Your Personal 914 History, When did you get the bug and how bad? Options

[Joe Bob]

Hey Dad.....

If you had agreed with him, then he would not have bought it....stubborn is as stubborn does....

[Brad Roberts]

It was either that or drive that Baja bug you gave me... NO Thanks..LOL

I'm glad we picked that first car up. Life would have turned out COMPLETELY different. I would have never met Mike Jennings and would not be in Ca. now working on a Porsche aftermarket exhaust company purchase (or helping to run a popular 914 BBS)

B

[Dad Roberts]

Z...knows ya pretty well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) . HEY...a freebie baha was bettern a kick in the pants.......oh yea, you got that too.. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) Because of all that has happened from that first teener, it really is hard to imagine where you would be now........Thanks for the comment Kellzey............Brad WAS such a cute child.....wonder what happened (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) ??......Guess i better be nice......he IS visitin this weekend (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) ....Dad

[markb]

1. How were you first introduced to 914s? (Relative, first car, always wondered what it was, AX event, etc.)

1999, my Dad passed away & left me his yellow 70 1.7, which had sat by the shed for 10 years. Had I known anything about 914's it would still be there. Had it shipped to CA, spent 6 months repairing rusted out wiring. Got it running, registered, and was driving it to the shop when it holed a piston. It had run just long enough to infect me. I've been collecting parts while waiting to weld in new floor pans. Just bought most of what I need for a 5 bolt conversion last week!

Bought the Blue car, 72 1.7 in Corona, CA. Drove it home in LA traffic (first time really driving one, scared me silly driving next to the soccer moms in their SUV's). I still have it, done lots of upgrades and the normal "let's keep it running ''til Dad's Car is finished" stuff. It might be sold when I finish restoring Dad's Car.

I'm in the process of buying a 73 2.0 for the motor and 2 sideshifter trannys that come with it. It's a parts car that I'll get what I want from it and then sell it to somebody who likes the wide-a$$ flares that are on it. It's in Fremont, CA. Anybody interested?


2. How old were you when you first drove a 914?

44

3. How many 914s have you owned, including now? (Year, displacement, color)

So far 3, yellow 70 1.7, blue 72 1.7, yellow 73 2.0. (plus assorted parts cars of no single color) I still have them all.

4. How would you describe your 914 bug?

e. Lost Cause - I will probably give up the ghost while driving in my beloved teener!



If you want more info & pics, see my website.

[Jeroen]

Come to think of it... the 914 sorta haunted me
The earliest recollection I have is from literally "windowshopping" at the local VW/Audi/Porsche dealer, which was close to my grandmothers house.
We used to visit my grandmother about every saturday and on our way back home, my dad would usually drive by the P-dealer and we'd all stick our noses against the window of the showroom.
That's where I first saw the 914 and I remember I liked it because it looked so much smaller than the period 911s.
That musta been when I was 4 or 5 years old ('74/'75).


My dad always had "weird" cars. He owned several Triumph Spitfires (I sat in the back of those untill I was 10 years old) and we also had a "Sandman buggy" (which were then sold by the VW dealers)

When I was about 11 years old, my dad bought his first Porsche, a 924. He's never driven anything but Porsches since then.

The very first car I looked at buying when I got my drivers license was a 914 that was for sale locally.
I didn't buy it, cause it had a bus-engine in it...

A couple of years later, I decided I needed to get a Porsche myself.
And again, the first one I looked at was a 914. A bright viper green one with flared fenders.
And again, I didn't buy it...

I looked at a couple of 944s but ended up with a very good deal on a '87 911 carrera coupe (which I still have)

Then ofcourse I got bitten by the track-bug... The 911 was way too nice a car to go racing with, so I needed something else.

