914 in the Sunday NY Times, Porsche / VW takeover, with a look at the 914 |
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914 in the Sunday NY Times, Porsche / VW takeover, with a look at the 914 |
VaccaRabite |
Nov 5 2007, 08:29 AM
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#1
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En Garde! Group: Admin Posts: 13,465 Joined: 15-December 03 From: Dallastown, PA Member No.: 1,435 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region |
Link to the article
Just thought you all might like to see this. (IMG:http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/11/02/automobiles/collectibles/600-Porsche914.jpg) A Child From Their First Marriage Porsche 914 By PHIL PATTON Published: November 4, 2007 THE last legal barriers to Porsche’s control of Volkswagen may have fallen with a decision by the European Court of Justice. Its ruling last month struck down a German law and cleared the way for Porsche, already the largest shareholder, to obtain a majority stake in VW. The prospect of a takeover recalls a difficult collaboration of four decades ago, the 914. Nicknamed the people’s Porsche, the 914 was a midengine two-seater that grew from talks in 1966 between Ferry Porsche, son of the company’s founder, and the head of VW, Heinrich Nordhoff. In 1967, a 30-year-old German engineer named Ferdinand Piëch, the head of research at Porsche, was assigned to develop what became the 914. At the time, he was also working on the all-conquering 917 racecar. Prototypes for the 914 began running in 1967, and production models arrived in 1969. Forty years after Janis Joplin had her Porsche painted with flowers, people may be appreciating the people’s Porsche once more. A 1974 Porsche 914 sold at a Christie’s auction in Greenwich, Conn., last June for $22,400, exceeding its presale estimates of $8,000-$10,000. The 914 was born of need. By the mid-1960s, Porsche’s entry model, the 356, and Volkswagen’s underpowered sporty car, the Karmann Ghia, were both aging and in need of replacement. Why not have one shared body, the executives reasoned, with different engines? Karmann built the bodies and each maker fitted them with its own engines and suspensions. In the United States, both the 4- and 6-cylinder models were sold as Porsches. In Europe, the 4 was sold with a badge reading VW-Porsche. The production deal was similar to the arrangement by which Volkswagen and Porsche today produce the Touareg and Cayenne S.U.V.’s. The basic chassis are built in a shared plant in Bratislava, Hungary. (The Audi Q7 is a less closely related triplet in this family.) It was in part to preserve such partnerships that Mr. Piëch, a grandson of Ferdinand Porsche and a nephew of Ferry, has supported Porsche’s takeover of VW. He inherited a large share of ownership in Porsche and is a power in both companies. The close link between the companies has always depended on a personal tie. The person who is the source of it is the original Ferdinand Porsche, creator of both the first Volkswagen and the first Porsche. It has been carried on in part by his offspring, including Mr. Piëch. The attribution of the 914’s zippy shape is as difficult as was its life in the market. Most histories have credited the unusual body design to Hans Gugelot, an industrial designer better known for his work with Dieter Rams creating the so-called rationalist modernist look for Braun appliances. Gugelot also designed subway cars for the city of Hamburg and Kodak’s round-tray Carousel slide projector. Gugelot and Rams were both associated with the design school at Ulm, Germany. Today that Ulm style is much revered by designers at Apple, among other places. They admire its simple white boxes with rounded corners and plain round knobs. Bernd Polster, a leading German design historian, traces the 914’s basic shape to a design that Gugelot created for a never-built car planned by a plastics company. But F. A. Porsche, known as Butzi, who designed the 911, denied that story in an interview in the book “Porsche 914 & 914-6: The Definitive History of the Road and Competition Cars” by Brian Long (Veloce Publishing, 2006). Mr. Gugelot had died in 1965 and his car was old news at the time the 914 was sketched. Research and drawings posted at the owner Web site 914world.com suggest that the designer was most likely Heinrich Klie of the Porsche studios. Drawings for that design show some similarity to the Gugelot prototype; Mr. Klie’s was was one of five designs that competed internally at Porsche. In any case, the 914’s crisp form and simple, unassuming lines are at least as charming as the original Mazda Miata’s. There is grace in the almost equal proportion of front and rear deck, and the Targa roof with its basket-handle roll bar. The concealed headlights, elliptical turn signals and taillights beneath the deck are all well-considered touches. Many 914s were raced or hot rodded. The engine bay could accommodate a variety of alternate motors. Porschephiles tend to see the 914 as a mutt. The 914 sullied the Porsche brand by some distinct, if immeasurable amount. VW fans for some reason don’t seem especially eager to lay claim to the 914 either. But the idea of a people’s Porsche, as Mr. Polster has called it, has the power of a dream. It may be an unrealistic, even romantic dream, but it is similar to the dream of the dependable British-style sports car. The notion that we could all afford a Porsche helped fuel the mystique enjoyed by the Boxster. From the Volkswagen side, the idea of sports cars is also persistent. The 914 was the spiritual successor of the Type 114 of 1939, a sports car on the Beetle’s chassis. Almost identical in shape to the later Karmann Ghia, it was tested in the wind tunnel. And the 914’s spiritual descendants were the sporty Scirocco and Corrado. The four-cylinder 914/4 offered only 80 horsepower and the 914/6 just 110. In 1970 in the United States the list price for the 4-cylinder was $3,595 and $5,999 for the 6-cylinder. The 914 is not for everyone’s taste. But even the VW version of the 914 came with something few cars, sports or otherwise, can boast: two trunks. |
dr914@autoatlanta.com |
Nov 5 2007, 09:40 AM
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#2
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 7,894 Joined: 3-January 07 From: atlanta georgia Member No.: 7,418 Region Association: None |
This is certainly the kind of press we need for our beloved cars. Maybe it will encourage others to "Save a 914" (what about starting a campaign with this as the name?)
