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Posted by: Eric_Shea May 15 2020, 05:59 PM

Meet PMB Coachwerks #009. Kelly Thorson’s 3.2 Twin Plug “Animal”. A beast refined yet, untamed. Kelly came to us with a dream and a vision of the 914-6 he always wanted. Today, he took the keys to the finished product.





Again, an owners vision creates the masterpiece. It’s easy to think “all 914’s are the same” especially when you stick a later model big six in a wide body chassis but, it’s the little things, the details, that really make a build and, they tend to make an awesome “dream car”.





So what do we have here? Excess, that’s what. Where do you want to start? How about the engine? That’s the heart of the matter and the embodiment of “excess”. When the car came to us it basically had a stock 3.2 Carrera motor. It had its issues and, when we finally got it apart, it was just in the nick of time. A rocker arm shaft nut was laying in the head. Off to the Professor it went. Twin Plug, Mod 906 Cams, High Compression Pistons, all topped off with a state of the art Rasant fuel injection system feeding PMO throttle bodies. She breaths through a modified set of M&B Specialties stainless heat exchangers that have been opened up to 3” throughout. The sound is intoxicating.





A 914/901 transmission with a Rennshift console, balsa wood knob and CFR shift linkage make it really precise and notchie. No wheelies allowed in first gear with this motor but, 2nd, 3rd and 4th are simply heaven (5th is the period at the end of the sentence as you watch another victim disappear in the rear view mirror).

Boxster brakes, Porterfield pads, Tarett Sway bar, Elephant bushings and Bilstein shocks and inserts down below. 7&8” Fuchs with a 944 offset in the rear. Love that combo.

Wide body metal flares, custom GT cooler opening in a chromed steel front bumper. Getty GT front hood and positive stripes but... our favorite feature is the new rear valance with dual 3” sport tips exiting through the valance for a subtle touch reminiscent of the original 914-6.








Inside Kelly selected custom leather GT seats with embroidered orange 914 silhouette’s. The same silhouettes adorn the custom 10k tach. Radio delete because the symphony is 6” behind your seat! A leather dash and full on 914-6 left hand key and steering column will leave the purists running to the VIN to do a double take.









Some of the more dramatic touches reside where most wont see them. Jaws drop when he opens the trunks. Custom diamond pleated covers adorn both trunks with, of course, orange stitching to match the classic Signal Orange paint. Dig deeper and you’ll find the custom oil cooler shroud that Mark DeBernardi developed when Kelly first got the car.













We feel truly blessed to have been able to put this one together for one of the nicest guys on the planet. Kelly’s been a 914 guy through and through for decades and this is the culmination of his dreams over the years. Gorgeous? Yes! Handles like a dream? Yep. Fast? Ummmmm... hell yeah!


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Posted by: Mueller May 15 2020, 06:06 PM

Wow, they just keep getting better and better Eric.

Posted by: Beebo Kanelle May 15 2020, 06:40 PM

Well Done!

Posted by: wes May 15 2020, 06:47 PM

Extremely well done in fact looking like something from th factory. I really like the oil cooler and spare tire housing.

Posted by: ndfrigi May 15 2020, 06:56 PM

Wow! nicely done Eric and congratulations to the owner!

Posted by: JOEPROPER May 15 2020, 07:24 PM

That's a thing of beauty! Good luck to caretaker!

Posted by: gonzo54 May 15 2020, 07:25 PM

009-What a sweet looking car! I really like all the attention to detail and it is my favorite color.

-Rick

Posted by: cuddy_k May 15 2020, 07:44 PM

I've seen (and lusted after) this build in-person. Truly amazing work. Congrats PMB...and Kelly!

Posted by: Dion May 15 2020, 07:57 PM

That is stunning. Hats off to ya’s. Nice touches on there making it unique to the owner.

Posted by: mepstein May 15 2020, 08:04 PM

I met Kelly and his car at WCR. Both are great. PMB is building some beautiful cars.

Posted by: 914Toy May 15 2020, 08:25 PM

Class act

Posted by: cary May 15 2020, 08:41 PM

Beautiful creation, Eric and PMB team.

Posted by: pete000 May 15 2020, 08:42 PM

Not worried about the fiberglass hood popping open with no hood pins? I heard it can flex causing the latch to disengage. I need one of those GT hood props !!!

Posted by: buck toenges May 15 2020, 09:57 PM

So how much horse power/torque does the engine produce? What compression ratio?

Just a question on the gt frunk lid, are they easy to break? If you slam your palm to shut the frunk can it crack? I always wondered.

Buck

Posted by: abes914 May 15 2020, 10:22 PM

Congrats to pmb and Kelly.

The car is gorgeous inside and out!

Love that color.

Posted by: flat4guy May 15 2020, 10:33 PM

Beautiful work - I can only dream about a car like this one day.

Posted by: wysri9 May 15 2020, 11:59 PM

Beautifully done Eric - the details are fantastic! Stunning

Posted by: Maltese Falcon May 16 2020, 01:55 AM

Perfect build Eric, N° 10 will move the baseline higher once again

Posted by: jmitro May 16 2020, 06:38 AM

that's awesome

Posted by: Cairo94507 May 16 2020, 07:26 AM

Wow! Just an amazing build. Eric and his PMB crew should be very pleased with the cars they are turning out. Kelly should be one very happy guy as he enjoys driving this beauty around. The attention to detail is stunning and I love the front trunk oil cooler/tire set-up. Nicely executed. My first 914-6 was signal orange and it is a beautiful color.

