(music) The Porsche 914 wasn’t really a Porsche
at all. Well it was, but it had a bunch of Volkswagen
bits in it. But then again, it wasn’t exactly unique
in that respect! What was different about the 914 was the Porsche
and Volkswagen badge on the back, and the fact that it was sold in Volkswagen dealers,
right next to the Type 2 panel van! It was born out of a mutual need for a sports
car, but its development would severely damage the close relationship the two companies had
shared for decades. This is the Porsche 914 story. (music) Volkswagen’s 1960s Type 3 chassis produced
not just a new mid-range car, but the updated Type 34 Karmann Ghia sports car. “Sports car” might have been a bit generous
– it got to 60mph (100 km/h) in 27 seconds, but it looked the part, and for a little money
added another arrow to Volkswagen’s quiver of cars developed on a post war shoestring
budget. The name “Karmann Ghia” might give a clue
to how Volkswagen did this for so little. The body was designed by Carrozzeria Ghia,
and it was all build by coachbuilder Karmann. By the late 1960s Volkswagen had grew to rely
on the sales and caché of the Karmann Ghia to pull in customers, so they looked for a
replacement. Porsche were also growing. Up until now, their only production cars were
the 356, introduced in 1948, the more expensive 911 released in 1964, and the cut-down 911,
the 912 launched just one year later. But they wanted a car below that 911 that clearly
differentiated itself from their top-of-the-line model. They’d started exploring ideas for something
to replace the 912 a year before it launched but funding the development of an all-new car
was expensive, as they’d found out with the 911. The Porsche company had started out life in
the 1930s not as a car builder in its own right, but as a consultant, doing development
work for others. This was how the type 1 or Beetle had been born,
and Porsche had designed every Volkswagen since. But the “people’s car” company were
growing and were building up their own design department to take over these responsibilities. The deal with Porsche had one more car to
go, so both companies agreed it should be a car Porsche could sell as an all-new entry-level
car, and Volkswagen could use as something that would put the Karmann Ghia to shame! Although Porsche’s car would have natural
competition from Volkswagen’s, they knew their engineering prowess would make it better,
and the high-volumes Volkswagen was likely to achieve would make production costs much
lower. That meant higher profit margins, or more
margin to drop the price to beat the competition, or maybe even both! With Karmann signed up to build the body,
the heads of both companies shook on the deal, and development began. Development would be headed up by Porsche’s
new designer, Ferdinand Piëch, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche who’d founded the company. All production Porsche’s up to this point
were rear engined, but its racing cars, including the 906 that Piëch had just produced, were
mid-engined. The engine was the heaviest part of the car,
so having it hanging off the back or the front made it slower to change direction. Piëch decided from the outset that the new
car would be mid-engined. It would also be lower than the 911, further
aiding handling. The mid-engined layout gave the new sports
car the luxury of a lot of storage space, in this case both behind the engine and up
front. To help weight distribution, but maybe not
safety, the fuel tank would sit directly in front of the driver! The final car also had the disadvantage that
the front boot had to be opened to get to the fuel filler cap open. The shape would take inspiration from its
ancestor, the 356, and the Le Mans winning sport car from the 1950s, the 550. It was quickly decided the new car would have
a lightweight, removable fibreglass targa top, so the body was designed essentially
as an open top from the outset with extra reinforcing. This wasn’t simply a cut-price 911 Porsche
were designing, this would be their next-generation sports car. Safety was high on Porsche’s mind, except
maybe for that fuel tank! They built front and rear crash structures
into the chassis, along with a central safety cell, quite forward thinking for the 1960s! They put the car through extensive crash testing
to prove it was effective. But in the process of building the chassis
they unwittingly created what 914 owners would call the “hell hole”. There’s a low point below the battery that
can get eaten away with leaking rainwater and battery acid. That heady concoction can be too much for
the miniscule drip hole, and when it eats through the metal it can fall directly on
the right longitudinal beam, eating through a structural member of the car! Porsche also located the thin fuel lines under
the battery, and the water and battery acid can, under extreme circumstances lead to a
lot of flames and misery. The designers raided both the Volkswagen and
Porsche parts bins to keep costs down. The front suspension came from the 911, with
Volkswagen front brakes. As for engines, Volkswagen’s model would
use an enlarged version of their tried and tested 4-cylinder from the Beetle, that would also
be used on the upcoming type 4 large family car. Porsche’s version would get more power with
the entry-level 6-cylinder from the 911. Both would use the 911’s 5-speed gearbox,
although Porsche’s version would use lower gearing. Inside it would also be a mishmash of parts
from both companies, but it was brought together into a cohesive design. The body’s width, wider than the 911, was made
to look even wider by the straight-lined dashboard. The driver would get an adjustable seat and
storage bin, but the passenger would get neither of these things. Porsche knew it was the driver made the purchasing
decision, and who they needed to cater to! They were cutting corners, not with the quality
of the vehicle, but with features to ensure it could be sold to cost conscious Volkswagen
customers. Development was progressing well when Volkswagen’s
head, Heinrich Nordhoff died. He’d led the company for 20 years through
a period of expansion and profitability, but the chairmanship didn’t go to his chosen
successor Carl Hahn, but to Kurt Lotz. Nordhoff had had a deep relationship with
Porsche – his daughter was married to the 914’s designer, Ferdinand Piëch, who in
turn was the nephew of Porsche CEO, Ferry Porsche. With close ties like this and a long-standing
relationship, all Ferry Porsche and Heinrich Nordhoff needed to do to agree to build a
new car was to shake on it. -Under Lotz, the relationship got muddier. He didn’t recognise the verbal agreement,
in his opinion Volkswagen had all the rights to the Porsche 914 body, and if Porsche wanted
to use it, they needed to stump up some cash for the tooling costs. This new vehicle would only be known as a
Volkswagen. This threw the whole programme into chaos,
but negotiations soon began to try to resolve this crisis. In the end a strange compromise came together. In Europe the car would be sold in Volkswagen
dealers as a Volkswagen-Porsche through a newly created joint company that would market
it. In North America it would be sold as a Porsche,
marketed through another joint company between Porsche and Volkswagen’s luxury brand Audi
that was trying to get a foothold in North America. Rumours started that Volkswagen and Porsche
were merging, but although from the outside it looked like they were getting closer, in
truth they were further apart than ever. (music) The 914 was launched in 1969, to mixed reviews
from the press. Some hated it, but it became Motor Trend’s
“Import Car of the Year” in 1970. The 914/4, that was immediately available
would have the Volkswagen 4-cylinder engine, with the 914/6 sporting Porsche’s 6-cylinder
engine following later in the year. With its front and rear boot, the car was
surprisingly practical, although maybe not as practical as the promotional shots showed! The removable targa roof allowed the car to
quickly become an open-top, and the top stored neatly in the rear boot. Some markets offered a small seat cushion
and seat belt between the two seats to make it a 3-seater for a small child or a cuddly
toy! The price, at least for the 4-cylinder model
was fairly reasonable, when adjusted for inflation it’s about as much as a Fiat 124 Spider
or an MX-5, or slightly less than half of a modern-day Porsche 718! But although it looked the part, and despite
fuel injection, that 4-cylinder Volkswagen engine gave the car a 0-60 time of 13 seconds
– hardly something to get the pulse racing. That, and the awkward gear shift was maybe
why some reviewers gave it such poor marks. But a cut price Porsche with good handling
and a cracking price isn’t anything to be sniffed at, and it quickly became Porsche’s
best seller. The German press had problems with the concept
of a Volkswagen Porsche. They started calling it a “Volksporsche”
or “People’s Porsche”, but it had the unfortunate concatenation of the “VoPo”,
also the abbreviation of the East German police of “Volkspolizei”. Volkswagen and Porsche had to specifically
ask the press not to call it that! Those who drove on the left side of the road
didn’t have a problem with it at all as the 914 wasn’t sold in their country, despite
Porsche of Australia teasing one at the 1971 Australian Motor Show. Crayford Engineering of Kent offered to convert
the car and showed one at the 1970 Earl’s Court Motor Show, but only 11 recorded conversions
ever took place. Several 3rd party designers eyed the relatively
inexpensive 914 chassis and proposed alternate bodies. Coachbuilder Heuliez showed off a reinterpretation
at the 1970 Paris Auto Show, essentially a 914 with a larger boot. A similar idea was shown by BMW 503 and 507
designer Albrecht Goertz at the 1970 Turin Motor Show. Giorgetto Giugiaro showed his interpretation
of a what could be done with the 914 chassis as the Tapiro, also shown at the 1970 Turin Motor
Show sporting both Volkswagen and Porsche badges. The car got a powerful 2.4L 6-cylinder engine,
and the latest supercar style – gullwing doors, not just for the driver and passenger,
but for the engine bay as well! These designs were exciting, but Porsche were
a company of limited finances, and they poured all their efforts into making the 911 a success,
as that was the car they had complete control over. Some early 914’s had reliability issues,
but these were quickly cleared up. The 914/4 was all very interesting, but gearheads
were waiting to see what Porsche could do with the car when left to their own devices. The result was the 914/6, released later in
1969. Despite the lack of fuel injection it got much
better acceleration from the larger 6-cylinder engine. The 0-60 time was now under 10 seconds, and
top speed increased to 125mph (201 km/h). The wheels, which looked like they were lifted
from a Volkswagen 411 were changed out for Porsche branded ones, and the car got the
option of Porsche’s 4-speed Sportomatic semi-automatic gearbox. This did away with a clutch pedal, automatically
shifting when the driver moved the gearstick to another gear. But it failed to impress customers, and almost
all of them chose the regular 5-speed manual. And the 914/6 wasn’t cheap. Volkswagen charged Porsche a pretty penny
for every chassis produced, and once Karmann had built the car, and the 914/6 models had
