1972 Porsche 914, rebuilt 1.7L with NOS Mahle high compression piston set

1972 Porsche 914 Description

On offer is my 1972 Porsche 914, 1.7L.
Mileage listed is estimate as I try and drive this car everyday the weather allows which is right now in SW Florida.

I purchased it to be a commuter car for the last year of my mid-life crisis induced graduate degree. I thought what is better than a 914 for fuel efficient yet rapid commuting across "Alligator Alley" to and from Coral Gables? Unfortunately I never had the opportunity.Brakes, electrical gremlins and an engine rebuild were necessary for the car to be a trouble-free commuter,but when the work was finally completed, I had already finished my degree.
In the process of creating the ideal driver or autocross contender, I rebuilt the engine, replacing the 2.0L pistons and cylinders with the ultra-rare 1.7L Mahle, high compression piston and cylinder set. The torque band is now truly impressive, and engine revs far more freely. To further enhance performance the Del'Orto carbs were replaced with a dual Weber set up and a "Monza style" exhaust installed.Once engine rebuild was complete, my mechanic turned his attention to tidying up the gearbox for more positive shifting, addressing all age-related electrical issues, rebuilding brake calipers, resurfacing the rotors and addressing the emergency brake issue with a new handle. He was successful with everything but emergency brake and turn signals that fail to blink when the brake is depressed. It may simply be bad filaments in the rear bulbs, a fuse or switch. Headlight mechanism works as new, and new Hella high-intensity headlights have been installed.
I introduced a MOMO steering wheel to compliment the MOMO five point harness already installed, sourced and mounted new Pirelli P6 tires (strangely difficult to find as it seems P6 design has been licensed to Korean manufacturers)
Once the build was complete, I began to put on the necessary and joyous, but sometimes frustrating "shakedown" miles. Now that I have covered a few hundred miles with only a recurring issue being a an intermittent high-idle.
I have just had an oil change and a tune discovering to my delight that no metal shavings were present in the oil from top end rebuild. In this last stage of the process, I replaced the stock distributor with an electronic set up and the performance upgrades are now complete to fully enjoy this wonderful vintage Porsche as Dr. Porsche intended. Because even he felt that the larger displacement 914s, 914-6, the beast of a V8 version presented to him by his "skunkworks" team (with only one other example ordered by Dr. Porsche's sister) compromised the purity of the mid engine design. Now that I have driven a 2.0L and my high compression 1.7L, I can more clearly see his point.
So now I have a lovely 914 with most gremlins tamed, that is a delight to drive just as I find myself relocating to Europe, once vaccinated. The shipping cost, import duties and fees makes bringing the 914 with me more expensive than buying the identical car inEurope inclusive of VAT. Therefore, I am exploring a sale before I find myself obligated to incur the expense of importation to Europe.
After a spirited drive in the warm sunshine of a cool early-December day in Naplesyesterday, I fell in love with this car again, as I do with every drive. I will certainly miss this most memorable feat of Porsche engineering. And yes, I have owned others, a 993 C4S and a Cayenne Turbo but tend to purchase Italian or British exotics more than German counterparts.
I had most recently priced it aggressively toward the restorationmarket but that was a mistake because it should clearly be enjoyed,autocrossed or raced and is not suitable to become a "trailer queen".It is a 914 with the soul of a Porsche.
So when I returned home from my daily errands yesterday, I felt compelled to modify the price to reflect this 914's many strengths relative to the other914s available. It became clear that my 914 is as at least as nice as the 914s listed on eBay that are priced around the mid-teens, but where my 914 lacks the unibody necessary to recreate an award-winning restoration, all changes and elements necessary forautocross or SCCA use are present, except SCCA mandated tow hooks.The interior components are in remarkably fine condition withalmost no cracking in dash and little wear on seats and doors.
Thesoul of this 914 lies in the 1.7L high compression engine configuration is probably as rare as that in 914-6, and creates smiles for me and those admirers who see me enjoying it as it should be enjoyed. My knowledge of the Mahle kit for the 914 is that it was available between 1973 and 1974 and could only be sourced through Volkswagen of Brazil. The included OEM box does reflect the date and that origin. So unless you own a South American sourced pre-1974 914 or its drivetrain, or raced Carrera Panamerica during those years, this 914 will be a unique driving experience. And unique experiences are far more valuable than restoration candidates.
For those interested in what I found myself using instead of this 914 for the commute to school between Naples and Coral Gables, the answer is a 2013 Ferrari FF. While a truly impressive machine in its own right, it still is not as much fun to drive as this 1972 914 with this 1.7L configuration.
But to be clear, this 914 is a "driver". There is some rust in the usual spots found on a 914, but none of it effect structural integrity or handling which makes this particular example a great "driver" due to the fact that a previous owner had ostensibly strengthened the frame for autocross. Photos of rust areas are included. The Ferrari Rosso Corsa paint is attractive at 5 feet and the interior is remarkably clean, with a near-perfect dash with only one small crack near the ashtray. The panel gaps are generally excellent outside of the trunk that may have been simply overstuffed. The only remaining issue for the next owner is to repair the damage caused to the front chrome bumper when "bumperettes" were removed. An auxiliary plug allows use of a your smartphone as a music source through the existing original Becker stereo. It is not the most effective stereo or interface I have encountered, but it does work with the headphone jack adapter for the iPhone. I have two sets of keys with leather Porsche crest fobs, and one blank with pushbutton light in the grip. Finally, I purchased a set of cocoa mats which are so nice that I also purchased a set of rubber "foul weather" mats that I have placed over the cocoa mats to preserve them and provide some extra sound and thermal insulation on the hottest days.
Many spares are included. These include the original del'Orto carbs, OEM steering wheel, US style turn signal lenses, exhaust and other original elements to not foreclose a restoration of the car or simply a desire to return it to slightly more stock set up. But the question is why would anyone want to do so when this 914 is about as much fun as a "driver" can be?
Feel free to send any questions that I may answer to assure the new owner that this particular 914 is uniquely set up for many more miles of sunshine and pleasurable driving.
It seems that I have already received several messages through the eBay app. Unfortunately those messages are not registered on the eBay website messages page, outside of a message that a message has been created in the eBay app. This is as frustrating as it is strange. I apologize for the inconvenience, but please direct all inquiries through the website and NOT the app or I won't be able to respond since I do not use the app.
Thank you for your interest!On Dec-05-20 at 09:55:38 PST, seller added the following information:

I DO NOT USE APP. PLEASE DIRECT ALL MESSAGES THROUGH WEBSITE ONLY!!!!