50 Years of the Porsche 914. Get over it

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We must admit we’re no huge Porsche fanatics, here at PostWarClassic, but there is of course a great exception to any rule and in this case it’s the 914. Even alone if it was because the car was hardly taken seriously by the self-named Porsche enthusiasts in the first few decades of its life.

The 914 was manufactured and marketed collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche with the original idea to sell them as a VW with four-cylinder engine and as a Porsche with the six-cylinder. Half-way the developments, this plan was ditched, though. And when VW’s boss died not much later, the new top man didn’t have much more confidence in the project. That didn’t help. The eventual car was sold as a Porsche after all, but could be bought and maintained at VW dealers also. No wonder snobby Porsche types didn’t like that.

The mid-engined, targa-topped, two-seat VW-Porsche lovechild lingered for many, many years after its 1969 introduction. It was a good car never the less, everyone who ever drove one will say so. With mid-engine layout and weighing just over 900 kgs it had no huge power potential but was adequate with its 1.7 and 2.0 boxer engines, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and independent wheel suspension.

We especially like some of the coachbuilt version, as seen below. Do you recognize them? So in this celebrational year it is about time to get over all these marketing mishaps of 50 years ago and lift the 914 from those obvious ‘worst sports cars ever made’ lists. It’s not a 911. Good God it isn’t.

(Words editor, pictures Porsche PR / PWC archive)

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