I have always had so much respect for the 914, but the 914-6 is incredibly rare and seldom seen/heard. Great video.

A big engined, flared 914-6 is more fun to drive than any other car I can think of. I loved converting my 914 years ago, and hated selling it.

I bought an orange 72 914 in 1998. Although it was just the 2litre it was a blast to drive. So small , low to the ground much like a street legal go cart. I wish I would have never sold it.

A very long time ago, in the early 70's,I had a very lovely and charming French girlfriend. She had a Porsche 914/6, apparently the prototype. (Yes, she was aristocratic and rich). We went to Cambridge for the weekend from London and went to Ely for tea (As one does). I drove there in ten minutes flat with her encouraging me to utiliser la bagnolle. What a car, and what a girlfriend.

I remember the first 914 I saw, back as a 9 year old. 16 years later, I first laid eyes on a 914+6, and have wanted one ever since.

The smile on your face tells the whole story. That little beast sounds amazing! Many years (decades actually) ago I had a 1971 914-4. I loved that car. I certainly wish that I had kept it. You have a new subscriber!

I agree that the 914s are a much underappreciated car. Of course the 914/6 is an easy "Yes", but even the late model 914 2.0 was a very capable car.

Porsche wants to forget it so bad it doesn't even have one in the museum right now. Not a single one. They have a 924, not a 914. That's downright mad.

That's Harry Metcalfe's test road...!!!

The 914 was always an awkward looking car but now I quite like it.

914 and the Lancia Monte Carlo take me back to my childhood dream cars for the way they look .

From 1962 till 1996 the Dutch highway police drove Porsches among which this model, in white and fluorescent orange.. They were critisized a lot by the public and politicians because of the costs. The policemen drove with open roof and wore orange helmets.

I really loved my 914/6. I'll never forget winding the engine up driving on a twisty mountain road zooming through a moonlit forest on a very cold misty night with the top off and exhaust heated air blasting out keeping me very toasty. I sold it to buy my first house, which promptly dropped in value, making me wish I kept the car. My home value eventually went up, but I still regret selling my first love.

Very cool car! I valued the comparison of qualities with the Elise (I find Elises intriguing). The history of this 914 is certainly irreplaceable. As cool as it must be to drive, an even better set of mods is possible: ‘85 Carrera 3.2L engine, 915 gearbox with WEVO 916 shift linkage, Bilstein rear coil overs, 911 front coil overs, Brembo brakes, auxiliary front oil cooler……it just so happens I own that car.

When I was in high school in the early 90s, there were quite a few of these around. It's actually surprising considering how few they made. A friend of mine bought one our sophomore year to restore. It turns out they were well known for frame rot. When he removed the roof, the frame sagged and he had to jack it up to put it back in. Needless to say a lot of framework was needed. He spoke to a lot of 914 owners about it. They all had frame rot to varying degrees. But...LOVED their cars when restored. I imagine if they were that bad in 20 years time, now 50 years on, they are needles in a haystack. I had the chance to buy one some years ago. One of the ones I let get away. 😔

My dad still has his yellow 914 from when he was young that he never drives and he only just recently showed me it's capabilities and it's very impressive for what it is

That thing sounds awesome! Love the look of the wheel arches…… it’s not your average looking sports car but I do really like it. Cracking video Jack 👍

That is bloody lovely, those arches and that exhaust note are just spectacular 😍❤️❤️

Your driving commentary and description of everything is on a par with Tiff Needel, just wonderful to listen to. Thank you. What a great car and history! 🙂👍

Dan in Austin, I had 2 different 914's, a used 1971 2.0 and then a new 74 that I customized along with my brother in law. Took out the fuel injection and replaced with Webber's, ported and polished heads, ground down the heads a bit and balanced the crank With a few other touches to the engine and transaxel was a little screamer. Able to make some other sports cars of the time wonder why they were getting passed by. The head Porsche mechanic at the dealership wouldn't let anyone else touch it, loved that.

when I was teenager in the 80s, a neighbour had a yellow 914 parked out on a normal Pompey terraced street, not garaged or anything...doubt if that one is still alive

Thanks for showing this underrated car Jack! Looks like you had fun. Good sound!

