FAST

FACTS

The mid-engined 914 weighs as little as 2094 lbs
The 2.0L 4 cyl (aka VW’s Type 4 engine – featured here) arrived in 1973, replacing the old 2.0L 6 cyl from the 914/6 (which shared its engine with the 911). The 4 cyl not only matched the torque output of the 6 cyl, but it was also lighter in weight and made only 10 fewer horsepower
One of the more impressive features of the new 4 cyl was its bore-to-stroke ratio. The bore size was 3.7″, paired with quite a short stroke (2.79″). This gives the 914 2.0 a bore to stroke ratio of 1.33 – a ratio typically reserved for high RPM race engines (for reference, the typical street engine rarely exceeds a 1.1 ratio)
One of the factors that killed the 914/6 was an “unexpected” rise in production cost. 914/6 bodies were initially produced by VW before getting shipped to Porsche for completion. Heinz Nordhoff, CEO of VW, had a “handshake” agreement with Ferry Porsche (a close friend) on a fixed price for these 914/6 bodies. However, Nordhoff died in 1968, and never got a chance to explain this agreement to his replacement, Kurt Lotz
Kurt, who knew nothing about the deal, raised the price of the 914/6 bodies. The increase did not fit into Porsche’s pricing structure (it raised the MSRP on the slow-selling 914/6), so Porsche axed the 914/6 altogether
The achilles heel of driving an early 914 was the vague shifter feel. Known as the “tail shifter”, the sloppy feel is the result of the shifter linkage having to make a few 90° turns before entering the rear of the transmission. 1973 and newer 914s ditched this “tail shifter” for an improved “side shifter”, which had a much shorter shifter rod and was better supported

Key Model Year Changes:

The standard steel wheels are now 5.5″ wide VW wheels
First year of the rear rubber bumper guards
Headlight surrounds are now black plastic (vs white)
U.S cars receive the required ignition seat-belt interlock buzzer
The previous year (1973) received the desirable upgraded shift linkage. 1973 was also the first year of the 2.0 engine (replacing the 6 cyl)

Specs: