. However, distribution network and trade name may not mislead about the fact that also the US
models the 4-cylinder cars carry the manufacturer's name “Volkswagen“ in their type sign. The VG never was
official manufacturer of the vehicles. This applies only to 4-cylinder vehicles. Manufacturer of the 6-cylinder was Porsche
and this is also written in the registration documents. The 6-cylinder models were completely made in Stuttgart, only the
bodyshell came from Karmann in Osnabrück.
During the model years 1970 till 1972 the 914/4 was offered with a 1.7-l-fuel injection engine of the thesedays VW 411, 80 HP
accelerates the 940-kg-car on 177 km/h. At that time the entrance price amounted to 12,250 DM and to 914/6 cost 19,980 DM. It
ran with the 110-HP-2.0-l carburettor engineof the thesedays 911 T, 201 km/h. Because a Porsche 911 cost at that time about
21,000 DM, only 2.657 buyers decided in the first model year for a 914/6; during the subsequent years the sales figures broke
with 432 (1971) or 229 (1972) cars completely.
For 914/6 the fender widenings from steel which gave the appearance of the so-called GT 914/6 to the car could be ordered
as an additional equipment. To the model year 1973 most changes occured in the history of 914. The most apparental was the
suspension of the 914/6. As a countermove supplemental VW added a 2.0-l-4-cylinder engine to the program, which performed
with the injection 101 HP. It reached roughly the road performances of the 10 HP stronger, but about 40 kg heavier 914/6.
With the susspension of the 914/6 the name 914/4 was also cancelled for the 4-cylinder; now they were called simply 914 1.7
or 914 2.0. Technically there was among the rest a bit of fine tuning to the model year 1973, the very much criticised
gearbox was optimized and the rigid passenger seat was substituted with an adjustable one.
To the model year 1974 the 1.7-l engine was extended on 1.8 l. In Europe it performed with two Solex carburettors 86 HP, in
the USA with catalyst and injection only 76 HP. Because of new exhaust gas regulations some export versions of 914 1.7 had
been curbed down on only 72 HP. With the introduction of the 1.8-l engine the model care of the engine supplier VW was taken
over. For the model VW 412 S the 1.8-l engine was developed originally and substituted there likewise the 1.7-l machine.
For 1975 the present bumpers, which were made of steel, were substituted with rubber covered security bumpers. The US
versions received additional buffer horn, which were introduced in the model year 1974. Now 914 had angular additional
floodlights.
In the model year 1976 only 4.075 cars, which were all determined for the US market, were produced. The US models had,
according to model year and federal state, catalysts, warning systems of putting on the seat belt and reinforced bumpers. All
North America models unifys that they have instead of the white-yellow glass on the front sidelight and indicator combination
only plain orange glasses and dispose in front of lateral reflectors. On reason of the marketing as “real “
Porsche they had a golden Porsche stroke on the grid of the engine lid and Porsche emblems on the steering wheel and the
front bonnet.