Sounds great! Nothing like a good air cooled Porsche flat six. I’m blown away by how much all 914 values have gone up over the last 10 years. All Porsches have seen big jumps in their values but probably not as much as the 914.

Worked at a Porsche Audi dealership in the mid/late 70's. Got to drive a 914/6 after oil change, normal maintenance. Fabulous ride.

Hello my friend. A friend of mine Worked for McDonnell Douglas in L.A. in the 1970's. He knew I was a life-long Porsche fan and he let me run around Redondo Beach area in his new Porsche 914/6. It took some getting used to but I loved it . I still remember the direct steering and it felt similar to my later Porsche 944S and my BMW 330i M-Sport steering. I really wish I owned that P-914/6 today. I would spend weekends in it looking for curving roads in the hills and mountains [like I have always done with my special cars]. Thanks for the memories.

The M471 package also included a chassis stiffening kit that re-enforced the junction between the passenger compartment and the rear suspension. My 914 Chalon had this kit added (not a Porsche original, but a US made copy) and it certainly reduced body flex with the 9" wide Fuchs and 245x15 rear tires. I have another of those kits somewhere in my parts bin that I bought after the Chalon was destroyed in a fire, but I ended up keeping the 911SC that was going to be my engine donor and not getting another 914. This video makes me want to revisit that decision! 🙂

I had a 914 but with the 914/6 arches back in the late 90's and loved the thing. Mind you, it had the worst gear change of any car I ever went in! I just wish I never sold it and often wonder what happened to it? This example looks and sounds epic.

Once knew a guy in Scandinavia who had one of these and i was curious and asked him how it was if you compared it to a 911. He smiled and said LOUD, MUCH BETTER. 😄

Used to have a tuned 4 cylinder one with about 140hp. My friend had a 911sc which felt fat and disconnected from the road in comparison.

Hey Jack. Great video. I bought a 914, 4 cylinder for £500 when I was about 18 or 19 years old. I loved that car 🙏🏻

I wonder what year the donor chassis is? From the gauges, it looks to be 70-73. The steering wheel is aftermarket, and smaller than stock. The stock one was the same size as the ~1970 911's wheel. The hood badge is added post-factory; none of the series cars actually had them originally. The US importer and dealers were fond of adding them, though. The original Six was actually made for three years, model years 70, 71, and 72. Very few 72s were built, and their interior more closely resembles the four-cylinder cars than the earlier Sixes do. A big change being that the ignition key on the 70-71 Six was on the dashboard to the left-hand side of the steering column, while the 72 (and all four-cylinder 914s) was on the right of the column itself. Nice car, sounds awesome! Glad to see the 914 getting more love lately.

I bought a 914 4 cylinder about 10 years ago. Bought it to resell. Still have it and bought another one. It's a 2.0. I'm a Chevy guy, but these are the most well balanced, fun to drive cars I have ever owned.

The 914-6 essentially had the braking system from a 911 of that era on it. Given that the pedal shouldn't be soft, but should feel like there is a block of wood under the pedal. I suspect that either The brake fluid is old or the master cylinder is going.

Not a Failure! After I finish my 924 Turbo restoration I will have to build a 914-6 Gt tribute car. Love everything about this particular setup. An original Gt is way out of my reach.

Great review as usual Jack. Remember seeing quite a lot of these on the Costa Brava in the mid 70's as a young lad.

My grandparents joined PCA in the mid 1960's and started autocrossing shortly thereafter. I am the third generation and only one too broke to buy a 911 so I autocross a 2.4L, 4 cylinder , 914. My times are routinely lower than my cousins in their 911 and my uncle in his Cayman.

The look on your face says it all; the driving experience is irresistible! I drove in a 914 many years ago. The cornering was stunningly good!!

