Porsche 914 – The Hot Volkswagen

“Oh yeah” they say. “The old 911, that’s just a fancy Volkswagen, isn’t it?” Well, they’re half right. It’s no secret that Porsche was born out of Volkswagen, or at least from the same mind. The parallel against the 911, however, is tired and frankly, ill-informed. The 911 shared very little with the Beetle, other than the fact they were both air-cooled. Even the 356 before it was built on a different, or at least altered floorpan from that of the Beetle. As such, Porsches have always been their own thing, they’re not, nor ever have been, Volkswagens. Well, okay, that’s not entirely true, as there was one exception. A car that shared both Porsche and Volkswagen DNA in equal measure. Yes, we are talking about the weird but strangely wonderful 914. 

If you’re going to call a Porsche a Volkswagen, the 914 is the only car that should fall within your verbal crosshairs. The 914 was a joint project between the two companies, and was created to lift the Volkswagen image while at the same time, bringing an ‘every man’ Porsche into the fold. On paper, it would do great things for both brands. In reality though, the 914 unfortunately fell on its own sword despite being a solid seller.

The story started in the late 1960s when Volkswagen was looking to replace the Karmann Ghia Coupe and when Porsche was looking for a better entry-level solution than the 912. Of course, by this point, both companies were well established. However, all of Volkswagen’s development work was, under contract, carried out by Porsche. This was an arrangement that the rapidly growing Volkswagen wanted out of, and with an obligation to allow Porsche to develop one more car for them, the 914 seemed to present itself as the perfect solution. Porsche would get its entry level car, while Volkwagen would gets its sports car and future freedom in terms of research and development.

The early days of the 914 are the subject of much speculation. It was thought that an independent design outfit, namely Gugelot Design GmbH, came up with the initial design for the 914. And if true, that would have made sense, as a third party designer would have no bias, unlike if say Porsche had to design the car for both brands. However, Porsche has since argued that the 914 was very much a design created in-house and penned by body engineer Heinrich Klie. Perhaps we’ll never know the true origins. The 914 certainly doesn’t look like a traditional Porsche of the time, so we’d err towards it being by Gugelot, but if Porsche says it made it…

The 914 was designed to use either a flat four or flat six, air-cooled engine mounted in the rear. It would be a targa and it would be a two seater. The initial plan was for the four-cylinder cars to be marketed as Volkswagens, while the 914/6 six-cylinder cars would be marketed as Porsches. It all made perfect sense. The difference in engines would be enough to distinguish the cars, along with the inevitable trim and paint differences the two brands would have no doubt come up with. But alas, that’s not how it panned out. Porsche decided it would be too much of a risk to have two cars that looked the same, despite being different brands. As such, Porsche managed to sell Volkswagen on the idea that it was better for all concerned if the 914 was sold as Porsche, no matter what the engine.

The 914 project was led by Ferdinand Piëch, who was the head of research and development for Porsche at the time. He’d seen the project through from its infancy and was part of the discussion around the car being marketed solely as a Porsche. The 914 was, to all intents and purposes, or at least to onlookers, a Porsche product. Volkswagen’s chairman, Heinz Nordhoff, was okay with it, choosing to focus instead on the fact that the 914 was to be the last contractual obligation to Porsche’s development team. So, when the 914 prototype was unveiled in March of ‘68, all looked good. And then, for Porsche at least, disaster struck. 

Nordhoff, at the age of 69, passed away after an earlier heart attack. Tragically, he was due to retire just months later, and had already made his recommendation for his successor, namely Carl Hahn, the then President of Volkswagen of America. However, Volkswagen didn’t go that way, and instead appointed Kurt Lotz.

Lotz had no ties to Porsche, and as such, took a dim view of the arrangement that has been built around the 914. He argued that Volkswagen had a more than considerable stake in the project, and as such, it had full rights to the car. He also states that Volkswagen was under no obligation to share it with Porsche, especially if Porsche was not willing to invest in the tooling to produce the car. This stopped the 914 in its tracks while the administration issues were addressed. In the end, Porsche had little choice but to invest heavily in the production of the 914 (and rightly so, many would argue), which in turn sent the price of the 914 skyward. By the time the 914 reached showrooms, it was only a hair under the cost of a 911T.

You’d think then, that the 914 would have been something of a flop. Certainly, it’s not a car you see a lot of today. A flop it wasn’t though. Despite being in the financial ballpark of the 911T, the 914 was brilliantly received. The quirky looks were very ‘of the time’, both engines suited the car to a tee and the driving experience was and still is deeply enjoyable. The 914 was very much a hit. In fact, Porsche sold some 118,000 units worldwide, making it the company’s best-seller during its production run. Yes, it outsold the 911. 

By the mid ‘70s, the 914 was getting a bit long in the tooth, and Porsche was keen to try something new and something front-engined, hence the arrival of the 924. It was good, but it lacked the personality and the soul of the 914.

We look back on it now as an oddity, or a curio that perhaps didn’t do well. The reality is that the Porsche 914 was very much a car of its time, and it was a time when it shone brightly. It’s somewhat ironic to ponder that this, the most Volkswagen-like Porsche ever, was the one that would drive a wedge between the two companies. 

Huge thanks to AutoStorico for letting us shoot this radiant 914 before it went off to live with its new owner. Have a look at AutoStorico for some utterly wonderful classics.