Porsche 914 celebrates its 50th birthday

Porsche’s nifty sports activities automotive, the 914, nonetheless seems nice at 50. The Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, is highlighting the entry-level sports activities automotive because it turns 50 years outdated this 12 months with a “Usually Porsche” day on Sunday and a “50 Years of the 914 – Usually Porsche” exhibit that runs by July 7.

Manufacturing of the mid-engine 914 started in 1969 after the automotive got here to life through a Volkswagen Group and Porsche partnership. Lengthy earlier than Porsche was the behemoth it’s at the moment, the corporate was small and sought a companion to develop past the 911’s market. It discovered that companion in VW, which wanted a substitute for the Karmann Ghia. Nonetheless, the 914 almost by no means got here to be. VW Director on the time, Heinrich Nordhoff, handed away all of the sudden in 1968, which left the VW-Porsche partnership in jeopardy. Ferry Porsche ironed out an answer with VW’s new Managing Director, Kurt Lotz, to ascertain the VW-Porsche gross sales firm.

Porsche 914

Though Individuals will keep in mind the 914 solely as a Porsche, in Europe, Porsche marketed and offered the automotive as a VW-Porsche. Whatever the title, the 914 was a gross sales success with 115,631 Four-cylinder fashions constructed between 1969 and 1975. The Four-cylinder, a 79-horsepower 1.7-liter engine, got here from VW. In the meantime, the 914/6 with a Porsche 2.Zero-liter flat-6, made 108 hp. The 914/6 was the quicker of the 2, and far rarer. Porsche constructed solely three,338 of them between 1969 and 1972.

Porsche 914

To rejoice the mid-engine sports activities automotive, which was the primary German automotive of its form, the “Usually Porsche” day will embody panels with former race drivers and improvement engineers to debate the 914’s beginning and legacy. House owners are invited and followers will be capable of see tons of of 914 fashions. For locals, the occasion is free.

Porsche may also present some distinctive variants on the big day and thru the run of the museum exhibit. One of the best of all of them will probably be a 914 S prototype, which options three.Zero-liter flat-Eight racing engine. The 914 S prototype makes 295 hp, nearly 3 times as a lot because the most-powerful manufacturing automotive. Different reveals will embody a 914 GT, which was the world’s first security automotive, and extra 914-inspired sports activities automobiles.

It might have been as a lot a Volkswagen because it was a Porsche, however with out the 914 we possible would not have the 718 Boxster and Cayman at the moment.