Porsche of the Week series - 4 minute read
Welcome back to our Porsche of the Week series. Our little deep dive into some of the most iconic, and in this case, the slightly stranger cars in the illustrious history of the Porsche brand. This week we take a look into a car that was released way back in 1969. It was a collaboration between Porsche and Volkswagen, and it was also Formula One's very first Safety Car. It the Porsche 914! Or, if you'd prefer, the VW-Porsche 914, but that's not quite got the same ring to it.
(Image Credit: Micoope)
By the late 1960's, both Porsche and Volkswagen were looking for something new. Porsche was looking to produce a replacement to the 912, and VW wanted to produce a range topping sports car. The two brands had an agreement that saw the majority of Volkswagen's development work being handled by Porsche, which dated back to the 1950's, and VW needed to provide one final project to fulfil their contract with Porsche, and that final project became the 914.
Disagreements between the two brands in regards to who would be picking up tooling expenses, meant the cost of producing the chassis went up massively, leading to the 914 ending up costing only slightly less than Porsche 911T, which was the entry level 911 at the time. This inevitably led to poor sales, and by 1972 Porsche had given up on their collaboration with VW. Real world production of the 914 stopped in 1976. The relatively small amount of time the car was available for, and the high price point, meant the 914 was a rare thing to see back then, and is now incredibly rare to see in 2024. So if you happen to come by one, be sure to take a photo and savour the moment, you might never see one again!
(Image Credit: European Collectibles)
Volkswagen versions of the 914 originally featured the fuel-injected 1.7L VW Type 4 flat-four engine, which produced around 80 bhp. However Porsche soon released the 914/6 variant, which sported the 2.0L air-cooled Type 901/3 flat-six engine from the late sixties 911T model. Among other changes made by Porsche to the base model, the 914/6 produced just over 100 bhp!
(Image Credit: F1)
In 2024, the 914 is probably most remembered as being the Formula 1 World Championship's first ever Safety Car. The car, painted in bright yellow, with double yellow flags waving out of the back, is now a truly iconic sight for motorsport fans. The 914, and the entire concept of a Safety Car, was first seen at the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix, amid treacherous conditions on track. Ongoing safety disputes in the sport at the time, led by 3 time World Champion Jackie Stewart, saw the introduction of the Safety Car and the 914 was the car that brought the Safety Car to life.
While the 914 is potentially forgotten by fans of the Stuttgart brand in 2024, it represented the end of a technical partnership between two goliaths of the car industry in Porsche and VW, and played a key role in implementing crucial safety features in motorsport, and in particular Formula 1, where driver's loosing their lives was becoming uncomfortably common. So while it is indeed a funny little car, it's a little legend in its own right!
(Image Credit: Honest John Classics)
Check back in next week, where we will take a look at another piece of Porsche history. Have a great week!
By Hugo Pickering