(first posted 5/9/2016) The best part of CC is all the great fellow CC’ers I’ve had the pleasure to meet. And when one of them shows up at my doorstep in a beautiful Porsche 914 2.0, and offers to let me take it out for a brisk drive; well, that’s icing on the cake. And very delicious icing, at that.
Victor Ceicys, a retired radiologist, hails from Cleveland, Ohio and is on a very long drive. He shipped his 914, which he bought back in 1978 or so, to Seattle, so that he and his wife could participate in the “Spring Thaw” vintage car rally in British Columbia. That was a blast, and he’s now headed down the coast to San Luis Obispo, CA., and then east to Colorado, to participate in the Silver Summit Rally, which starts May 20. He’s somewhere on the road now, but last Tuesday (May 3) Vic stopped by CC Central, to let me have a drive in the 914 and a leisurely lunch afterwards.
I’m not going to do a complete history on the 914 here, as Robert Kim did that most excellently this past year. The 914 was initially sold in two versions: the 1.7 L VW (from the 411) powered 914 and the Porsche flat-six powered 914/6. But the 914/6 was too expensive, and sold in very modest numbers, unlike the quite successful 914. The 914/6 was discontinued in 1972, so for 1973, a more powerful 2.0 L VW Type IV engine essentially replaced it at the top of the line.
The 914 was badged as a ‘VW-Porsche’ in Europe, and the two versions sold by the two respective dealer networks there. But in the US, it was decided to delete the VW name, as the connotation was just too downscale, even though the original premise of the 914 was to replace the VW Karmann-Ghia.
In case your world revolves more around broughams than Porsches, the 914 has a mid engine, which means it’s tucked in right behind the passengers, and accessibility is a bit less than ideal. As a compact boxer four, it’s well suited to this location, and is the same place that the very first Porsche-badged car ever had its engine. It contributes to an exceptionally low center of gravity and ideal front-rear weight balance (45/55).
Victor’s engine has been updated and improved, with Euro-914 cylinder barrels and pistons (higher compression, I assume), a deeper oil sump, electronic ignition, and a complete going-over of the fuel injection system, with new injectors, pump, hoses, etc.. In anticipation of hot weather crossing the desert from Las Vegas to Colorado, it also has an auxiliary oil cooler with an electric fan. I noticed that, because it was still running when Vic shut of the 914 on his arrival.
I’ve always been a fan of the 914 since it first came out, despite its somewhat controversial styling. Needless to say, it reflects its country of origin and its designers quite fully. Meaning, among other things, it’s also practical, as only a German sports car would be. It’s a bit like Swiss Army knife, with trunks in both the rear (here) and front. This rear one also is where the flat removable roof panel is stored.
The front trunk is quite decent-sized, and Vic and his wife found two bags that fit perfectly. She decided to stay in Seattle with her daughter, so Vic is traveling solo for the time being.
Underneath the front trunk area is the spare tire, along with spare cables and a few other select parts. The 914 has been perfectly reliable in its first 1700 miles of the trip.
Another aspect of the 914’s practicality is its relatively roomy passenger compartment, which fit me very well. This is not like shoehorning oneself into a vintage Brit sports car, or some of svelte Italian ones. I didn’t even have to adjust the seat. And its ample width only contributes to that feeling of relative spaciousness.
The instruments are housed in a large binnacle and very visible and legible, to say the the least. And the steering wheel is large, as was the custom back in the day. Visibility thought the tall and relatively upright windshield is superb. And the view to the rear is quite good too. The VW Bus of sports cars.
I got in and fired up the engine, and reminded myself of the Porsche five-speed gear shift pattern: first down-left, below reverse. Vic has installed an aftermarket gearchange gate, to reduce shift travel. I did find the gear shift to be the biggest weak spot in this car, an issue that was noted back in the day too. The linkage has to circumvent the engine on the way to the transmission out back, not nearly as direct a path as in the typical VW or Porsche. or of course any front engine car.
I forgot to ask whether the exhaust is stock or not, but it emits a lovely little throaty/hoarse growl, in the way that only a boxer four can, and does. These are the handsome original optional Fuchs alloy wheels, and yes, they are skinny: 15 x 4.5″ (Update: these are actually 5.5″ wide wheels). Originally they were shod with VW Beetle-sized 165 – 15 tires. Why did VW and Porsche have such a fixation on narrow rims and skinny tires for so long? Victor has shod his with 205/65s, which is as big as one can go and still fit on the skinny rims. The Porsche 914/6 did have slightly wider 15 x 5.5″ wheels.
