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Posted by: scottsilvertt Oct 2 2022, 10:13 AM

Do people really think the 914 is ugly? I never thought so.

I have seen far uglier cars...many of them. Even most cars today are not worth a second look.

I remember it coming out as a kid. So many had poor things to say about the 914. My older brother was Chalon crazy. (he liked the car on his own with no outside influences)
Sadly, I listened to friends and the press...and was too young to form my own opinion.

What had people not liking the car?

what's not to like:
the pop up headlights...about as cool as it can get
the trick removable roof.
the two storage spaces
the engine in the middle? who does that, its amazing.
the simple, never out of style interior.
the lightest seats in the world.
the Italian style door handles. flush and wonderful.

I think of it as another little 904.
a good red one looks like a Ferrari to me.
a friend of mine had a gold, low mileage second gen , angled shaped, Dino (from around 1976). yes, it was neat, but I like the 914 better.

I cannot get enough of the car. I'm more fascinated with it more today than any earlier decade.
I mean the car was incredible at Le Mans.

I knew a guy who said he had over 20 of the cars...and could look at them all day.
what an amazing car that was 50 years ahead of its time.
I can't think of a single high production car, in all history that was more unique, and stayed unique for decades.




spending time with an airplane, and what color is this??


4x4 in the mountains of Europe

Posted by: Pursang Oct 2 2022, 11:10 AM

Thanks Scott. That was a well written tribute. There are always those who will dismiss the 914. That is their opinion and I don't really care. What is important to remember is that there are admirers and detractors for just about every make and model of car. Or airplane. Or boat. Whatever.

I think that Muhammad Ali said it best (although I an entirely different context ) "Different strokes for different folks").

Posted by: mlindner Oct 2 2022, 01:29 PM

Not me, love them.

Posted by: Steve Oct 2 2022, 01:37 PM

I think it was mainly when it first came out. American cars from the 60’s had a rear with pointy things that resembled rockets or jet engines, because of the space race with Russia. There were comments that you can’t tell if a 914 was coming or going because the rear was smooth and the front had the pointy projectiles. It also looks like a picnic basket with a black handle. The 914 design is form follows function, so nerds like myself is attracted to it.

Posted by: mepstein Oct 2 2022, 01:55 PM

I wish more people thought they were ugly. I’d rather they be undesirable and low priced. I still want to buy a couple more.

Posted by: bbrock Oct 2 2022, 02:40 PM

You are asking a very biased audience of course, but for me, it was love at first sight. As a kid, my interest in cars was pretty much limited to Hot Wheels and Aurora HO scale slot cars. Of course there were Ford GTs and 917s in the collection but I didn't pay that much attention to what was a Ford, Porsche, or whatever. As for actual cars, corvettes and the Batmobile were cool. Not much else grabbed my attention. Not even the corvairs that my uncle had and I would now love to own. Then one day my mom was driving me to the Schwinn bicycle shop and I spotted the first 914 I can remember seeing. Adriatic blue I believe. I thought it was the coolest car I had ever seen. So different from anything else and somehow made perfect sense on an instinctual level. Luckily, the car had negative side stripes so I knew it was a Porsche. That was the spark and I knew that when I had money to buy my first car, it would be a 914.

Funny that I only started paying attention to 911s after my intro to the 914. I didn't like them at first. They looked too much like a beetle, and beetles were just a cheap car for getting around town while looking awkward at best and making funky engine noises. Of course my taste for beetles and 911s have changed since then. Or maybe I just had no taste back then since I preferred the ugly 914 over the timeless classic shape of a 911. A lot of kids my age thought the same way and that might have something to do with it. A lot of us on the forum are "kids my age" and maybe there is something about being introduced to a car way ahead of its time at an age when we were receptive to such things.

I'm with OP on most modern cars. I think we are in a dark age of car styling. I'm so sick of the "angry birds" styling of modern cars. Not a fan of the pastel clay colors for paint either. Trendy rather than timeless. Then the ID.Buzz appears and I have hope. Nice to see a car smiling again.

Posted by: StarBear Oct 2 2022, 02:55 PM

914 styling is timeless; has never gone out of style despite many cultural and design evolutions. Smooth and simple; nothing needed.