My German cousin had a 914 with the Porsche engine when i was visiting one year as a kid! I cant remember the exact colour but i can remember the awesome acceleration and speed on the autobahn with my backside inches away from the tarmac. The seats are bolted almost straight to floor wirhout a subframe! Loved it!!!!!❤

Great video Jack. Always had a soft spot for these since the early 70s when I played in a group and did a tour in Germany. The record company rep had a 914/6, he kindly let me drive it the whole time (well I sort of commandeered it really). Being bog standard the steering was pretty light but what a good fun car to zip around Germany in.....oh, and no speed limits then too. Wasn't long before I had to get a 911.👍🇬🇧

you brought the 914-6 experience to life and now I'm straight on Car & Classic

All things air cooled, especially that beast! I wasn't crazy about the styling of those initially but with the blistered fenders it morphs into something particularly nice. I had an opportunity to trade my red EMPI Superbeetle for an orange 914 2.0 back in high school... but I balked at the extra money (because dating). I've regretted that move ever since.

Great piece again mate. Big Car did a very in-depth history of the 914s not too long ago.

Very nice review ! I have a 914-6 with GT arches and a 3.6 liter, and this car is awesome. It is a big gocart, and I can understand the similarities with the Lotus Elise he referes to.

Chances are the brake master cylinder has been replaced with a different diameter bore than original, common change which result in longer pedal travel and softer feel. Glad you enjoyed the drive!

Having owned both the 914 and 911, I can say both cars are awesome but that little 914 could corner!

I owned a '72 914-4 when i lived out in California! Wish i still had it!😢 They were pretty advanced little cars back then! 4 wheel disc brakes and an off set collapsible steering column! My favourite Porsche of all time!🤗

Thanks for the review! Your excitement was palpable indeed! Here in the States, I have a '71 4 cylinder car that has a 2316cc type 4 engine fitted. It generates the same hp as the example you drove here, but with a power plant that weighs several hundred pounds fewer. Marvelous road car.

I remember when these first appeared and thought they were a bit ugly, move forward to now and they look great. I think we should nickname the opening corner as Harry's corner?

Just watched this vid yet again Jack.... wooooaah! yes, you totally captured it. Lets put this thing in perspective... while you had a total blast, I can see this "blown" version of the 914 is great for fun rides.... but would beat you up long distance. This extraordinary car is not just a le Mans winning classic, it's also an awesome long distance tourer for two. I've driven mine all around the South Island of New Zealand ... twice! A total gem. Thanks for the wonderful vid, and yes what a bonkers upgrade to the 914/6 GT !

Absolutely fantastic video Jack!

The owner went to all that effort to have a 914/4 converted to a /6GT, but they couldn't be bothered to move the ignition switch to the proper location, to the left the steering column where all factory 914/6s had their ignition. With that said it's a beauty!

Lovely vid Jack, looks great fun!

Fantastic review. That engine note😮 I’m swept away to the beginning of “Le Mans” with Steve McQueen piloting a 911😮👍

They built plenty of 914s but very few 914/6s.Back when a '71 911S was my daily driver I met a lady who drove and raced a 914/6 and learned right quick those cars were very serious machines,certainly a car to be reckoned with.Athough the one she used was far from stock it wasn't extreme by any measure,especially by today's standards.Again,in my opinion,the 914/6 is quite the car in any situation!

Great video, very informative!

I'm in my late fifties and sadly whenever I think of 914s I think of how poorly put together they were and how they rusted!

Sounds terrific. Obviously huge amounts of fun to drive. Thank you

Harry Metcalf just complained about some yobbo upsetting the quiet of his country roads with a LOUD 914-6. LOL - that said, in my misspent youth, a buddy's brother in high school had a 914-6 and we used to 'borrow' it when he was at work (he took transit to work) and it was pretty amazing.

In all honesty I thought the opening words were going to be 'Welcome to a new Harry's Garage video...'! I'm a bit of a latecomer to the channel but it's rather excellent, I recognise some of the roads you are testing on.

