Adventures of an old 914-6, Keeping it in the family and making memories Options

[vintage914racer]

As a regular lurker, and occasional forum participant (primarily when I find myself in a pickle and need to "phone a friend") I've always enjoyed ongoing build and "keeping them on the road and running" threads. So in an effort to do the same for myself, and perhaps prevent haphazardly ad hoc and disjointed threads for projects and updates, I figured I'd try to pull things together into my own, ongoing thread.

This thread is about "Speedy," my 1970 factory 914-6. The car has spent more time off the road than on, but as of late I've proclaimed it's the year of Speedy and started tackling a long list of updates. Before we get into those details, here's a bit about Speedy...

My memories with Speedy go back the the mid-80's when I was a pudgy four or five year old. Back when safety was more of a suggestion than a requirement, I'd often tag along in the front seat between my mom and dad on backroad blasts and the occasional trip up to Brainerd International Raceway when IMSA used to run up there.

Why the name "Speedy?" Well I suppose because as a kid I saw the 180mph speedy, felt my dad's right foot initiate some speedy acceleration, and perhaps because I distinctly remember my mom, in the passenger seat look up from what she was reading, glance at the speedo and shriek upon the realization that we were doing 120mph. By 1980s perspective, particularly that of a 6 year old, the car was Speedy. By today's standards? I'm not sure. But it sure is fun. And for the record, I'm not typically one to name a car, but apparently I was as a youth. And its stuck.

Here's she is, for reference...



It's worth noting that my Dad bought Speedy after he overcame a horrible battle with blood cancer (where they initially gave him 60 days to live). After paying off some truly excessive hospital bills that piled up during his better part of a year spent in the hospital, Speedy was his "I kicked Cancer's ass" celebratory purchase. He bought it at Carousel Porsche Audi in Golden Valley, MN, and perhaps not by coincidence, when I was a teenager I kicked off 10 years of employment at that very same dealership.

Stay tuned for more about our early years with Speedy and my journey as caretaker...

[vintage914racer]

I don't remember the particulars at all, given dad's no longer around, but Speedy wasn't his first Porsche. Sometime before I was born, and until I was a few years old, he had a lovely (from I can tell from pictures) Gemini blue early-seventies 911. Presumably he sold it to pay some hospital bills.

Regardless, the 914 was the German car of the household for my early-elementary years. Then dad's financial advisor planted a crazy seed in his head. He suggested that since my dad would likely never qualify for life insurance (he had overcome three difference cancers...I left a few details out for brevity), that perhaps he invest in his car passion and serve as assets that could be old to raise funds should anything happen in the future. So that's just what he did. And thus accelerate my interest in German, aircooled cars.

Now I've quickly learned that more than one car project is one too many, but it was not a deterrent for my dad. He was very successful at what he did and fortunate enough to be able to pay others to fix his cars. The thought of being able to pay someone else to bust their knuckles on 70's era non-galvanized sheetmetal is truly joyous. As this thread will soon illustrate, though, I am not in that boat. Hence I've slowly amassed some rarely-admired, and oft obscenity inducing, mechanical skills. But I digress. The point is, soon Speedy wasn't the only horse in the shed. And she wasn't driven nearly as much as she probably should've.

Fast forward a dozen or so years. Dad passed away unexpectedly, at just 46, and in very abbreviated terms, I became the new caretaker of the car.





For 10-15 years I didn't spend a lot of time driving the car. A lot of it was due to me being young, navigating college and the early years of becoming a responsible young adult. And of course I didn't have the money to maintain the car, although working at the local Porsche dealership did have its benefits.

As I moved about through career life, entered married life and kicked off life with small kids, I found myself in a place where I could start getting Speedy back on the road. There was a few year run where I probably put 2-3k miles on the car per year, which is a lot considering Minneapolis is covered in snow half of the year. Following a few good years of 914 adventures I learned that my car was not immune to tinworm. And my chassis was in far worse shape than I thought...