Posted by: Superhawk996 Oct 2 2022, 02:56 PM

I’m not going to say a 914 is ugly but I definitely think the Dino is a far more elegant design. The 914 is how shall I say . . . Germanic. Form follows function. Quirky, unique. I like it for those reasons but I value a 914 for it’s steering and handling far more than I care about styling.

Posted by: AZBanks Oct 2 2022, 03:21 PM

There are two kinds of people in the world.

Those who think the 914 is beautiful,
And those who are wrong.

Posted by: Geezer914 Oct 2 2022, 03:32 PM

AZbanks nailed it!

Posted by: Alain V. Oct 2 2022, 04:14 PM

I’ve never thought of the 914 as ugly,,,,,,,except for the USA version front side marker lights. Whoever was responsible for those should have been beaten with a rubber hose.

Posted by: KELTY360 Oct 2 2022, 04:29 PM

That would be the USDOT that was mandating safety measures. They were right about seat belts…except most people refused to use them.

Posted by: bbrock Oct 2 2022, 06:34 PM

I tend to think they were right about side markers too, especially given how the average size of passenger vehicles has escalated. But there are right ways and wrong ways to do them. What Porsche did to the 914 was the wrong way.

Posted by: bkrantz Oct 2 2022, 07:17 PM

Just to play devil's (critic's) advocate, a few design features that might challenge the unsophisticated:

Narrow front fender "wings"
A car with two "rear ends"
Targa bar, including the side panel curve
A bit slab-sided
Not a "fastback"

Posted by: Chris H. Oct 2 2022, 08:15 PM

Safety regulations are also the reason the nose of the US cars were delivered so much higher than the rear. Bumper height requirements I think.

Posted by: Jamie Oct 2 2022, 08:41 PM

I was informed the elevated nose was actually done to raise headlight height to satisfy a USA requirement.

Posted by: VaccaRabite Oct 2 2022, 09:32 PM

Compared to other sports cars in the late 60s and early 70s, the 914 is certainly an odd duck. I can't call it a beautiful car, even though its one of my favorites.

If you think of all the classic sports cars of the era, they are swoopy. They have curves. The 914 is blocky. It was very un-Porsche. And I don't think that played well for the Porsche geeks of the time that were used to curvy and sleek 356s and 911s. And Porsche learned that lesson making the 924, 944, and 928, Boxster, etc. sleek and curvy. It isn't until the modern Porsche SUVs that you are seeing blocky designs again.

VW picked up on the blocky design theme with the Scirocco in the 80s and then Corrado in the 90s, and of course all the period GTIs. But even the VW cars that existed at the time of the 914 were more curvy. And VW of the 80s and 90s was going after a niche market while desperately trying to keep their doors open in the US market (where they were saved by another curvy car - the "New" Beetle.)

The 914 isn't beautiful. It is quirky. It stands out. And I like that.

Zach

Posted by: B3owulf Oct 3 2022, 12:35 AM

I thought they were ugly until I saw one in person. The first one I actually saw I was fascinated with. Before I thought they were boxy and plain.

I think a lot of the subtle curves get lost in pictures and you need to see it in person to appreciate it.

I also think wheels matter a lot on this car. The right wheels really make it jump out at you.

Posted by: Mikey914 Oct 3 2022, 12:40 AM

For looks, it's interesting, very unique, and truly a great all around car. But once you drive it, your hooked. I'm reminded of this every time it's been awhile and I jump in my car.

Posted by: wonkipop Oct 3 2022, 04:41 AM

i'd go further.
its out. as in outside. its time.
its never been in a time?
(maybe thats what timeless is? but its a very misused term these days).

it isn't even late 60s or early 70s from a high design point of view.

its definitely original.

and it is not classicism.
like a 911 is.
which is the usual cliche of timeless.

all it is in the end is a car that doesn't fit in.
easy prey for insults from the fitters in.

thats why i like it.

Posted by: Ansbacher Oct 3 2022, 08:06 AM

914s are definitely beautiful, that is until some owners start fiddling with the design. Flared fenders come to mind...ugh.