I had a 1975 914-1.8 back in 1980, it was an absolute joy to drive, and it had none of the wonky handling problems of the 911's!

One of my all time favourite Porsche models in the six cyl Great video revue again Jack.

Well, you found your soul mate. And as you compared it to the Lotus...I wondered what would be the result of a detailed, side by side comparison. Build in different generations and different corporate cultures and with different technologies...and yet the response they both generate in you is so much alike. And I wonder how they would compare in terms of mechanical design and competitively...side by side on paper...and then maybe some laps times or a hill climb course. And of course, after all the comparisons, the final question, if you had to chose one to have...which would it be.

I live in California, I have seen some seriously built 914's. Have always loved em!

Great video Jack. Having completed a similar build, these cars are brilliant as you stated. For not much more, would have like to have seen him go ahead and convert the ignition key over to the left of the steering column. Makes all the difference looks wise. Sure it’s more costly but also more accurate. If he truly used fiberglass front and rear “bonnet” covers as the real GTs had we call them hoods, then whom ever did his was a great craftsman! This is one area I’m struggling with on mine is the front bonnet fitment. I own and have owned several 911 variants and truly, done correctly the 914/6 is such a blast and experience to drive like no other! I find my face actually hurting a bit from laughing and smiling so much when driving my favorite back road.great video!! I can remember commenting on one of your videos from years back probably 5-6 years ago amount how much you would enjoy a car like this. Glad you got to experience it hands on! Well done!!

Jack, you had the Look of Love on your face and I totally get it. What a car! Back in the early -mid seventies I almost picked into getting my cousin's 914/6 (here in the States). Alas, it didn't happen and I ended up getting a 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider (I still miss that car). My cousin who would wind up owning all kinds of exotics always lamented selling that 914/6. Naturally I always wished that I had copped it. BTW, great video, and I've never never seen a more blissed-out driver!

I owned 2 VW_Porsche 914 a 1970 1..7 and a 1974 2.0- 4 cilinder and especiallt the 1974 version was "glued" on the road , like riding on rails!! , superb cornering never ever experienced better cornering in a car since.................

Awesome production Bravo!😊

Loved this review Jack, giggling like a schoolboy = great drivers car!

Saw a 914 rusting away in someone's front yard years ago here in South Africa. Don't know what happened to the car as the guy who lived there's house was auctioned off during my teens, car was probably auctioned off as part of the estate.

I DROVE A PORSCHE LOOKING JUST LIKE THIS IN 1971. IT WAS MY BOYFRIENDS CAR. I WILL TELL YOU...DRIVING IT OR AS A PASSENGER.. IT WAS SO BALANCED AND AGILE.. MORE THAN ANY CAR I HAD DRIVEN. AND I HAVE OWNED A 911 TARGA CARRERA WIDE BODY WHALE TAIL 1986..ONLY 2 MADE FOR USA...THE FIRST.....I BOUGHT IN 2007. GOT BEST IN SHOW AND BEST IN SURVIVOR CATEGORY WITH IT.

I had a 1974 1.8 in high school and college. Station wagon turned left in front of me without the right of way and that was the end of that. Still miss it. What they did with interior space for such a small car was impressive. Great cornering with the mid engine design. Interestingly, as the engines increased in size from 73 to 74 to 75, they got slower because of the EPA smog regulations.

I've always always liked the 914. Got a Cayman instead. But still on the lookout for a 914 restored for under 30k

When I was started racing in the 70s I remember coming up on a 914 to pass that it belched huge flames in my face, it startled me for a moment...

Looks and sounds superb. That bass-whine whirring sound on the over-run is gorgeous.

Jack, it looked like your face was going to crack in half, you were smiling so big. Handling like a "go-kart", that 914 must have been so fun to drive. Nice to see this much forgotten Porsche drive...