Posted by: DRPHIL914 May 16 2020, 07:27 AM

wow that’s stunning!! love the custom trunk covers! i remember Mark working on that custom shroud to go around the spare tire, it really turned out sweet. definitely one of the best out there , i am sure it will be a show stopper and winner

Posted by: campbellcj May 16 2020, 09:08 AM

Spectacular car - I hope it gets used and enjoyed thoroughly and frequently

Posted by: wes May 16 2020, 10:55 AM

Hey Eric that’s 2 of us looking for the GT Hood prop I’ll bet there are more of us!
Also more about the oil/space tire cooler shroud.

Posted by: raynekat May 16 2020, 10:38 PM

I'll take one as well......that's three of us for the GT hood prop.

Posted by: raynekat May 16 2020, 10:41 PM

I've got one of those Getty GT hoods with the balsa wood.
It is much more solid and less flexi than you think.
I've never had an issue with the hood popping open.
Even if it did, the factory secondary safety catch would prevent the hood from flying up I do believe.

Posted by: raynekat May 16 2020, 10:44 PM

I've got Getty GT hoods on my car and it's quite solid.
Would I sit on the middle of it? Of course not (wouldn't do that to a steel hood either now that I think about it).

But it's a very solid built component that I have no worries about pushing down quite hard to get the hoods latched.
If you get a high quality hood from a reputable manufacturer, I wouldn't think you'd have problems in this area.

Posted by: 914-300Hemi May 17 2020, 07:45 AM

Beautiful job Eric. I love the little touches like 914 silhouette on the seats and the tach.
Congratulations to the whole team. It look like a one of a kind car.

Posted by: gereed75 May 17 2020, 08:26 AM

Very nice Eric!

I also think that this front oil cooler ducting is absolutely the most elegant, best looking, best executed and functional method out there. Very “factory” looking (assuming you have no desire to replicate the quick and dirty factory GT race car method)

Bravo!

Gonna do a kit?

Posted by: jfort May 17 2020, 10:54 AM

a work of art. I am impressed. I have the layman's version and I love it.

Posted by: SO.O.C914er May 17 2020, 01:50 PM

A true thing of beauty. Detail on top of detail.

Posted by: BuddyV May 17 2020, 01:59 PM

Never thought I would see the day when our cars justified a budget like this..... today is a good day.

That spare is color matched.

Posted by: Montreal914 May 17 2020, 02:15 PM

Beautiful vision, exquisite execution!

Bravo!

Posted by: 914forme May 18 2020, 02:50 PM

Love the modified GT cooler and ductwork. Car is

Posted by: JmuRiz May 18 2020, 07:47 PM

100% agree, I was going to do a rear cooler in my conversion but I'd do this one in a flash if it were a kit at a reasonable price.

Posted by: Frankvw May 19 2020, 02:53 AM

wow, great work done to (very) high standards. Cool the logo on the tach as well. Enginebay so clean !! And a very nice touch to rivet 009 on it !

Posted by: rgalla9146 May 19 2020, 04:50 AM

I agree.
I had no concern about my GT/balsa hoods until I was asked if the hood appeared
stable and questions like 'no hood pins ? '
Now If I hit 80-90 mph it's on my mind.
Why would a glass hood be inherently more likely to blow open ?
If driven at high speed on the safety latch I can see the issue, but firmly
closed I think it should be safe.
Is there a history of blowing open ?

Posted by: echocanyons May 19 2020, 08:06 AM

A huge thanks to Eric and Sam and the team at PMB for making this happen.

Thanks also for all of the kind words about the car!

As far as the question with the fiberglass hood and stock latch mechanism. I drove it at high speeds through heavy winds and had zero issues, of course the fitment on this is everything, I can imagine if the hood did not fit well it could catch some air and have an issue.

It’s was a great adventure to drive this thing 1500 miles across the Southwest. I highly recommend a long drive in these cars.





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Posted by: eric9144 May 19 2020, 09:06 AM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=7 congratulations and fantastic pictures!

Posted by: 914werke May 19 2020, 09:39 AM

Looks Fantastic!

Posted by: pete000 May 19 2020, 11:26 AM

I know the factory latch has the safety catch built in, but I hear wife's tales of the hood flexing at high speeds, I would imagine well over 100mph in racing conditions allowing the hood to possibly blow open. This is why the factory always uses pins.

I have a FG hood but not too keen on welding up hood pin stands, so it sits in my garage. I am not sure I have the guts to run it with out the pins.

Posted by: Craigers17 May 19 2020, 11:49 AM

Wow! Beautiful Car! If that first picture was a poster, I would definitely buy one!

Posted by: siverson May 19 2020, 12:01 PM

Sweet! Nice work.

-Steve

Posted by: campbellcj May 19 2020, 06:26 PM

The Getty lids I have - which are fantastic - can be seen visibly flexing on the track at-speed. Other drivers have even commented about it.

Posted by: veltror May 20 2020, 08:59 AM

Absolutely spiffing sir !

Posted by: Eric_Shea May 27 2020, 03:30 PM

We do have a kit for the GT hood prop. Those are $379.00

We will not have a kit for McMarks oil cooler setup. This unit has gone through some changes over the years and, is "extremely" expensive to build out properly. It is a true work of art and a key defining feature of this build. I still get goosebumps when I peel back that trunk board. It originally had a small Setrab cooler installed that was being taxed by the 3.2 twin plug motor. It also had four fans in the exits which actually impeded the hot air escape a little. Our latest rendition tried to stay true to Marks masterpiece while adding a larger cooler and improving the flow.

Please don't do a rear cooler.

Thanks for all of the comments. Kelly, those pictures are epic 914 gold!

Posted by: ValcoOscar May 27 2020, 03:38 PM

Just exceptional work!!!! Congrats to Kelly, and the entire build team at PMB.



Absolute stunner

Oscar