Ansbacher

Posted by: mgphoto Oct 3 2022, 09:40 AM

The 914 represents a glimpse into the future, gone is the styling of the Ferrari GTO (although in my opinion the ‘64 disco is the most beautiful car ever).
With the 914 there aren’t any straight lines but it gets straight to the point, and that point is what is to come.
A 914/6GT in race trim points to the Lancia Stratos which leads to the Audi Quattro.
The future is tough to see at the beginning, that’s why hindsight is 20-20.

Posted by: Jamie Oct 3 2022, 09:58 AM

Beauty is a subjective aesthetic assumption, I'm more in the "love 914 camp" that form follows function. There were many innovations in the 914 series that were way ahead of their time, and what has become a wonderful platform to restore and modify to our personal use and appreciation, as a delightful and valued little road, curve and track warrior!

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Oct 3 2022, 10:06 AM

I was one who thought the 914 ugly, both when my older brother got one and then when I got "stuck" with it a few years later after he left for college. Was a cheap, old sports car and the butt of many jokes back then…and so I dreamed of updating/upgrading it and/or making it look less like a 914. Or anything but a 914.

More than 30 years later, I'm glad I didn't have the resources to modify the car's bodywork. I love the M471 and competition cars, but have grown to love the basic 914 design, too…and the purer & more reduced, the better. And with each year that passes, it gets better and better looking to me.

Posted by: kerensky Oct 3 2022, 10:27 AM

While I've always loved the 914, if anything bugged me about the design it was always the 'sail pillars'. They've always looked like the designer didn't quite know what to do with them and just kinda whacked the roof off and said "Enh, good enough." Then someone called it plain and they said "Just throw some vinyl on there, the Americans will think its a convertible!"

Back in the 80s I was fascinated with the Rayco kits, and also the Chalon, mainly because I liked what they did with the pillar. (Like the guy above me, I'm glad I didn't have the cash to go that route) These days I'm more accepting of it, but it's still the primary reason I far prefer the 914 in dark colors. Mine has always been black, so that worked out.

Posted by: 930cabman Oct 3 2022, 10:31 AM

Years ago I was in the 911 shape was beauty, these days I am neutral for 911 vs 914, but I own 4 914's, a 911S and a 930

BTW, I am somewhat an authority on the definition of ugly: the year was 1987 and the Ford dealers in upstate NY held an "Ugly Truck Contest". I won the contest with a 1967 Dodge Power Wagon, Ford gave me the keys to a brand new 1987 Ford Ranger.

Beauty/ugly is in the eyes of the beholder

Posted by: Shivers Oct 3 2022, 12:47 PM

My Uncle bought one new in 1970, I was 13. I thought it was the most beautiful car I’d ever seen. Of course a baby duck will imprint on a mailbox if it is the first thing it see’s. 12 years later I had one of my own. Then I saw a GT, and that became my favorite 914.

Posted by: 914GTSTI Oct 3 2022, 08:42 PM

For me it was just "A head of the times."

Posted by: vitamin914 Oct 4 2022, 05:53 AM

In his Garage series, Jay Leno said "I wouldn't call it a pretty car, more like a handsome car".

I saw my first 914 in 1981.

Sixteen years old, I had my newly minted driver's licence and went for my first solo drive in my parent's Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser wagon. Headed north on two-lane hwy 12 and came up on a used classic car dealer operating out of an old barn. On the front grass sat two 914s, a green and yellow. Immediately it was a what the heck are those moment! I stopped, got out and walked around them peering through the glass to see the inside.

That first impression never left me... At some point I bought a 914 that I could afford (it was the matchbox die cast version).

40 years later, I now have two real 914s. The love affair continues.

Posted by: pek771 Oct 4 2022, 06:29 AM

Its a 914. Some people don't care for Carmen Electra either.

Posted by: Midway Oct 4 2022, 07:16 AM

When I first saw a picture of one, I thought, what were they thinking! But the 914 looks good in the flesh, something I'm glad of because the first one I saw was my own just after it landed at the Fremantle dock.
Regarding the styling, Porshe could have done something like a late sixties' version of the 904 and a bit more practical but that wouldn't have been good for the 911. It's better looking than the Lotus Europa and will probably be more timeless than an X1/9.

Posted by: Chris H. Oct 4 2022, 09:50 AM

Well whatever it was, mine looked like a gasser when I bought it. So much better when you level it out.