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balljoint |
Nov 5 2007, 10:17 AM
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#3
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914 Wizard Group: Members Posts: 10,000 Joined: 6-April 04 Member No.: 1,897 Region Association: None |
Nice!
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Garland |
Nov 5 2007, 01:00 PM
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#4
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Restoration Fanatic Group: Members Posts: 1,329 Joined: 8-January 04 From: ......Michigan...... Member No.: 1,535 Region Association: Upper MidWest |
Great News.
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Scott Carlberg |
Nov 5 2007, 01:39 PM
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#5
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Porsche MOTORSPORTS Group: Members Posts: 1,595 Joined: 17-April 03 From: Modesto, Ca Member No.: 580 |
Nice find, thanks for sharing it with us.
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jbyron |
Nov 5 2007, 04:08 PM
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#6
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Jamie Group: Members Posts: 128 Joined: 17-July 07 From: Ballwin, MO Member No.: 7,916 Region Association: Upper MidWest |
Ya gotta love a 914world mention in the NYT!
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Eric_Shea |
Nov 5 2007, 04:30 PM
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#7
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PMB Performance Group: Admin Posts: 19,278 Joined: 3-September 03 From: Salt Lake City, UT Member No.: 1,110 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)
QUOTE Research and drawings posted at the owner Web site 914world.com suggest that the designer was most likely Heinrich Klie of the Porsche studios Cool... way to go gang. That was a cool thread. |
auerbach |
Nov 17 2007, 07:54 PM
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#8
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Lee David Auerbach, Esq Group: Members Posts: 235 Joined: 26-July 07 From: Westchester, New York Member No.: 7,947 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region |
Link to the article Just thought you all might like to see this. (IMG:http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/11/02/automobiles/collectibles/600-Porsche914.jpg) A Child From Their First Marriage Porsche 914 By PHIL PATTON Published: November 4, 2007 THE last legal barriers to Porsche’s control of Volkswagen may have fallen with a decision by the European Court of Justice. Its ruling last month struck down a German law and cleared the way for Porsche, already the largest shareholder, to obtain a majority stake in VW. The prospect of a takeover recalls a difficult collaboration of four decades ago, the 914. Nicknamed the people’s Porsche, the 914 was a midengine two-seater that grew from talks in 1966 between Ferry Porsche, son of the company’s founder, and the head of VW, Heinrich Nordhoff. In 1967, a 30-year-old German engineer named Ferdinand Piëch, the head of research at Porsche, was assigned to develop what became the 914. At the time, he was also working on the all-conquering 917 racecar. Prototypes for the 914 began running in 1967, and production models arrived in 1969. Forty years after Janis Joplin had her Porsche painted with flowers, people may be appreciating the people’s Porsche once more. A 1974 Porsche 914 sold at a Christie’s auction in Greenwich, Conn., last June for $22,400, exceeding its presale estimates of $8,000-$10,000. The 914 was born of need. By the mid-1960s, Porsche’s entry model, the 356, and Volkswagen’s underpowered sporty car, the Karmann Ghia, were both aging and in need of replacement. Why not have one shared body, the executives reasoned, with different engines? Karmann built the bodies and each maker fitted them with its own engines and suspensions. In the United States, both the 4- and 6-cylinder models were sold as Porsches. In Europe, the 4 was sold with a badge reading VW-Porsche. The production deal was similar to the arrangement by which Volkswagen and Porsche today produce the Touareg and Cayenne S.U.V.’s. The basic chassis are built in a shared plant in Bratislava, Hungary. (The Audi Q7 is a less closely related triplet in this family.) It was in part to preserve such partnerships that Mr. Piëch, a grandson of Ferdinand Porsche and a nephew of Ferry, has supported Porsche’s takeover of VW. He inherited a large share of