1973 Porsche 914 2.0

The owner tells us that he thinks this left-hand-drive car came to the United Kingdom from Europe sometime in the early 1970s, where it appears to have been used until the 1990s, at which time it was taken off the road. He speculates that this was due to an MOT failure. 

A rare two-litre car, vastly superior to the original flat-four with a set of Porsche cylinder heads, it was restored at some point, quite probably with a view to racing it as he thinks the flared wheelarches and wider wheels were added at this point.

The current owner and vendor has owned the car for two years, having bought it as a stalled project; it had been sitting sans engine for around eighteen years. He reinstalled the original, matching numbers engine and devoted considerable resources to refurbishing and recommissioning to bring it to the condition you see today.

Originally blue, the Porsche has been repainted at some point in its life to its current orange colour. The paint is not concours, being workmanlike rather than Trailer Queen perfect, although it looks great from a few feet away. We think it’s in good usable condition, but would probably need attention if you like your cars to be as pretty as they are good to drive. Why not take a trip to gorgeous driving roads of the Yorkshire Dales, prior to the end of the auction, and take a look?

The panels themselves are in good condition, with tight, even gaps, which leads us to believe that the car has clearly been looked after and stored correctly throughout its life. It may even had had some restorative work done at the same time as the flared fibreglass wheelarches were fitted, as they have been very neatly and professionally incorporated.

The removeable targa top still fits snugly and is in good condition.

The interior has been recently restored by the owner’s brother-in-law, who is a professional who spent his working life retrimming classic Jaguars and Aston Martins. He repaired a couple of small holes in the bolsters of the seats and then applied a liberal sprinkling of magic to give the whole thing a deep clean.  

The result is gorgeous: the seats are in a stunning condition and a credit to him. And, while the rest of the interior could do with another quick clean, we adore the green tartan finish; after all, if you’re going to treat yourself to a Porsche from the mid-seventies then you really might as well go all-in!

Other work included new seat belts and a considerable amount of electrical work.

The bad news is that the interior clock isn’t connected and so might not work, there are some small holes on the top of the dashboard, and the seat adjustor knobs and sun visor catches are home-made as the owner couldn’t find genuine replacement items. 

Oh, and the original radio is missing, although the speakers are new. That’s not a bad list of problems to have to deal with, is it?

The fuel injection system was missing when the current owner bought the car, and despite searching high and low for a replacement system he eventually admitted defeat and fitted a Weber carburettor to the refurbished fuel system.  

New throttle, clutch, and handbrake cables were fitted, along with new brake lines and brake master cylinder, and refurbished brake calipers (this car is fitted with disc brakes all round).

The complex and somewhat tortuous gearchange was also restored with new bushes and sleeves but the gear change itself remains something that you need to get used to; Porsche 914 aficionados will know that this is a common problem, and the gearchange on this car is about as good as they get!

The owner tells us that “the car handles superbly, much better than I had expected”, this being his first mid-engined sportscar. He went on to tell us that while the usual caveats about buying a nigh-on fifty-year-old car apply, he’s not aware of any mechanical problems and that the car is “going great!”.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever, having passed with no advisories. The car has only travelled approximately 300 miles since taking the test, and the MOT itself runs out in April 2019. 

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a thick wad of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it. It also has the original driver’s manual and maintenance record, as well as a Haynes workshop manual.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork.

While the Porsche 911 is the car every car enthusiast thinks they need, the mid-engined 914 has been slowly gaining traction over the past few years yet still offers an inexpensive route into Porsche ownership.

How inexpensive? Well, we think that it will sell for between £15,000 and £18,000, at which price point it still offers room for the new owner to add value by respraying the car if they feel that it needs it. Remember this is the 2.0 litre later version, a much more highly regarded engine compared to the early, lethargic 1.7 litre.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in North Yorkshire; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.