Posted by: ClayPerrine Oct 4 2022, 11:01 AM

I disagree.. While I do like a narrow bodied 914, I much prefer a factory flared 914.

To each his own.

Posted by: Dredwin Oct 4 2022, 11:32 AM

I loved the look as a kid...flatter seemed faster in my mind. Although I also liked the Riviera wheels so my taste was uniquely tied to the era that make people cringe now

I always thought the 911 looked like a frog...930 with the tray/whale tail though changed my mind about 911s.

I recently bought a Tesla, which is changing my mind about crawling under cars.

Posted by: emerygt350 Oct 4 2022, 04:14 PM

I agree with Zach and mikey


I prefer swoopy (like my first car, the opel gt) but the unique design of an unmodified 914 is great. Maybe not beautiful, but definitely great.

Took this photo this morning. Nothing like a little rain to make my paint look good.



Here is my old opel.



Sold the opel back in the early 00s after 12 years of awesomeness.

Posted by: wonkipop Oct 4 2022, 04:36 PM

maybe.
but 914/6s were set up level by the factory in stuttgart.
very evident in early publicity shots.

publicity shots of 914/4s of same era (early) definitely show nose up for 4s.

explanation that makes most sense to me is demands by conservative VW approving engineers for built in under-steer on their version. VW did it with all their cars to ensure that when the front trunk was loaded the car came down level and not nose down to try and maintain understeer characteristic through all typical luggage loadings. VW were very nervous about any over-steer characteristics in cars they sold.
check photos of new VWs from that era. all sat nose up unloaded. bugs, type 3s and particularly superbeetles and 412s.

edit
back to topic.
reading comments perhaps the word everyone is looking for is "offbeat".
or maybe even "alien" (in the true meaning of the word).
but its not ugly. at the beginning it would have been definitely unfamiliar.

a bit like the lunar module.

i only really wanted to do two other things when i went to live in the USA to get my education finished.
1. buy a 914.
2. see only remaining mission ready lunar module left.
managed to do both.
i would not call either of them beautiful. nor ugly.
neither word has any thing to do with either of them.

Posted by: Txbentleyboy Oct 4 2022, 06:54 PM

There's more original equipment on my 914!

Posted by: gulf908 Oct 4 2022, 11:32 PM

I always thought the front end of the Karmann prototype looked well done but we couldn't have this version looking nicer than a 911,could we ?
just my 0.02c worth . . .

cheers
Dennis


Attached image(s)

Posted by: 914GTSTI Oct 5 2022, 12:41 AM

Big brother ?

Posted by: 914GTSTI Oct 5 2022, 12:42 AM

Big brother ?

Posted by: wonkipop Oct 5 2022, 03:08 AM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=25740

you must have one of the best chalons left in existence mate.
it looks really cool in that photo. 80s. its so much a mullet its beyond good and bad.

pleased to see you once owned an opel gt. very suave.

Posted by: Superhawk996 Oct 5 2022, 07:36 AM

This is what’s funny about the subjectivity of styling.

One man’s improvement is another’s degradation. There is no way I’d own a 914 if they had gone with that prototype design.

Often times a great design evokes a Love/Hate polarizing response. As long as the “love” demographic is sufficiently motivated to buy - it can be a successful business case.


Example: PT Cruiser design - evokes a very strong love / hate response. The program was only supposed to be about 40k units annually and it was only supposed to be a 4 year program with a predictable loss of demand toward the end of the 4 years. Program planning and marketing didn’t know what to think about such a quirky design. Was it a car, a truck (it was for CAFE purposes), or a small van sort of thing? By the time it launched, demand was at 200k units, a second assembly line was contracted out of Europe. Ultimately it was in production for 10 years and it was a cash cow for Chrysler, DaimlerChrysler, and then Cerberus / Chrysler LLC. Love it or hate it, there were more than enough lovers to make it a wildly successful program.

The 914 was like that - love it or hate it, it outsold 911’s.

Posted by: scottsilvertt Oct 5 2022, 11:27 AM

the 914 in 1964


unreal 914 model

Posted by: wonkipop Oct 6 2022, 04:18 AM

i'm with you on the headlight visible so called prototype @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=22428
awful.

i'm calling that its a karmann prototype.
i'll lay $ down now, much as you want, its just an air brush touch up visualisation.
(these days they CAD model and render).
probably done by h klie circa 1972/73 to investigate whether the 914 would be a dog if they dropped the pop up expensive headlights. after viewing the airbrush no doubt the VW executives and porsche representives agreed to look elsewhere for value management savings. which might have been the negative intentional purpose of said airbrush?

good thing they never did it or i would never have bothered to go to so much trouble to have a 914.

Posted by: Superhawk996 Oct 6 2022, 07:42 AM

You are probably right on the cost saving investigation.

It’s funny to me that a design starts with pop-ups but as soon as they can, OEMs start looking for the cost savings of fixed lamps.

I had a 1st gen Miata that had pop ups. 2nd gen came out with fixed lamps. I didn’t like the styling at all. Those fixed lamps plus the usual weight gain removed it from my consideration list.

For some reason I’m drawn to pop up headlamps. I always thought the 928 was a neat way to do them but I really prefer them to be completely hidden like the 914.

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=24231

Posted by: Cairo94507 Oct 6 2022, 08:30 AM

I have loved the 914 since I saw my first one in 1970. I have owned 4 - all stock bodied. I would like a flared version with a nice 6 in it but alas, it is not to be. If I were to sell my 6 it would be for a Dino- just love them.

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Oct 6 2022, 08:34 AM

I once stood at the test track and asked four PAG old-timers if they thought Porsche should do another entry-level sports car, something under the Boxster/Cayman, which by then had become very refined thanks to the progression of 997s and (I think?) 991s.

They looked at me like I was an idiot, smiled, and answered with a resounding "NO." Then laughed. Silly boy.

So I asked, "Why not?"

Their answer was simple: "Bad for the brand."

Which is funny, as the 912, 914, 924, 944, and 986 were all hugely beneficial for the brand…arguably saving it. There are also a lot of us who started with a 914, whether new or well used, and went on to buy used Porsches that need parts and service as well as new Porsches—911s included. In my case, a used 914 made me fall in love with the Porsche way of driving. Trying to remember if that interaction at Weissach was about the time the Macan, a rebadged Audi Q5 and the first Porsche on a chassis not engineered from scratch by Porsche, was either under development or already out—which would eventually be offered with, wait for it, a VW/Audi inline four.

Posted by: brant Oct 6 2022, 08:53 AM

I believe it was actually headlight height regulations that caused that in the US

my 1983 SC had the 3/4 of an inch solid spacer on the top of the strut (body lift) for the same reason.

Posted by: Superhawk996 Oct 6 2022, 09:07 AM

Building SUVs and 4 door sedans is good for the Brand? I have no doubt it has been profitable. But good for the brand? I don’t think so.

Porsche ceased to exist for me when they put out the Cayenne. Glad the gents from PAG have a good grasp on what the brand is (vs. what it was).

Posted by: ValcoOscar Oct 6 2022, 09:46 AM

Well said Scott...I'm a lifer


[attachmentid=854044]

Posted by: kerensky Oct 6 2022, 02:38 PM

They certainly grasp what sells to the Chardonnay-swilling new-money elitists that will drop six figures on a dressed-up station wagon.

Posted by: ClayPerrine Oct 6 2022, 02:46 PM

While I agree with the poster above, we are considering a Cayenne S to replace the GMC Envoy we currently have for a tow vehicle/grocery getter. It actually is a very good tow vehicle.

And maybe the Porsche purists will cut me some slack if I actually have a Porsche that is something other than a 914.

Posted by: Superhawk996 Oct 6 2022, 03:01 PM

I've driven them all. They are great SUV's relative to the competition but that is sort of a low bar. Makes it all the harder for me to hate on them . . . but I can't change now

I have no doubt that once you're in a Cayenne . . . you'll be welcomed with open arms.

Posted by: kerensky Oct 6 2022, 03:09 PM

I save my derision for folks who buy a Porsche so they can be seen driving a Porsche, but don't have any inkling what it *really* means. I'm relatively certain that excludes anyone on this site. I happen to like the Cayenne (and even the Macan) but I don't think I could bring myself to write that check for 84+ months.