ownership in Porsche and is a power in both companies. The close link between the companies has always depended on a personal tie. The person who is the source of it is the original Ferdinand Porsche, creator of both the first Volkswagen and the first Porsche. It has been carried on in part by his offspring, including Mr. Piëch. The attribution of the 914’s zippy shape is as difficult as was its life in the market. Most histories have credited the unusual body design to Hans Gugelot, an industrial designer better known for his work with Dieter Rams creating the so-called rationalist modernist look for Braun appliances. Gugelot also designed subway cars for the city of Hamburg and Kodak’s round-tray Carousel slide projector. Gugelot and Rams were both associated with the design school at Ulm, Germany. Today that Ulm style is much revered by designers at Apple, among other places. They admire its simple white boxes with rounded corners and plain round knobs. Bernd Polster, a leading German design historian, traces the 914’s basic shape to a design that Gugelot created for a never-built car planned by a plastics company. But F. A. Porsche, known as Butzi, who designed the 911, denied that story in an interview in the book “Porsche 914 & 914-6: The Definitive History of the Road and Competition Cars” by Brian Long (Veloce Publishing, 2006). Mr. Gugelot had died in 1965 and his car was old news at the time the 914 was sketched. Research and drawings posted at the owner Web site 914world.com suggest that the designer was most likely Heinrich Klie of the Porsche studios. Drawings for that design show some similarity to the Gugelot prototype; Mr. Klie’s was was one of five designs that competed internally at Porsche. In any case, the 914’s crisp form and simple, unassuming lines are at least as charming as the original Mazda Miata’s. There is grace in the almost equal proportion of front and rear deck, and the Targa roof with its basket-handle roll bar. The concealed headlights, elliptical turn signals and taillights beneath the deck are all well-considered touches. Many 914s were raced or hot rodded. The engine bay could accommodate a variety of alternate motors. Porschephiles tend to see the 914 as a mutt. The 914 sullied the Porsche brand by some distinct, if immeasurable amount. VW fans for some reason don’t seem especially eager to lay claim to the 914 either. But the idea of a people’s Porsche, as Mr. Polster has called it, has the power of a dream. It may be an unrealistic, even romantic dream, but it is similar to the dream of the dependable British-style sports car. The notion that we could all afford a Porsche helped fuel the mystique enjoyed by the Boxster. From the Volkswagen side, the idea of sports cars is also persistent. The 914 was the spiritual successor of the Type 114 of 1939, a sports car on the Beetle’s chassis. Almost identical in shape to the later Karmann Ghia, it was tested in the wind tunnel. And the 914’s spiritual descendants were the sporty Scirocco and Corrado. The four-cylinder 914/4 offered only 80 horsepower and the 914/6 just 110. In 1970 in the United States the list price for the 4-cylinder was $3,595 and $5,999 for the 6-cylinder. The 914 is not for everyone’s taste. But even the VW version of the 914 came with something few cars, sports or otherwise, can boast: two trunks. Just met the guy who bought the car; he's from Westchester County New York. Car looks super. Nice to see that it's in the Metro area. |
Pat Garvey |
Nov 17 2007, 08:45 PM
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#9
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Do I or don't I...........? Group: Members Posts: 5,899 Joined: 24-March 06 From: SE PA, near Philly Member No.: 5,765 Region Association: North East States |
My bet would be that the price doubles in less than 5 years, triples in less than 10 years, for a substantially perfect/original 914. That means what?
Profit for those who haven't lived with these cantankerous beasts and are willing to parts with them. But, for those of us wierdos who've had them since day 1, it means nothing. Will I part with mine? Not so long as I wretch my old bones into it! Pat |
thomasotten |
Nov 18 2007, 06:59 AM
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#10
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1,547 Joined: 16-November 03 From: San Antonio, Texas Member No.: 1,349 |
Does anyone have a link to the design discussion thread referenced on 914world.com?
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