Again, I looked at some 944s, but I just don't like the way they feel. They're to "big"
Also I wanted something I could work on myself (I have about zero mechanical skills - I'm a friggin' accountant!). So... there's the 914 again.
I figured I'd get me a /4 and build it into a 2.4

That's where I got in trouble. I literally stumbled upon a /6 conversion car. A bad one, but hey, it was a six and it was cheap... little did I know (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Now, I'm a lost case... damn those 914s!

cheers,

Jeroen

[EdwardBlume]

1. How were you first introduced to 914s?

My Dad bought my 74 914 2.0 Olympic Blue in 1976 from a secondhand lot near Vandenberg AFB. He was in WWII, had a brief thing with my Mom, and at 53 had his first son. He would pick me up on Saturdays for visitation. I was 6 years old. I spent the next 10 years dreaming about driving it. I was car crazy, but the 914 has always been number 1. I had a rough time as a kid, but my Dad and the 914 made me feel special. The car has something very special about it.

2. How old were you when you first drove a 914?

It broke in 1984 and my Dad gave it to me in 1986 to "fix it up". I tried to drive it for about 6 months and couldn't afford to get it fixed. Good thing too. It sat unmolested for another 10 years.

It was outdoors for most of its life on our ranch from 1976 until 1997. In 1997 my Dad passed away and I brought it to the Bay Area. I was really rescuing my Dad's spirit and the one of the best icons of my youth.

3. How many 914s have you owned, including now? (Year, displacement, color)

74 2.0 Olympic Blue (Dad's car) - 1976
74 1.8 Yellow (parts) - 1999
75 2.0 Blue (parts) - 2001
73 2.0 Silver (parts) - 2003
73 2.0 Gray (AX car) - 2001

4. How would you describe your 914 bug?

Passionate. Spiritual. Growing. Endless. I wake up in the morning thinking about what to do with the car. I've plotted, planned, and imagined dozens of cars built in my mind. I don't have the means or know how to do it for real. Most of the parts cars have been learning experiences.

914s are the greatest cars on earth. Period.

[ThinAir]

Brad......you forgot to mention that I TRIED... to talk you out of buyin that first yellow teener. Told ya that the motors were prone to problems.........Course you didn't listen.....bought it anyway. As I recall, there was a mysterious noise inside the motor.. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) ......Anywho, all these folks would really be pissed at me if you HAD listened......Just wanted to JOG your memory...... Dad (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

And here I thought Mike & I were the only Father / Son combo in the club! Goes to show that insanity really does run in the family. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[anthony]

1. How were you first introduced to 914s? (Relative, first car, always wondered what it was, AX event, etc.)

My uncle had two. He first bought a black 72 1.7 and then he upgraded to a black '74 2.0 with all the options. I think I was hooked the first time he took a clover-leaf at 50+ mph while I was a passenger.

2. How old were you when you first drove a 914?

I think I first got to drive that same car when I was 25 or so.

His black '74 2.0L was exceptional. When I first drove it, it was 20 years old and only had 70K original miles and it was probably the cleanest, mint condition, unrestored, all original car any of you have seen. It was a true one owner, always garaged, never driven in the rain 914.

For me, it will always be the car that got away. About 10 years ago before he sold it, he offered it to me for $8K. I was just out of college, didn't have a garage or a real job at the time and just couldn't care for such an incredibly preserved classic automobile. He later sold it for $10K.

3. How many 914s have you owned, including now? (Year, displacement, color)

1974 2.0L, silver
1974 2.0L, white

4. How would you describe your 914 bug?

c. Interested/Enthused - these cars are the best
d. Severely infected - I'm contagious. Admit me to the E/R now
e. Lost Cause - I will probably give up the ghost while driving in my beloved teener!

I've been doing a lot of soul searching about my 914. Eventually, I'll want more power and I've been thinking of buying a six conversion or real six. Of course the right car will probably take an eternity to come up for sale so I might have the silver car for a while.

On the other hand a nice 911 in many ways seems totally like the way to go over a conversion or an original six with a 3/3.2 conversion. When clean low mileage SCs go for $12K or even a 280hp mid-90s 993 goes for $30-35K, it makes the prospect of building a $25-30K 914 a difficult decision.

Maybe I should be a two P-car kind of guy?

[kafermeister]

And here I thought Mike & I were the only Father / Son combo in the club!  Goes to show that insanity really does run in the family. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

Yes it does run in the family. I've been trying to get my dad on the list for a while now.

Rick