Posted by: wonkipop Oct 6 2022, 03:12 PM

that is certainly true of 911s - that USA market cars were set higher than ROW.
interesting thing is i am pretty sure its from around 75 on. might even be a G body thing. the whole car sits up higher in orig form. i think they stopped around mid 80s or so. might have even been with intro of 964. could have been headlights - likely collision bumpers given the circa 75 date. but before approx 75 i don't believe 911s were set higher. but not really sure, don't really know 911s properly.

begs the question about 914s which are by and large pre 75.
the 4s all seemed to be set sat up at the front - but not the 6s.
the thing that makes me think its not to do with any USA specific regs is that euro 4s seemed to sit up at front from the showroom too. however the 6s did not appear to be that way in any markets.

Posted by: lesorubcheek Oct 7 2022, 11:52 AM

Very good point, and I'm tending to believe it's true. There's a good Hagerty article that discusses the US bumper laws in the early 70s. It says the legislature was announced in 1971 to be in effect beginning in 1973. For '73, the front must survive a 5mph impact and the rear 2.5mph. For '74, 5mph both front and rear. Certainly jives with the 914 bumper tits and '73 911 front tits as well. The '74 911 redesign also makes sense as a proactive means to handle the new regs. Searched high and low for actual bumper height requirements but can't find any details. Only a brief statement on the Hagerty article that mentions height, and only the implication that too low bumper may plow under and therefore not meet the crash regs. In any case I've yet to see mention of any laws pre '73 that would require the front to be elevated.

Also tried to find information regarding headlight laws. All that I could dig up related to the dual 7" laws up to 1957, quad 5-3/4" up to 1975, followed by the rectangular lights.... all the stuff about halogens being illegal in the 70s... but nothing specifically about headlight height. Only talk regarding the beam angle, for which height obviously has a geometric advantage, but nothing saying that headlights must be x inches from ground level. Maybe there were such laws, but dang if I can find them.

And to stay on topic, no I don't think 914s are ugly, however plenty of cars are more attractive, perform better and would be as or maybe more fun to own and drive, without a doubt. I'd love a Miura or a Dino or maybe even a new C8 Z06, but they're not gonna magically appear in our garage. The reason I love 914s is the blend of practicality, fun, economy and nostalgia, with a good helping of originality thrown in as well. I didn't really give a crap if anyone else liked my car when I was in high school and college. I loved it and still do. Just gotta get her roadworthy once again, which is also a very enjoyable activity.

Dan

Posted by: 930cabman Oct 7 2022, 12:05 PM

A Dino would be a good trade off, maybe?

Posted by: Jamie Oct 7 2022, 01:10 PM

Dogging Porcshe for the SUV's is a low blow, a denial of the value they have added to the company. I happen to love my Cayenne diesel as a truck/tow vehicle/daily driver with enhanced performance, just as I also love my Cayman and 914, all for different reasons.

Posted by: r_towle Oct 16 2022, 09:36 PM

The 914 beat it’s 911 sibling many times on the track with a VW Van engine…btdt, makes me smile.
I have a 911,356, and I proudly drive (with little mercy) my 2005 Cayenne Turbo both on and off road.
I happen to love the brand.
I’m a bit tired of the water cooled cars, so I’m back finishing up the aircooled cars now. I do love the 914….because it’s just odd.
I love the G body 911 cab, again it’s a bit odd
Leader of the pack…the cayenne, with off-road tires, lifted up high, towing a Porsche….all funny to me.

Posted by: r_towle Oct 16 2022, 09:40 PM

I have towed a lot in my life.
The Cayenne turbo is the first tow vehicle I can accelerate while towing to pass cars better than most cars perform while not towing.

Amazing engineering when you drive a similar luxury SUV back to back….really amazing what Porsche did with the suspension and performance.

Love them fir what they are.
The 914 still is my favorite

Posted by: Front yard mechanic Oct 17 2022, 08:26 AM

I think 914s are beautiful I also love all the 911s really like the 944s dig the cayennes and I may go out and buy a Lamborghini 4x4 suv I guess I’m just a motor head with not enough room in my drive way

Posted by: Steve Oct 17 2022, 04:08 PM

I own two and it was love at first site the first time I saw one in the mid seventies. But I am guessing even Porsche thought it was ugly and sent out some real sixes in a design study to make it look better and of course I think they made it worse.
Including this French example: