1973 Porsche 914 1.8 Targa

For consignment, a 1973 Porsche 914 1.8 Targa with a title verified 74,387 actual miles. This one has been converted to a Flachbau Porsche, or slant nose, a style inspired by the legendary 935 race car.

Exterior
Two stage Bahia Red covers the car, a color that immediately gets attention, just before you notice the streamlined nose behind the smooth bumper that blends seamlessly with the front valance. Marker lights take the place of fog lights and all black is removed from the face. From the front fender to the rear fender, it’s standard 914 with the black targa top, smooth door handles and overall diminutive profile. Out back, things get customized with a smooth rear fascia that blends with the quarter panels seamlessly while cutouts are provided on the valance for twin exhaust exits. The tail lights remain the same but take on a cleaner, more flush appearance the the new bumper, especially in red. 15-inch Minilite replica wheels carry 195/65R15 tires with a late 2019 date code. Areas of cracking paint and filler repair along with some bubbling and excess paint are noted as imperfections on the exterior.

Interior
Tidy black door panels cover the narrow entry points adorned with the basics, door pull and elbow rest, window crank, and door opener, and both present cleanly with some slight warpage on the driver’s header panel. Inside, tall black tuck and roll styled bucket seats sit on the floor, looking great and providing a go kart like experience with textured black vinyl inserts. In front, the four spoke upright steering wheel presents itself to the driver and frames the simple instrument cluster with three dials, the tach squarely in the middle. The textured mid panel will look familiar to VW owners and house functional knobs, the vent lever panel, and an AM/FM radio, reserving space on the right for a small glove box. The relatively flat floor is home to the shifter rising from a slight hump, all covered in gray carpet in good condition while the targa top is dressed in a flannel gray covering. The rear trunk and front frunk both presented cleanly with fitted carpeted mats in each.

Drivetrain
Under the mid panel grille is a 1975cc flat four cylinder rated at 84 horsepower and the fuel injection has been replaced with dual 1-barrel carburetors. A 5-speed manual transaxle is attached and routes power through 4.429 gears.

Undercarriage
Overall clean underneath with a belly pan taking up a good part of the real estate. We note some previous repairs on the pan, nicely sealed and coated. Dry conditions are found on the engine from which dual exhaust cleanly emit finding their way to a stock style muffler that sends out two exhaust pipes which meet splitters creating four polished tips. Both front and rear suspension are independent with Macpherson struts in back. Disc brakes are supplied to all four wheels.

Drive-Ability
There are few cars that provide a true go kart experience and the Porsche 914 is one of them. You sit low, very low, as the 914 moves through the test loop. The handling is very responsive and visibility is good, while the 84 horses provide all you’ll need for a pleasurable ride. During our test, we note the horn, heater blower, and reverse lights don’t work. The wipers park themselves midway on the windshield. Beyond these things, all operable items in the car work as they should, including the pop up headlights. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.

Your Porsche collection, and Porsche experience, is not complete without a 914. Thirty years ago, they were relegated to the role of outcast to the elite. Today, they are the elite and well sorted examples like this are uncommon, desirable, and going in one direction in value. Pop this slant nose in your garage and enjoy weekend jaunts and the relatively newfound adoration of the Porsche clubbers.

See the official listing on Classic Auto Mall.