The Porsche 914-6 so. In the car world we were - before the big brand incest started - quite conservative and brand-solid. Someone could be genetically Porsche. And be proud of that. We should not have had much of excessive things. From something as unusual as a straight-line Porsche with a mid-engine for example. And the thing smelled of VW too!
Its predecessor, the Porsche 912, could still count on leniency
He was of course not half as tough as an 911, but yes ... He looked enough. And if you didn't have the money for an 911, then you had something. Said and kept silent among us: we already knew that a Porsche 912 was actually the nicer driving of the two. There has been a time when used 912s were dirt cheap.
There has been a time when Porsche 914s were not taken seriously
Even if it was a Porsche 914-6 and it contained a real Porsche six-cylinder. That time is over. And Arno Wienands, one of the first people to be the Porsche 914 line in his heart, currently no longer has the problem of where to put his spare parts, but more of how he gets fresh supplies.
The 914, which always remained a strange exotic for VW drivers, has now landed within the Porsche world. It took some getting used to the idea. But it worked out. And a Porsche 914-6? It is almost the same, but different and worth a lot more money.
Because rarer and faster with the characteristic Porsche sound. The Porsche 914-4 had a four-cylinder derived from the VW 411. The Porsche 914-6 had slightly modified 911T blocks.
But there are many more, less noticeable differences. Yet the four and six cylinders resemble each other enough to allow clear thinkers to estimate their difference in price. So four-cylinders are 'upgraded' to six-cylinders: Kassa! So always consult an expert to check the engine, box and chassis numbers plus the specifications. The original blocks of a Porsche 914-6 have numbers that are very close to 6400001-6420270. That number is (unlike on the 911's) on top of the block near the crankcase breather housing.
Look for the differences
In Auto Motor Klassiek of December 2019 we call the differences between the four and six-cylinder in a story about a real Porsche 914-6 that was in the family for a long time and died. But the family did not want to distance themselves from the dear deceased.
Finding a 'new' bodywork with the appropriate six-cylinder numbering would not work. But a cool 914 four-cylinder body with a correct production date was found, number 550 from the first series ... The result was the perfectly reincarnated white Porsche 914-6. Very nice, completely authentic and completely correct on license plate.
But with a 'wrong' chassis number. In this way the emotional value of the car remained fully satisfied within the family. And the Porsche kept its emotional value. That changed when the car came on the market due to circumstances. Because then it turned out that, despite its magnificent history, it was worth considerably less than a Porsche 914-6 as it had been rolled out of the factory.
And that is more than a bit strange. Because after its rebirth, the Porsche was judged as the most original 914-6 at various shows.
The joke of the story
'Real or not really, that's the question'. Shakespeare had also been dubious about it. This car is not a replica or fake, it is a reincarnated Porsche 914-6. If the car had been a Porsche 914-6 according to registration and dry specifications, it would have been worth around € 125.000 in the current market image ... But the price of this copy was € 47.950. He is therefore not purebred, but has a history to make you happy. Plus: it's beautiful and drives like a real one. And the Austrian who came to look at the car the day after our visit drove it home yodeling.
This has been my first car and my brother-in-law and sister got married in it. I was able to enjoy the car for almost two years before I had to put it away.