1976 Porsche 914 2.0

This late-model 914 comes from the final year of production in 1976. Originally shipped to California, where it has spent nearly its entire life, it was imported to the UK in 2011 as a restoration project. The next decade was spent getting it back to the condition you see it in today. Now sporting a 2056cc engine (yet still listed as a 1970cc on the V5C) it has a lot more get up and go than the original model. The lack of firepower to exploit its excellent mid-engine chassis was always one of the chief 914 complaints.

No such issues here. In fact, the car’s extensive engine work – including a custom fuel injection system and complete engine rebuild amounted to a vast proportion of the £45k spent on the car’s total restoration. This huge expenditure involved totally stripping back this 914 to its base components, replacing what could be replaced with new and refurbishing what couldn’t. The odometer currently shows just 43,152 and the vendor informs us that all the remedial work was completed with the odometer on 42,969. That means this 914 has covered less than 200 miles since it was comprehensively rebuilt.

Being so fresh from restoration, it’s perhaps not surprising to discover that this 914 still looks very good. Its Nepal Orange paintwork is gleaming and its accompanying chromework is excellent – except for some slight patina found on the driver’s front ¾ window trim. The bodywork is straight with panel gaps that look uniform. The overall impression is extremely favourable, however a closer inspection does reveal a few areas where the paint finish could benefit from some light fettling.

One such spot can be seen on the top of the nearside front wing, where some light bubbling is affecting the paint finish. There’s also a single bubble on the wheelarch lip, but this is very small and hasn’t broken through. There are a few more small patches of paint that need further attention to make the finish flawless, though they’re by no means in need of immediate attention. There’s a further spot of bubbling (possibly from moisture) just around the passenger door handle and another section on the passenger side of the windscreen scuttle. It’s worth pointing out here that it’s our job to be picky and to all but the most fastidious of onlookers, many of these imperfections would go unnoticed.

So often a good exterior renovation is let down by an owner skipping the costly and time-consuming job of commissioning an interior restoration. Thankfully, the vendor hasn’t scrimped on this 914. The correct period trim for those lovely seats was recreated in the US and sent over here to recover the pews. Our vendor recovered the seats himself, and we think you'll agree he did a particularly good job. The dashboard – usually the Achille’s heel of any California car – has had its cracks filled and the top recovered to as-new appearance. The same job was implemented for the fascia and it looks as good as the rest of the dash. Carpets look fantastic and are covered by some very nice ’50 Jahre 914’ over-mats to keep them that way for a long time to come. Peeking underneath them and the carpets we saw some very solid looking floors too.

The prop is missing for the front trunk, but it’s light enough to hold. The components under here all look new or refurbished, as do all their attendant fixtures and fittings. Everywhere we looked we failed to see a corner cut or a refurbishment missing. It seems that the vendor’s claim that this 914 has seen ‘fastidiously restoration’ certainly holds water. There are a few nice additions to the generally standard setup of this 914 too, with an iPod ready (but totally stock looking) stereo fitted. There’s also a cut-off switch under the dash for the new electric fuel pump, which doubles as a handy immobiliser.

There’s a whole lot more to be happy about underneath this 914. Floors and sills all look to be in very solid shape and have been protected from further harm with a good dose of wax. The vendor informs us that all channels and cavities in the shell have also received plenty of treatment. Though we did notice a hole from corrosion in the offside wheelarch where the floor joins the inner arch. It’s out of the prescribed 30cm from the suspension and is easily missed, which is likely why it has been. The vendor reports that it was treated & as it was so small (around 5mm), it was filled out painted at the time. It appears as though the filler may have come away & needs to be reapplied. 

The engine bay is very clean and tidy, though the aftermarket Pipercross air filter – without cold-air feed – will no doubt prove jarring to some. Wiring all appears like new and there’s further evidence of its replacement as its labelling all remains in place from refitting. The suspension is taken care of by a new set of Bilsteins all round, which no doubt work wonders with those near new Vredestein Sprint Classic tyres.

The vendor reports that the nine-year restoration of this classic Porsche has amounted to approximately £45k and judging by the vast sea of invoices included with this car, there’s certainly plenty to back this up. There are vast reams of invoices for washers, nuts and bolts in addition to the aforementioned orange plaid cloth for the seats, new headlining cloth, as well as a substantial number of repair panels – including those for the notoriously tricky to fix battery tray.

The 2.0-litre flat-four engine has – according to the vendor – been professionally rebuilt by Angus and his team at Greatworth Classics (GWC) who specialise in 914s and air-cooled 911s. The process involved replacing the cylinder heads with new modified versions to meet the original 914 specification (using VW Type 2 heads as a base). A new FF73 cam was fitted along with new 96mm Keith Black pistons to make up the new engine displacement of 2056cc. The vendor adds that he also commissioned GWC to build and install a brand-new fuel injection system using an Omex 600 ECU plus new injectors. The bill from this specialist alone is said to account for £17k of the total spend on the restoration.

There’s way too much here to list everything but the big jobs above have corresponding invoices (we believe around £33k worth), it’s good to see bills for new gaskets, seals, brake hoses and other running gear components as well as the sundries of restoration. It has to be noted that the invoices photographed do not amount to the sum suggested by the vendor, e.g we don't have invoices for the painting or body restoration. The car is reported to drive without fault and the paper trail in the history certainly suggests that. Further proof of spend (soft copy invoices / bank statements) and photographs of the step-by-step restoration are available upon request.

Regardless, it’s clear that this 914 has been extensively rebuilt to a high standard. There’s nothing that requires immediate attention (unless you’re entering a concours event) and it’s reported to drive without fault. The colour is eye-catching and the engine’s useful increase in grunt – not to mention the car’s Bilstein suspension – are bound to allow you to get the best from this famously fun-handling roadster. There’s a real sense here that attention has been paid to the details and keeping this important part of Porsche’s back catalogue as standard as possible. That’s why we’re confident it’ll reach its £30,000 - £40,000 estimate.

Viewing is always encouraged and as stated this car is located at THE MARKET headquarters near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and 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’.