I remember seeing a 914-6 for sale at Fantasy Junction in Emeryville, Ca. around 1980. It had the same flares, full roll cage and a twin spark 6 cylinder engine that had been heavily modified. It sold for around $40,000 at the time. I remember seeing both the 4 cylinder version as well as the 6 cylinders racing in SCCA. Perhaps it was the competition but the 6 cylinder versions weren't impressive at all against the other cars in their class like the 240z. The 4 cylinder VW engine versions once setup correctly were seemingly faster and better balanced. Maybe the 6 was too heavy? The way those cars were setup was always interesting to me....soft rear suspension but overly stiff front so that the cars would squat on the rear tire and lift the front tire a few inches in the air whenever it went around corners on track. Those were factory setups so not sure if that was the "trick" at that time in history or not. I remember a few other factory team cars that had similar front tire in the air when hard cornering. Just didn't make sense to me.

I always liked these cars. Thank you, Jack!

I've always loved the 914 since seeing one in the seventies. The 6 is a brilliant idea, such a shame there are so few. You're a lucky man Jack. Excellent to see such a cool car on KZfaq. Thanks.

Jack that smile tells a lot the sound is fanbloodytastic I could just hear it around our country lanes where I live great and thank you Alan for the loan of a lovely car 👍👨🏻‍🏭

50 years ago, one of my teachers had a 914-6. The whole class had a ride in it ( as a passenger 😎) We all loved it. Still one of my favorite cars. The closest I got to it was my VW 1303S with a 2.3L double Weber in it, doing 12-16 mpg 🤢

There are presently 70+ for sale in Europe, from 5K right up to 300K. You pays your money and you makes your choice!

The giveaway that it was originally a 4 banger is the positon of the ignition switch. A true 6 has it on the opposite side on the dash.

I see a 914 years ago when I lived in the uk , and see another one yesterday here in Windermere Florida and this was also silver and had the wide arches, I couldn't catch it as it was going the other way to me in traffic . Windermere must have more super cars than any place on earth, so I will look out for it at cars and coffee we have in town .

Excellent review, the 914 was great a design and had great development potential, that GT looks amazing.

Glad you got hold of this one. I always wondered about these and actually like the unique looks. Had no idea they were so rare.

I had a 1972 914 1.7 rebuilt to a 1.8 with duel Webbers when the engine became tired. Loved driving the car even though it had No creature comforts.

Always liked these, pity you didn't mention how loud it was 😁.

What a great video - I don't think I've ever seen anyone enjoy driving a car as much as Jack did with this 914-6 GT. Super sound too!

What a car! Always loved 914/6 but didn’t know about the existence of a Gt version. Prices are over the top though

Wow! Thanks for sharing

I believe Crayford did 30 or so RHD conversions. I saw one at Porsche Silverstone about 8 years ago. It was “round the back” having been sold on consignment. The figure of £30k was mentioned. Not any more!!

9:30 That scene was gorgeous, and the sound had me experiencing flashbacks to Steve McQueen's film "Le Mans". Thanks for a beautiful moment.

Great video and good history lesson

I remember seeing 914's om the road when I was a young boy. They stood out obviously because of their unique look. But I don't recall any with the flat 6, only the 4 but it's been many moons from the 1970's so who knows what I saw, lol I can't imagine one of these with a modern tuned air cooled 6. That's got to be a riot.

When I was a kid one of these sat languishing on my street in disarray. (Early 80s) I thought it was ugly for a Porsche but now I like them.

Top notch review as usual. Kudos.

Another great video Jack! I never saw why people didn't like these, as a kid growing up in the 70's they were cool in my book as nothing else looked like them. This particular one is one hell of a car!

I thought when they had one on Wheeler Dealers that it had two rear ends bolted together.

Gday Jack, i recall we had one in our auction room and i drove it. Reminded me of a go cart especially on broken ashfelt. Sadly, from memory, it didnt sell for a lot of money way back in the early 1990s. Having watched your video i wish i had bought it

Jack, I noted you are using Harry Metcalf's test roads.