1973 porsche 914 1.7L, Bahia Red over Black Vinyl

1973 Porsche 914 Description

I purchased this 1973 Porsche 914 1.7L 5-speed from the second owner in May of 2014. The gentleman I bought it from had purchased it in 1974 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He drove it until 1986, when a dead battery sidelined the car. It was kept in dry storage from then on. Shortly before it was parked, he had replaced the muffler and the rear shocks.

After bringing the car home, we replaced the fuel lines with steel lines as described on Pelican Parts’ Web site; replaced the ignition switch; and installed a new battery and a new driver side door armrest cubby from 914Rubber.com.

Then, admitting ourselves in over our heads mechanically, we had the car taken to VW specialist Air Cooled Express in Bennington, Nebraska, to be recommissioned. The specialists there replaced the fuel pump, rebuilt the fuel injectors, replaced / rebuilt everything in the brake system except the hard lines, and replaced the clutch, throwout bearing and pressure plate. The steel under the pedal box was soft, so that was replaced with new steel, including a pedal reinforcement from Restoration Design.

After the car was running, I had new Continental all-season tires installed (Summer 2016). Since then, I have been driving it around town. It rides nicely for a 43-year-old sports car, brakes smoothly without pulling to either side, and there are no vibrations in the steering wheel. The 5-speed transmission shifts smoothly through the gears, though occasionally it needs coaxing to go into 1st gear.

In order to improve the cosmetics somewhat, I wrapped the car in 3M 1080 Automotive Vinyl in Gloss Red, which is a fairly decent match for the original Bahia Red hue in the trunks and wheel wells. The vinyl should last for 5 to 7 years, if the car is garaged.

The body still needs to be restored; there are areas of rust in the inner rockers, the bottoms of the sail panels (patched with bondo and vinyled over for now), the passenger side door sill and jamb, and the front of the passenger fender, inboard of the turn signal lens. There is a rust hole on the middle of the battery tray, but the hell hole is solid. Also, there are numerous door dings. The chrome bumpers and steel valance panels have seen their fair share of abuse as well. Also, the car was damaged on the driver’s side in a parking lot incident at some point. The damage was repaired, but it’s not really to concours standards. There is a U-shaped crack in the windshield, in front of the instrument binnacle, that is not noticeable while driving and, according to the previous owner, had been there for many years.

The heater, radio and windshield washers are not operational. The odometer has not worked since I began driving the car this summer, but it reads 81,732 miles. The car drips a little oil on the garage floor after driving.

Despite these issues, the car is fun to drive and looks pretty good from 10 feet. It would be a great car to buy and drive if you’re curious as to what the 914 was about, since this one is still running on the fuel injection system, instead of having been converted to carburetors.

Now for some good news: the front and rear trunks and the passenger compartment floor are solid. The original service booklet, spare, jack and tool roll are with the car. The original carpeting and spare tire cover are in the trunks as well. The interior is mostly original and in decent shape for its age, although the seats could use recovering.

Included in the sale are a set of 914Ltd. Porsche 914 chassis repair panels, which can be welded on to reinforce the rusted inner rockers (Cost: $340.) This is not a concours fix, but a very sturdy one. I ordered this kit before I remembered that I didn’t know how to weld. Also included are a passenger-side door jamb and sill from Restoration Designs ($262), which also need to be welded in. I can also include the original steel outer rocker panels if desired, although they are rusted and would need new metal before being able to be used.

I hold a clear Nebraska title in my name. I might possibly be open to trades of interesting cars (2001 BMW 740iL Sport, IROC Camaro, Syclone, Typhoon, Corvette, MR2, Del Sol SI or VTEC, CRX Si, Nissan Figaro, etc.) or a low-mileage commuter car with an automatic.