The Porsche 914: de VolksPorsche (1969-1976).
Porsche wanted a replacement for the 912 and to expand the customer base and keep the 914 affordable. Volkswagen was looking for a successor to the Karmann Ghia at the same time - the end of the XNUMXs. That is why Porsche and Volkswagen joined forces and a joint grab was made in the warehouses of VW. The door handles were also found on the Volkswagen Golf, for example. Production took place at Karmann in Osnabrueck.
Old Skool Porsche drivers and people without money for even a Porsche 914 quickly spoke somewhat scornfully of the 'VolksPorsche'.
In fact, the 914 with its mid-engine and targa roof was a pure-bred sports car. The 1679 cc engine came from the VW 411. Later a 1800 cc engine was brought on board, increasing the power from 80 to 85 hp. The more expensive six-cylinder version got the block from the 911 T with a cylinder capacity of 2 liters. The fully independent suspension was also a mix of VW and Porsche parts. With the centrally placed four-cylinder, the car was indeed a sports car, but certainly not over-motorized. But everyone was enthusiastic about the handling and steering behavior.
The marriage of convenience between Porsche and VW - based on verbal agreements - broke down after the death of Heinz Nordhoff in 1968. Successor Kurt Lodz was not in the Porsche Clan and decided that the 914 was entirely from VW because Porsche did not want to contribute to the tooling costs.
That made the 914 more expensive than planned and sales fell short of expectations.
There has been a while that 914s were worth almost nothing and that there were only a few hard core enthusiasts.
One of those people who from the outset were taken by the 914 was Arno Wienands who has now settled in Spankeren in Gelderland.
He is not only a fan and driver, but also a fanatic collector of parts for years. That resulted in the start of his company www.914parts.nl from where he is now one of the few 914 specialists in the world and delivers new parts to 914 enthusiasts around the world.
And that is how VolksPorsche gets the recognition it deserves.