This One-Off Porsche 914 Commemorates the Marque’s 70th Anniversary. Now It’s up for Grabs.

Although the Volkswagen Group officially acquired Porsche in 2012, the two marques have a history that goes back prior to World War II, when Ferdinand Porsche designed prototypes for what would become the culturally impactful Volkswagen Beetle. Decades after the global conflict, another collaborative model debuted—the VW-Porsche 914. Sold stateside under the Porsche moniker alone, the 914 is a classic worthy of admiration, and one example in particular, currently available to the highest bidder through SBX Cars, should prove quite the collectible.

According to source material from Volkswagen’s online newsroom, the 914 came about due to compatible goals between both automakers. VW wanted to develop a vehicle with more athleticism while Porsche wanted a more economical alternative to its 911 flagship. Designed by a team led by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, who penned the 911, and primarily styled by Heinrich Klie, the 914 debuted at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show. It comprised both the 914/4 and 914/6 versions, fit with a Volkswagen 1.7-liter four-cylinder engine and a Porsche 2.0-liter six-cylinder engine, respectively. As for the 914/4, it was actually made by German automotive atelier Karmann.

The rear-wheel-drive 914 has a wheelbase measuring 96.4 inches, which is 9.4 inches longer than that of the original 911. The mid-mounted, fuel-injected power plant of the 914/4 delivers close to 80 hp, and among the car’s signature design elements are its Targa top and pop-up headlights.

A Porsche press release from 2009, commemorating the 914’s 40th anniversary at the time, noted that the two variants received different receptions from the market, citing that the model was referred to by the media as the “Volksporsche” or “People’s Porsche.” The release goes on to state that “this was a particular disadvantage for the 914/6 . . . For despite its outstanding performance, the 914/6 was hardly accepted by most of Porsche’s existing customers.” Conversely, though, it notes that the 914/4 “became a genuine success in the market, accounting for a production volume of 115,631 units until the series ceased production in spring 1976 . . .”

The example currently being auctioned on the SBX Cars site is a 914/4 from 1970. What makes it worthy of more than the usual attention is the unique restorative work that’s been done on it. In 2018, to commemorate Porsche’s seven decades in existence, Porsche Cars Great Britain refurbished 20 examples of models from across the marque’s timeline, and this was one of them—presented in the same Liquid Silver as all the others in this select field.

The lot description from SBX Cars mentions: “According to documentation accompanying the car, it received over 500 hours of work between the body and mechanical effort . . . The exterior, interior, suspension, braking system, and engine were all overhauled with the idea of making the car factory-fresh.” 

The online auction house also points out that the steel-unibody vehicle on offer—showing 80,206 miles on it—had its air-cooled 1.7-liter flat-four rebuilt, and it’s mated to a five-speed manual transaxle. As for where contact is made with the road, that takes the form of four-spoke aluminum wheels wearing Goodyear Eagle LS rubber.

In regard to this intriguing lot, which will be on the online auction block for 14 more days, Steve Gregg, managing director of SBX Cars, believes that it’s an important outlier. “The Porsche 914 has long been misunderstood, but this car rewrites the story,” Gregg tells Robb Report. “The only 914 restored under Porsche’s 70th-anniversary program by Porsche Cars Great Britain, it’s a factory-backed heritage car with provenance that makes it a must-have for any serious collector or Porsche aficionado—it’s a buy all day long.”

Click here for more photos of this 1970 Porsche 914.