An early Boxster: ’70 Porsche 914/6
Today we have the battle of the Titans – Porsche and Datsun. Due to a number of circumstances, Porsche lost its competitive edge at the entry level. The Porsche 912 – that has finally come into its own of late – was outgunned by none other than Datsun when they introduced the 240Z. So what is a tiny company like Porsche to do? They teamed up with the guy down the street named Volkswagen and came up with the 914. 
The industry was new to mid-engine cars for the mass market so there were some packaging requirements that had to be dealt with. VW/Porsche hired an appliance designer, Gugelot, to come up with a solution that turned out to be a rather awkward looking design that avoided all the pitfalls of a mid-engine car of the period. Performance was modest at first with base VW-derived engines of 1.7 and 1.8 liters. The the 2.0 liters cars were introduced that gave sparkling performance and are the most desirable of the four-cylinder models today. The 914 handling is superb as to be expected with a well balanced chassis. Add fine brakes, phenomenal steering to make the whole car work brilliantly. And then in 1970, Porsche dropped a 6-cylinder into the chassis and made everyone happy. They are rare today so when we came across one in such original condition, we had to share. Many of the 914s came in period bright colors and this green is one of our favorites. Today’s offering has 71,000 miles according to the seller and the interior sort of looks like they may be correct. We checked Hagerty for valuations and were surprised to see #1 cars at the $70,000 range. Moving down a few notches and a #3 will still be worth $36,000. So where does this one fall? You have to be in its face to tell but we hope it’s like a 2.5. We have never had the pleasure of driving a 914/6 and wonder if it feels like a vintage Boxster? See the eBay auction by clicking here.