We headed out the neighborhood, and up over Crest Drive and out Loraine Highway, which is my preferred route for test drives, as the road is quiet and combines numerous curvy, hilly section with some nice long straights too. The 914’s boxer was put to work, and it did it very willingly. Unlike the peaky 2.0 liter Porsche six in the 914/6, the VW engine has a fat torque band and makes its peak power at about 5,000 rpm. That means good grunt from down low, like a genuine VW, but with some real push to it. I’m not sure exactly how many horses Vic’s is making; the Euro version was rated at 100 PS; the US-compliant version at 91 net hp. It was more than enough to get the fun factor in the green zone on our route.
The 914 is a great driver. The steering, which is direct from the 911 along with the whole front suspension, is of course unassisted and highly precise. The absolutely unfiltered feel of all-mechanical steering is just simply unbeatable, and in a light (2,029 lbs) mid engine car like the 914, it’s even light at low speed too.
Having been a VW driver since my earliest days, the 914 is really the peak VW air-cooled experience, regardless of whether it’s considered a Porsche or VW; It’s largely a moot point, as they’ve been interbred since day one, and now are of course fully united again. And none other than Ferdinand Piech was in charge of the 914’s development.
Vic was very generous, allowing me to push the 914 fairly hard on the way back, after I’d familiarized myself with it. It took us up to 80 or so on one of the longer straights, and I got to experience its rock-solid neutral cornering attitude through the esses. It takes a set and keeps it, as the G-forces build.
I had a ball. Driving any car for the first time is fun, but this was a real treat. Vic’s 914 is in great shape, with the suspension having been fully re-done, and everything else is top-notch in his 914. So this was a brisk drive forty-some years back in time, not a delicate little jaunt in a precious antique. The 914 still feels fresh and solid.
As I got out, I couldn’t help notice the tasty little door handles again. My final thoughts on the 914: this is a vintage sports car that I could really live with. It’s roomy enough, solid, reliable, practical, and a great driver. No wonder I always felt an affinity to them. I do like sportiness combined with practicality; my ethnicity can not be denied.
Stephanie set out a spread for lunch, and we ended up talking for hours. Vic has a fascinating history, as his family is from Lithuania, and they spent a bit of time in Graz, Austria, after fleeing during WWII. They couldn’t get to the US at the time, so the emigrated to Australia, where Vic was born. Eventually they found their way to the US in 1955.
Vic wanted to see Crater Lake, so I helped him pick a route and found a place with a motel nearby there. Around 3:30 or so, he fired up the 914 and headed off. I haven’t heard from him since, but I’m sure he’s having a great time, probably working his way down Hw1 on the coast of California.
Happy trails! And thanks for a very memorable drive.
Update: Victor just sent me some detailed information about his 914:
Let me give you some updated info of my 73 fourteen. My car is a
relatively unique Midwestern 914. I bought it from an Air Force
mechanic/technician, stationed at a now likely closed Northern Michigan
Air Force base in 1979. His name is/was Ron Roland who happened to be
obsessed with 356’s, having acquired by 1979 at least, if memory serves
me well, 30 or so 356’s from the earliest ones through to the C and SC
series. Ron also showed me his America Roadster. He had several 911’s
and two 914’s, one a 914 6 which he was keeping and the 914 2.0 that he
sold to me.
In the Midwest at that time 914’s were notorious rust buckets due to the salt.
Ron had acquired my 914 from a family in
Northern Michigan who had never driven this car in the winter saving it
from the ravages of salt. Ron didn’t have much interest or respect for
914’s except for the 6 that he had in his now likely priceless
collection, if it still exists.
I had been looking for an outstanding clean solid 914 and learned of his through an Autoweek ad
and drove up to see it and was truly impressed, despite it being
Zambessi Green. After some negotiations I then bought the car that you
drove. As I said, it was repainted Guards Red as you saw it in 1983, in
the Stoddard Porsche body shop. The body shop manager, Sheldon
Lowenthal, was very meticulous and what you saw was his shop’s handy
work 33 yrs later. (Sheldon BTW owned a restored single cylinder 1903
Cadillac that I saw but unfortunately never experienced as a driver or
passenger). This 914 previously and in my possession has never been
driven in winter and has always avoided exposure to salt and by in large
even rain except in the last few years.
Regarding the exhaust
system, I personally replaced the heat exchangers with stainless steel
SSI exchangers and also did a clutch replacement in 1982. I finally
replaced the ancient stock Dansk muffler about a year or so ago when
rust holes finally appeared. So the exhaust is essentially stock except
for the SSI exchangers.
