Is there a modern 914, Wondering if there is a 21st century equivalent Options

[Rand]

While I love the Cayman it's not a targa. I'd say Lotus brings it best.

Bring me Ariel Atom any day.

[DRPHIL914]

Like this?

That's the one! A true modern 914 (minus the trunk space).

nice and several have come to our cars and coffee, but if you are more than 6 foot tall, have you tried to get in?? I am almost 6'2'', and its so hard to get out and I am flexible and nimble not big(31''waist), - I could not own one- I could maybe do a newer Alpha coupe, but I have plenty of leg and head room in my boxster or 914 and can drive 5 hours with out cramping up- with that said I totally agree otherwise, its a targa, small , light , very much like a modern version of the 914

[burton73]

No brainer on this. Boxster. Ask anyone that has owned both.
Modern with all the good stuff.

Heavier but more HP.

Bob B

[worn]

No brainer on this. Boxster. Ask anyone that has owned both.
Modern with all the good stuff.

Heavier but more HP.

Bob B

Somehow I was thinking the Boxter is maybe too plush. But, haven't driven one, so I should reconsider. Like the 914 they are affordable, which is good. One thing that is hard to remember, even for me is how simple cars could be back then. And of course I miss some of that such as a wing window and the ability to let air flow the car without turning on a fan and a solenoid. Or the ability to actually find a button by feel rather than looking down by the shifter for a touch screen.

I like the lightness of a Lotus, but haven't tried one of them either.

[worn]

I think the mid engine is and important part of what makes the 914 what it is. The Boxster is of the type but so much heavier. The Lotus and the Alfa are the same type of layout except for the transverse engine and trans combo but that design centers the weight even more that the longitudinal format. There's no true comparison these days - that's why we try to bring a modern vibe to our little cars. There is a type of annoying magic to the original type of restorations but the ones that are modified with modern drivetrains may be the answer with improved driveability and good manners, real heat, and real a/c. Not disparaging the original design at all - very good for the time. But if we upgrade most systems and still retain that balance and charm, we've made the modern 914.

I hate to say it, but on the return from WCR we ran into 100 degree weather in South Dakota and were cooked without A.C. I never was good at tolerating heat, have less cardio reserve than I used to have, and the oil pressure had dropped to 3 Bar. At that point I started thinking about what was fun, light, low to the ground and still had AC and modern reliability (remember nursing a car to start in cold weather?). Maybe a Lotus plus a trailer for luggage.

[Coondog]

Here’s the only modern 914 I care to drive.

[era vulgaris]

No brainer on this. Boxster. Ask anyone that has owned both.
Modern with all the good stuff.

Heavier but more HP.

Bob B

I would agree, but would limit it to the 97-99 2.5L base model. It's the simplest Boxster, and if you want a comparable driving experience to a 914 in terms of power, I think the larger displacements will be too fast.
2.5 Boxster: 201 hp, 2822 lbs, 0-100kph 6.9s
2.0 914: 99 hp, 2090 lbs, 0-100kph 10.5s

My 98 2.5L feels straight line power-wise, very similar to my old 75 914 with the 2270. In terms of handling though, you're going to need to be going at least 20mph faster in the Boxster to get the same sensation because the suspension is so much more sophisticated. Curves and turns I'd take in my 914 at 50mph that were exhilarating are no-nonsense at the same speed in the Boxster.

The seating position is almost exactly the same, which I really like because for me the 914 is the most comfortable car I've ever sat in, hands down. Also the early 97-99 Boxsters don't have all the annoying touch screens and electronic gizmos, so it still feels pretty analog. I think the base model shift knob is actually the same one that Porsche had been using for the entire 924/944/968 range.

For a modern car it's been fairly straightforward to work on so far. I've repaired the SAI system, replaced struts, changed oil, replaced spark plug tube seals. Not as straightforward as a 914, but for a modern car, not bad.

I only wish the 5 speed on the Boxster was a dog leg. But otherwise I think it's fair to say it's a next-gen or next evolutionary step of the 914.

But if you want something that's a bit more vintage and probably more exactly the feel of a 914 but with a few more modern accessories like AC and fuel injection, the first gen AW11 MR2 or the 80's Fiat X1/9 might get you there. The X1/9 even has a targa top that can stow in the car!

[GregAmy]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/www.factoryfive.com-15565-1531425619.1.jpg)

[flmont]

Coondog,..what were your Numbers on that Treadmill,..from PMS..

