The Porsche 914 was an automobile built collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche from 1969 through 1976. VW/Porsche originally intended it to be sold in four cylinder trim as a Volkswagen, to be the top-spec VW sports car, and in six cylinder trim as a Porsche, to be Porsche's entry level car, replacing the 912. However, Porsche decided during development that having VW and Porsche models sharing the same body would be risky for business in the U.S. market, and convinced VW to allow them to sell both versions as Porsches in North America. Volkswagen versions originally came with a fuel-injected 1.7 litre flat-4 engine based on the unit that powered the 411 and 412 saloon cars, although 1.8 and 2.0 litre engines became avaliable as time went on. Porsche's 914/6 variant came with a carburetted 2.0 litre flat six cylinder engine, taken from the 911T. VW manufactured the rolling chassis at their own plant, then either sent them to Porsche for fitment of the Porsche suspension and flat-six engine or kept them in house for their own hardware. Karmann manufactured the bodies, including the targa-top system. Porsche handled export to the U.S., where both versions were badged and sold as Porsches. Many enthusiasts regard this as having been a big mistake on Porsche's part. 914 production ended in 1976, two years prior to the introduction of its eventual replacement, the 924. Porsche reused the 912, in an updated form called 912E, to fill the gap.
The 914 was Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year for 1970.
Two "special edition" 914s, dubbed 914/8, were built during 1969.
The first, a silver unit, was built to comemorate "Ferry" Porsche's 60th birthday, and was powered by a carburated and de-tuned 908 race motor making 260 hp (194 kW).
The second, a red unit powered by the full-blown, 400 horsepower (298 kW) 908 motor was presented to Ferdinand Piech, Ferry's son-in-law and then chairman of the Volkswagen group. The 914/8 bodywork differed from that of the standard 914 in only a few small but noticeable ways. Wheel arches were flared out, larger wheels were fit, and a cooling aperture for the oil cooler was affixed to the front bumper.
The chassis remained largely unchanged, although retuned shocks and custom coil springs cut from titanium were added to the package along with the upgraded bodywork, larger wheels and tires and uprated brakes. The 914/8 was not considered for production as a regular model.