In early 914’s the electric fuel pump was poorly positioned next to the passenger side heat exchanger with
subsequent guaranteed heat soak issues. There had been articles in
Porsche Panorama in the 1970’s about how to relocate the fuel pump
forward by the fuel tank, and I did that transfer at the time of the
Heat exchanger replacement and never experienced fuel pump heat soak
since.
The shifter gate is a J W Engineering product for both
911’s and 914. If you don’t try to force it and let the spring action
take you to the desired gear slot,it is great and a vast improvement
over the original very sloppy gating which I have kept in case any
future owner might foolishly want to restore to original condition.
With the original gating, the up shift to second was always a risk of
engaging reverse, a perverse and poorly designed original gating. Hope
and pray to avoid reverse on the way to second. When you drove the
fourteen, though you weren’t impressed, the gating is actually light
years improved over the original.
Regarding the engine, you drove essentially the European injected 2.0. The 1973 49 state US type
1.7 compression ratio was 8.2:1 with 76 HP and the 73 Calif 1.7 had a CR
of 7.3:1 with 69HP
Compression ratio of the 1973 2.0 for all 50
states, including Calif was 7.6:1 with 91 HP at 4900 rpm and 105 lb.
ft. At 3500 rpm. The Euro cast iron barrels and Aluminum Pistons
restored the CR to 8.0:1 yielding 100HP. 3500-4000rpm is the sweet spot
for this eurotype engine
The euro barrels and pistons were installed about 1987, and improved Autocross performance. This car was
always quicker than the 914-6’s and early 911’s of the same era during
autocross’s.
Low down torque/ grunt was more useful than higher end power from the Porsche six cylinder engine.
Regarding the wheels, the 1.7 came with stock 4.5 J x 15 steel wheels and 5.5J x
15 steel or aluminum wheels optional. The Aluminum wheels were cast
Pedirini or forged Fuchs wheels.
The 2.0 came with 5.5 J x 15 wheels Steel or Aluminum. In actuality the US 1973 2.0 usually was
packaged with the appearance group instrument cluster/console, Fuchs
wheels, and sway bars like you drove. You drove on 5.5 J x 15 wheels.
If my memory is correct the 914-6 had a peculiar size of wheel: forged
Fuchs 6.0 x 14 which is an especially difficult size to fit with tires
now. Check this out to see if my memory is still reasonable.
Because of autocrossing I installed Koni adjustable front strut inserts and
rear shocks set for intermediate setting for this trip, primarily for
comfort but still adequate for the rallies.
Related reading:
CC 1973-1974 Porsche 914 2.0 – Entry Level Porsche 1.0 by Robert Kim
Great story, Paul. I would love to drive a 914. An Mr2 on German steroids!
What a great day! These never said much to me back when they were new, but I am gaining an appreciation for them now, with that elusive combination of sport and practicality, with both of them done very well. Not two traits commonly found together at all, let alone with both of them highly developed.
Times two on all accounts! Lately, 914s have been looking more and more fun, and who can resist some of those bright ’70s colors? Looks like you had a great time, Paul!
Wow, Paul. You are lucky to be able to drive this beautifully restored chrome bumper 2.0 914! Vic is quite the generous guy. I know of an ex coworker who still was daily driving his 914 from Vancouver to Portland rush hour until recently. They are very well built, and (for the times) held up quite well in accidents. The body is very strong for the weight, and the balance is beautiful.
Back in the day in SoCal, they were quite common. And ones that were a few years old were quite affordable, especially the 1.7 and 1.8’s. The 2.0’s were the ones to have. But it is critical the fuel lines are in good shape, they had the same fire danger as the 411/412 and VW Bus if they were not replaced on a regular basis.
Cool story Paul of meeting up with Victor and taking his magnificent 914 out for a spin. It doesn’t get much better than a ’73 2.0 with Appearance Pack. The values on 2.0s are going nuts. ’73 and ’74 were always high because of their trimmer bumpers but you could pick up a big-bumpered ’75-76 for fairly cheap until recently. A nice one just sold on BaT for $25,000. As you mentioned the interior space in a 914 is impressive, plenty of room for someone tall.
Dream road trip in a dream car…. perfect combination.
Thanks for sharing.
Vic has a beautiful car, very nice of him to let you drive it. I’ll have to swing by Eugene one of these days too. Having spent much time in SLO (college) myself I know that Vic will have a ball driving the roads around there and on the CA Coast and then out here in CO, I can’t think of many better ways to spend the month of May!