been shipped to Stuttgart to get their Porsche 6-cylinder engines put in, the retail price
wasn’t much less than the entry level Porsche 911. At that price, why not just buy a 911? Although 914/6 sales weren’t strong, the
914/4 continued to sell well, and it was soon outselling the 911. But it wasn’t selling well enough to justify
the massive cost outlay. The Volkswagen board wanted answers, and the
light fell squarely on CEO Kurt Lotz. He’d managed to damage the long-standing
relationship they had with Porsche, he was damaging Volkswagen’s relationship with
trade unions, and the cars Volkswagen were making weren’t making them any money. After just 3 years on the job he was out,
replaced by long-time Volkswagen man, Rudolph Leiding. Leiding focused on profitability, and started
by ending development of the mid-engined EA266 Beetle replacement, that was expected
to be far too expensive to produce. Although the work to develop it was being
done by Porsche, again designed by Ferdinand Piëch, Leiding worked to repair the relationship
with Volkswagen’s long-term partner. His foresight to invest in new models would
put the car company back in the red, but would prove to be the foundation for its long-term
success. Maybe what the 914 needed was more power! Porsche prepared the 916 – a car that would
use the more powerful 2.4L 6-cylinder engine from the 911S, or maybe even a 2.7L from the
911 Carrera. It would give the car serious power, and of
course a price to match! But Porsche decided it wasn’t the best car
to release, as it would overlap their more profitable 911. Sales of the 6-cylinder version of the 914
were so weak that after selling around 3,300 Porsche and Volkswagen called it a day in
1972. They would replace it with the 914 2.0L, using
a Porsche performance tuned, enlarged version of Volkswagen’s 4-cylinder engine producing
100hp (74 kW). By using this mass-produced engine it was
a great deal cheaper than the 914/6, but less powerful, further increasing the gulf between
the 914 and the 911. By 1973 the car had been improved with anti-roll
bars, giving better handling, the manual gearbox had been transformed into something usable,
and the passenger could finally adjust their seat! The base model also got a small update enlarging
the 1.7L engine to 1.8L, boosting power a little, and helping to offset some of the
power that was lost with detuning to comply with US emissions rules. The 914 also grew ugly bumper protrusions
to comply with US crash rules, but they were quickly replaced with larger black bumpers
that were at least a little better to look at. From the start, Volkswagen and Porsche had
been keen to show off the 914’s prowess on the racetrack. In the US it was entered into SCCA racing,
and in Europe it competed in the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1970, winning its category and
finished 6th overall. To put the icing on the cake, Porsche’s
917 won their first overall victory, and Porsche took first, second and third place. To celebrate their upcoming entry into the
1974 Can Am championship, Porsche prepared a special “CanAm” edition. But after CanAm rules changes, Porsche decided
not to compete, so instead released 1,000 special edition cars as the “914 Limited
Edition” in black and yellow known as the “Bumblebee”, and red and cream known as
the “Creamsicle”. Other than a few trim details though, these
were essentially a 914 2.0Ls with a fancy paint job. The 914 Limited Edition served as a close-out
special of sorts, as Porsche and Volkswagen called an end to 914 production in 1976. Volkswagen dealers would go back to selling
mainstream family cars like the new Golf and Passat, with a bit of sports flair provided
by the new Scirocco, and that would work out just fine for them. Porsche would use the old 912 as a bit of
a stopgap in the US for its entry level car as the 912E before introducing the 924. The 924 would be another joint project between
Volkswagen and Porsche, showing the trouble caused by Kurt Lotz had been patched up, and
the two companies saw value in further collaborations as they didn’t naturally compete with one
another. The 924 had its own similar hiccups on the
path to production, but that’s another story! The 914 became a successful car, at least
for a sports car. When production ended, almost 120,000 had
been sold – most of them the cheaper 4-cylinder model. The 914 and 911 cemented Porsche’s standing
as the producer of high-quality sports cars around the world. The 914’s designer, Ferdinand Piëch, would
move to Audi in the early 1970s, and eventually became the head of Volkswagen, despite having
a large share of Porsche stock. Porsche and Volkswagen would continue their
closely entwined collaborative dance until 2011 when they effectively merged both car
divisions. The 914 was just one step along that road
that had begun when Ferdinand Porsche had designed Volkswagen’s first car. To show their appreciation of his 20 years
of leadership, the Porsche development team created a special 914 for CEO Ferry Porsche. The 914/8 was presented on his 60th birthday
in 1969 and used a detuned 3.0L racing V8. Despite the kind thoughts though, Ferry didn’t
actually like the car very much, maybe because of the sour taste the deal with Volkswagen had left, and it was eventually
donated to the Porsche museum.
the 4 cylinder 914 was going to be a VW 914 and the 6 cylinder was going to be a Porsche 914
In the states we only ended up with the Porsche 914 and the Porsche 914/6
Still my favorite Porsche
I had the 74, 2.0L 914. It was a fun little car. The guy who bought it from me had it shipped back to Germany.
Wasn’t Porsche bought by VW?
Built by VW.