Porsche 914-6 GT

Porsche 914-6 GT

Manufacturer	Porsche
Production	1970 – 1972
Predecessor	Porsche 912
Successor	Porsche 924
Class	Sports car
Body style(s)	Targa Coupe
Layout	Mid engined
Engine(s)	2.0 L flat-6

The Porsche 914-6 GT was a race car built and sold collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche.

History

The Porsche 914 was introduced in September 1969 as a collaborative effort between Porsche and Volkswagen to produce a sporty car. The car they came up with was a mid-engined vehicle with seating for two and featured a targa top. A 4-cylinder boxer engine provided the power. Volkswagen need a vehicle to replace the aging Karmann-Ghia while Porsche was looking for another option to add to their line up. The VW bodied vehicles were known as 914/4s, while the Porsche variants were known as 914/6s. However, all 914's sold in North America were sold as Porsches.

The car sits very low and the suspension is stiff making it a great competition car rather than a touring car. The headlights hide in the hood and pop-up when needed. The targa top can be stored in the trunk.

The horizontally opposed flat-four engine is mid-mounted and came in three differnent sizes, 1.7, 1.8 or 2 liter. The 1.7 liter engine produced 80 hp (60 kW), the 1.8 produced 79, and the 2.0 liter engine produced 95. A five-speed manual gearbox was standard equipment on all models.

The 914/6 was short lived with only 3360 examples produced between 1970 and 1972. All featured the 2.0 liter flat-six engine. It was raced using different engine configurations. This included the 'T' specification, which was basically a stock 911 engine. Another popular configuration was to use a converted Carrera 6 engine.

In 1970 Porsche entered a 914/6 GT in the grueling 24 hours of Le Mans race. It finished 6th overall and won its class. A remarkable accomplishment. This was only one chapter in the vehicles extensive racing career which continues even to this day.