This was a car that I really admired and seriously thought about buying back in 1980. I actually looked at a couple. It is a handsome, practical, intelligent car. The problem is that the other car I wanted was the fabulous downsized 1977 Coupe de Ville. I bet that the Porsche would have been fun, but I already had a motorcycle so I was open to a more comfortable ride. I chose the Caddy and I had a lot of fun with that car also.
Very nice! I have always liked these, and feel they are the most underappreciated cars to ever come out of the VW-Porsche-Audi camp. I got to ride in one when I was a kid, it was very roomy for a 9 year old!
I have a (short) list of cars I have owned, and would want to own again….if an example better than what I owned could be found. Near the top of my list is a 74 914. I owned a VERY tatty 1.8 liter 74, so my next one would be a 2 liter.
One of the few cars I’ve driven that felt like the chassis could easily handle (no pun intended) a substantial increase in the factory power.
Just a theory, but I suspect a couple of reasons for the narrow wheels/tires: saves a bit on the MSRP, made it easier to mass-buy tires since several VW products used the same tires, since VW didn’t offer power steering…..the narrow tires made low speed maneuvers easier.
You should have done a youtube of your drive, like in that baby Subaru the other day. I’d like to hear the sound of that VW flat 4, and shifting through the gears.
“In case your world revolves more around broughams than Porsches…” Having a vinyl covered targa top and roll bar, the 914 may be a Porsche eligible for honorary Brougham Society membership!
Glad to see that you got to have this automotive experience, thanks to Victor. The look on your face in the action photo of you behind the wheel shows how great it was.
Ive driven that engine in a van and even then they go ok, remove all that wind resistance and weight and yep the 914 should fly and apparently it does, same configuration as a formula Vee just with a passenger seat.
Some purists might kill me, but if I had one, I would shelf the 411 engine for a Type 1 based flat fan engine from a Type 3. Much more performance parts available, and cheaper. You can even get modern fuel injection that replicates the look of 48 IDA Webers. And believe me, a 2180 or 2232 would make it feel more “Porsche like” than that Type 4 lump
Now that’s a CC benefit. First the Fiat and now this.
That car is in beautiful shape; it shows real pride of ownership and care. The instruments on the center stack in front of the shift lever are a nice touch.
Interesting note about the shift linkage. Having never driven one I would have assumed it shifted like a Beetle, but now that you mention it, the transmission is on the “other side” of the engine so the linkage must be more complicated and quite rigid (I would think).
What extra cables and parts did Vic elect to pack for this trip? I see a Mann oil filter W9209/17, a speedometer cable, some Victor Reinez gaskets, and towels, but the rest is hidden.
Fantastic machine and what a great opportunity to drive it! The 914 may not get the love some other Porsche models do, but I’ve always admired the 914, ever since I was a kid. Might have helped that I had two toy versions, one green and one bright orange!
4.5″ wheels…wow. And I thought 6″ was on the skinny side!
This has always appealed to me, with the interesting styling (attractive and of its time, especially in colours like this), its VW-Porsche heritage and accessibility.
Conceptually, I place itsomehwere between a Miata and a 1990s Boxster, and rarer than it deserves to be.
Pretty sure all UK models were LHD. Never seen a RHD one. Sadly they were sneered at by Porsche “enthusiasts”. I’d have one if I had the time, space, money & wasn’t built like Vanessa Feltz.
Nice ! .
.
In the late 1970’s I had _TWO_ of these , both 1974 models (IIRC) .
.
One had been wrecked in back , t’other in front so a guy cut ’em in half and welded up one nice one , had it re sprayed in that stock gold color and I was off ! .
.
Very fun cars in the true ” Sports Car ” meaning : not incredibly fast but super fun and easy to drive =8-) .
.
The one negative aspect was : letting up on the throttle in a curve would unload the suspension and it’d spin like a top , usually stopping against the curb , lamp post of fire hydrant .
.
I had the 2 Liter version with D-Jetronic , my buddy bought a ’75 (?) 1.8L , it had the AFC so it was dead simple to re adjust the air box to make it *much* faster and better fuel economy too =8-) .
.
He wrecked his (see above) I never did mine , I still miss it =8-( .
.
The 914/6’s had different (and better) suspension and carbys , we had some real fun with another buddy’s pair of those , 2.0 nothing ~ easily Hot Rodded to 2.4 + , making them wild to drive .
.
-Nate
Very cool! Good on Victor for sharing his car with us via Paul. Sounds like a great trip with the rallies too.
What a great post, Paul!
It brought to mind my brief time behind the wheel of a friend’s well-worn Toyota MR-2. What a blast it was taking it out on a road with some good curves!
