Porsche 914 --> the original Porsche Boxster

[MXM]

There was no production 916, only few prototypes. 914/6 is 914 with flat-6, but there are not too many of them. Only few thousands made.

[janstett]

Originally Posted by haz

They say the Boxster was based on the 914, anyone have more info on exactly this? I have driven the Bosxter numerous times, and like it alot. But this? I'd take the 914 any day .... no question. I'm seriously considering taking one in from California....like he did.

What do you guys thnk about it? Have you driven it? I know the looks are so and so, I didn't like it the first time I saw it. But it grew on me, and a nice edition is super sexy. Sounds awsome too!

haz

I don't own a 914, but as the owner of a 951 I travel in their circles.

The Boxster has no relation to the 914 as they were separated by 20 years.

The 914
The 914 was designed in the early 60's to replace the 912 and give Porsche something to sell alongisde the 911. To share costs, it was decided that the 4 cylinder version (914-4) would sell as a VW and the 6 cylinder version as a Porsche (914-6). In North America, they were all sold as Porsches. The 914 ceased production in 1975. (Note that the 924 which came along a decade after the 914 was designed to be an Audi but Audi backed out and it became a Porsche. In fact, all Porsche 924 and 944s were made under contract in a VW/Audi plant).

The Boxster
By the mid 90's Porsche moved away from front-engined cars, killing off the 928 and 968. To take their place, Porsche came out with the 986 Boxster. Boasting a mid-engined design, it was praised for its nimble handling. Even though many would argue the Boxster was a superior design to the 911, it would always be "kept in its place" so as not to threaten the 911's status as king of the hill (a lesson Porsche learned with the 951, which intruded on the 911 Turbo's turf at half the price and upset the 911 crowd. This dynamic still exists today with the Cayman's underachievement.).

Most people don't know what a 914 is when they see it, they assume it is some small British roadster al-la MG. They are certainly the lightest and most nimble road cars Porsche put out possibly ever, but they are hard to live with and time hasn't been too kind to most of them.

In the great Porsche snob pecking order, the 914 ranks near or at the bottom with the 924, but it did have some things going for it.

[bone]

those 914s sold as VWs, what name did they get?

[sandor_]

Originally Posted by bone

those 914s sold as VWs, what name did they get?

i dont believe they were ever badged as anything but porsche in the US, though everyone knew they 4 cylinder was a VW engine, and the 6 a porsche. In germany i think they were badged as VW-Porsche or something similar.

[Izari]

thats not a proud porsche experiment though...
well... non of the porsche-vw alliance cars are good...
i drove it in NFS Porsche Unleashed as well lol

[zeoniks]

Originally Posted by FATMOUSE

I've driven one in GT Legends, but that really doesn't count.

But it is a nice looking car. And loads of fun in the game.

It's absolutely my favorite car in the game! Of course, I wouldn't mind driving or owning one in real life. It could use a little power to help it out of the corners.

[Bundesautobahn]

Originally Posted by Lonegunman

I've only "driven" it in Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed-PC game. It actually was good to drive in the game.

Not my favourite Porsche but hey it was an affordable car for the public.

It was called the Volksporsche or 'Vopo' for short.

[Raven18940]

I'd like one as a toy some day when I'm making enough money to afford a play car. If the handling is as sorted as it's supposed to be I wouldn't mind the VW engine.

[Thrasher]

I actually like the looks of the 914, especially the racing ones with the fender flares

However, my dad always refers to them as being powered by a sewing machine engine

Whatever you do, please don't do this (the colors could use some work but the wing is what ruins it)

[Z Draci]

Many people said the Boxster is more in line with the 550. The only difference is that the 550 was a racing icon while the Boxster has no racing history.

I think the 914 is actually closer to the ideas of Colin Chapman--low weight, small engine. It's a British idea that became popular in the 70's due to the petroleum crisis. So the 914 is actually closer to an Elise than a Boxster IMO.

The 914 is SLOW. That's why I stayed away from it. However it corners like a fruit fly!

[No Boss]

Originally Posted by Thrasher

[BUHS914]

hey i own a 1973 Porsche 914 1.7L with a few performance mods and it's pretty quick for it's small engine. it's a great car especially when it comes to handling.

[Electric-Mayhem]

I got to drive one of these and almost bought it about 5 years ago. I agree that its more in the class of the Lotus cars of its time, rather then other Porsche's. Most of them had the same engine that the VW Beetle has, with a few having the Porsche engined ones.

Its a great little chassis that has a lot of potential, especially with a few upgrades. There are always the Porsche snobs out there that will scoff at this, but these cars respond well to modern engines. There are lots of examples of V8's being shoved in there, but for my money I would go with a Subaru engine. Adapter kits are available to put a current WRX or STI engine in one, which nearly tripples the power output without increasing the weight too much. You do have to add a radiator in, and probably get a different transmission since the VW sourced one probably couldn't handle the power for long reliably. Definitely changes the car from a fun runabout to a full on fire breathing sports car.

It is a fun car to drive stock though, you just can't go into it expecting to a full high power sports car. Its more like a Miata where its just fun to cruise around in and tear around corners. Finding one in good shape but still cheap is really hard these days. You could probably find a nicer car for the price that you'd pay for one with no rust and good paint.

JH

[NooDle]

well it is hilariously ugly, but it's small, light, RWD so I bet it would be good fun IRL

can't really comment on how it is drive since I only virtually drove it in NFS Porsche

[prizrak]

The only old Porsche I ever liked was a 944 and the only new one is the Carerra GT. The rest are entirely too ugly for my taste.

[bone]

^ever seen a 356 in real life?

[matt2000]

I have one of these on Forza 2. Got it for the early races, painted it stupid colours. Not a bad car just seemed quite slow on the game. Will have to drive it again.

[fbc]

Err guys, this is a two-year bump...

[Dr_Grip]

Originally Posted by matt2000

I have one of these on Forza 2. Got it for the early races, painted it stupid colours. Not a bad car just seemed quite slow on the game. Will have to drive it again.

On the game. Computer games != real world.

[CrazyRussian540]

Originally Posted by sandor_

That white 911 looks brilliant! What is that? A 1973/74 911RS?