'74 914 2.0L with only 5K miles.... Options

[Cal]

This should be interesting to follow early next month at the Gooding & Company auction at Amelia Island......'74 Porsche 914 2.0L with only 5,000 miles. It was part of the Brumos Collection since 2003. The estimated auction price is between $60 - $80K....without reserve. This might set a new mark for 914/4's.

https://www.goodingco.com/vehicle/1974-porsche-914-2-0/

[JeffBowlsby]

A ‘74 is one year newer and has newer refinements than a 73, especially a late 74 compared to an early 73. Admittedly subtle differences but could be meaningful to some.

[Tom_T]

A ‘74 is one year newer and has newer refinements than a 73, especially a late 74 compared to an early 73. Admittedly subtle differences but could be meaningful to some.

Jeff -

At this age for any classic & collectable car - a model year newer is meaningless in the value equation - far more important are condition, originality, equipment & option set, miles, model/sub-model desirability & scarcity, etc.

But more than just that - the 74s also went with cost saving changes, including changing the true leather wrapped steering wheels & shifter boots to leatherette, nicer looking aluminum door sill plates & carpet edge strips to black plastic ones, changed the glass to plastic gauge lenses, etc. - from 73 to 74 MY respectively on all, especially for the later models. Basically they "cheapened" the 74 cars in order to remain competitive in the USA.

As far as the -037 series EFI components in 73 MY going to 74 MY's -041 (??) series components - other than availability in 74-76 2L's - there was little or no differences nor improvements.

Ergo, the 73 are usually considered preferable over the 74's by most collectors - mostly due to the higher options in most 73 MY 2Ls, but also due to the above cost savings measures which Porsche instituted in the 74 MY, after they took over the VW-Porsche JV & full control over production.

Tjhat was primarily in response to the WG-DM inflation vs. the US Dollar at that time driving up the prices from early 1973 onward. So even in later 73 MY, they also decontented some 914 2L's & marketed them as "Sport" - such as Dave K's excellent example.

So I'll have to disagree with you on the 74 2L's being more valuable nor more desirable - even in later parts of the 74 MY production.

Again, the LE/CanAm 2Ls hold better value due to their limited numbers.

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[JeffBowlsby]

So I'll have to disagree with you on the 74 2L's being more valuable nor more desirable - even in later parts of the 74 MY production.

You are more impassioned than me about this topic Tom - no worries, we can disagree and it wont ruin our friendship.

For me, as I qualified my comments before, "ALL ELSE BEING EQUAL" - condition, options, etc. - the features of the 74 model takes the lead on preference by a hair. Everyone always says the '73s are 'better' but I don't always follow the crowd. Specifically, I happen to prefer the:

*extra safety of the side door bars and better window lifters over the early 73's
*black center gauges, door sills, tailbadges and window squirters, because they look cleaner. I don't read them as 'cheaper' but as an improvement
*EFI components - the 73 MPS/ECU was a workaround, they figured it out beginning in 74
*F&R bumper guards make the car look longer
*and who can argue with the cool factor of the 'sit down shut up and drive' sticker on the 74's?

I guess I mainly just take exception with the unqualified generalization that the 73s (implying all 73s) are better than the 74s. Its not always true to my eye.

[Cal]

So I'll have to disagree with you on the 74 2L's being more valuable nor more desirable - even in later parts of the 74 MY production.

You are more impassioned than me about this topic Tom - no worries, we can disagree and it wont ruin our friendship.

For me, as I qualified my comments before, "ALL ELSE BEING EQUAL" - condition, options, etc. - the features of the 74 model takes the lead on preference by a hair. Everyone always says the '73s are 'better' but I don't always follow the crowd. Specifically, I happen to prefer the:

*extra safety of the side door bars and better window lifters over the early 73's
*black center gauges, door sills, tailbadges and window squirters, because they look cleaner. I don't read them as 'cheaper' but as an improvement
*EFI components - the 73 MPS/ECU was a workaround, they figured it out beginning in 74
*F&R bumper guards make the car look longer
*and who can argue with the cool factor of the 'sit down shut up and drive' sticker on the 74's?

I guess I mainly just take exception with the unqualified generalization that the 73s (implying all 73s) are better than the 74s. Its not always true to my eye.

......I have to agree with this statement.

"*and who can argue with the cool factor of the 'sit down shut up and drive' sticker on the 74's?"