Of all the cars I’ve owned over the years the ’74 914 2.0 I had from 1985-1988 was one of my top three faves. Thank you, Paul, for that great trip down memory lane. Now, pardon me while I start perusing the interwebs for 914 classifieds.
Great article and Porsche. Glad you got to drive it.
had a math teacher that showed up at our high school in 1976 for just a years stay in a bright orange 914. in a small Ontario village of 1200, she made quite the impression!
(as an aside…ran into her, now retired, about five years ago. black corvette. still stands out in the crowd!)
That photo of you driving looks so right, like you grew there 🙂
I’ve said it before, but several of my co-workers have Porsche Boxsters, and they tell me I should get a Porsche. I reply that Boxsters are not my style, what I really need is an old 914.
The Porsche with the difficult rust repair known as the hell hole is the Porsche for me!
I only drove a 914 once, briefly (also a 2.0) and really liked it. Far more than friends’ MGB’s, Alfa Spyders and even Lotus Elans that I also had the chance to drive in that era. Roomy and torquey … a combination I like to this day. I don’t think I’ve driven a “sports car”, i.e. an open 2 seater, other than a C5 Corvette in about 30 years, but the memory of that 914 has stuck with me.
When the first Porsche 914’s appeared in Volkswagen showrooms in 1970, I was immediately smitten. They “looked fun”. I remember those days of seeing multi-colored unusual colors of Zambezi Green, Chrome Yellow, Sunflower Yellow, Bahia Red, Olympic Blue, Ravenna Green, Marathon Blue Metallic, Alaska Blue Metallic, etc. amidst these vehicles. I never had the money in the early days, but an opportunity found itself when I met someone who was in process of “upgrading” into a Porsche 911SC. It was year 1979. I had “chased” this opportunity until the original owner decided to sell in 1980. I purchased a Malaga Red 2.0L and never sold her. She is maintained regularly and is in nearly perfect shape in stock form. Indeed the handling is unparalleled by other Porsches in different categories and to date, is super fun to drive, especially with the radio turned off while listening to the low rumble sound of the stock exhaust note. It is an adrenalin rush on wheels…………………..BTW, much kudos to the owner of the featured 1973 Porsche 914 for keeping his car as an original and great driving example of the Porsche mark.
I drove quite a few of these back when I was 16 or 17 years old working for an indie VW repair shop. They were fun. Not fast but slot car-like handling. This was the mid-70s during the first Arab oil embargo when high gas mileage sold for a premium. They got decent gas mileage but otherwise weren’t cheap to own. Those fabric braided lines tended to leak with age whether pressurized with fuel or connected to an evaporative emission control system.
The Rabbits that came out a couple of years later were just as fun to drive IMHO and were certainly more practical.
A most thoroughly unlovely-looking device, possibly designed by the shoemakers whose product it most resembles, but I won’t for a second deny I’d love a drive of one as happened here.
In that same second I would agree that the thing has engineering far beyond most of the little 2-door sporties competing against it in its lifespan. It’s a thoroughly good job.
Still, it can’t be gainsaid that looming large amongst the reasons why one would have an impractical little car in one’s garage is the pleasure of espying it each time that garage opened, and falls so far short in that regard as to be disregarded.
YMMV, as ever, and, of course.
You really have to drive one of these to grasp how much fun they are .
Just remember, no matter how scary it gets, never, _EVER_ let off the throttle in any sort of corner as it’ll spin like a top usually with unhappy results .
-Nate
In 1971 I bought a new Porsche 914 and kept it for 4 years. It was by far the most unreliable car I ever owned.
In cool damp weather, moisture would condense inside the distributor cap making it impossible to start. That occurred several times and the dealer could not suggest a solution.
The right front torsion bar broke. The replacement cost more than $90 even though there was nothing special about it. A similar torsion bar on a Plymouth cost only about $20.
Within 3 years, the air jackets for the heating system rusted through rendering the heater useless; I lived in Minnesota at the time and salt was used in the streets during winter.
The oil cooler developed a serious leak making the car underivable until the dealer could fix the problem.
A pin in the gearshift linkage broke making shifting exceedingly difficult. It took weeks to get a replacement.
The clutch cable broke twice.
Occasionally the starter would not work. The dealer never found the problem.
The parking brake worked on only one rear wheel. The dealer insisted that nothing was wrong with it.
Although the normal handling was excellent, the car was treacherous on wet or snowy roads. For no apparent reason the car would do a 180 degree spin. I never owned another car with that problem.
There were other problems but because that was about 50 years ago I cannot remember all of them.