[Rand]

An argument could be made for the 918. Yep, mid engine targa, still in the family...

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/assets.catawiki.nl-3573-1531431082.1.jpg)

[914forme]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/www.factoryfive.com-15565-1531425619.1.jpg)

Nice toss in on the 818, great little cars.

[Valy]

This.

[HalfMoon]

MR2 Spyder

Very much agree!

[Dave_Darling]

I think it's the Nissan 240sx.

Modern?? That's at least a couple of decades past being "modern"! Heck, I think they are now older than the 914 was in the year the 240sx first came out! That was 30 years ago, and the newest 914 was only 13 years old at that point...

--DD

[DRPHIL914]

No brainer on this. Boxster. Ask anyone that has owned both.
Modern with all the good stuff.

Heavier but more HP.

Bob B

I would agree, but would limit it to the 97-99 2.5L base model. It's the simplest Boxster, and if you want a comparable driving experience to a 914 in terms of power, I think the larger displacements will be too fast.
2.5 Boxster: 201 hp, 2822 lbs, 0-100kph 6.9s
2.0 914: 99 hp, 2090 lbs, 0-100kph 10.5s

My 98 2.5L feels straight line power-wise, very similar to my old 75 914 with the 2270. In terms of handling though, you're going to need to be going at least 20mph faster in the Boxster to get the same sensation because the suspension is so much more sophisticated. Curves and turns I'd take in my 914 at 50mph that were exhilarating are no-nonsense at the same speed in the Boxster.

The seating position is almost exactly the same, which I really like because for me the 914 is the most comfortable car I've ever sat in, hands down. Also the early 97-99 Boxsters don't have all the annoying touch screens and electronic gizmos, so it still feels pretty analog. I think the base model shift knob is actually the same one that Porsche had been using for the entire 924/944/968 range.

For a modern car it's been fairly straightforward to work on so far. I've repaired the SAI system, replaced struts, changed oil, replaced spark plug tube seals. Not as straightforward as a 914, but for a modern car, not bad.

I only wish the 5 speed on the Boxster was a dog leg. But otherwise I think it's fair to say it's a next-gen or next evolutionary step of the 914.

But if you want something that's a bit more vintage and probably more exactly the feel of a 914 but with a few more modern accessories like AC and fuel injection, the first gen AW11 MR2 or the 80's Fiat X1/9 might get you there. The X1/9 even has a targa top that can stow in the car!

Man you have been busy, didnt you just get that thing like last month?
hey! isnt that a Raby powered Boxster?? i bet you are enjoying that car- if i had not just bought my '97 i would have bought that car for sure! mine is a 2.5 as well of course and i really need new shocks too, what did you put in? also just drove 350 miles feom SC to Orlando Fla with out a stop and my back doesnt hurt and i didnt cramp up. and just enough pop in traffic at 60,70 or even 80 shoot thru gaps in traffic ans not get stuck behind idiots! it is fun but my 914 is quicker set up as it is, i bet i would have a faster d.e. time with it. maybe sometime i can test that. either way ist very much alime and that is why i bought it. as much as i would love a Alpha Spyder cheapest one i found was still $50k! so best bargin eight now is an early Boxster.

[SKL1]

Had an Elise for a few years- wish I still had it. Bullet proof engine, no power steering, etc. Really light weight considering everything else on the road...and a blast to drive.

Always said at the time it was a modern era 914, just from the wrong country.

[mgp4591]

I think it's the Nissan 240sx.

Modern?? That's at least a couple of decades past being "modern"! Heck, I think they are now older than the 914 was in the year the 240sx first came out! That was 30 years ago, and the newest 914 was only 13 years old at that point...

--DD

And it's not even mid-engined.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[billh1963]

An argument could be made for the 918. Yep, mid engine targa, still in the family...

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/assets.catawiki.nl-3573-1531431082.1.jpg)

Kind of missing the affordability element of the 914, though.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

[Amphicar770]

While some purists gasp, just put AC in your 914

If it were not for my ice cold AC on 100 degree plus days, I probably would have replaced my 914 long ago. Rotary compressor takes minimal hit to horsepower.

[horizontally-opposed]

While some purists gasp, just put AC in your 914

If it were not for my ice cold AC on 100 degree plus days, I probably would have replaced my 914 long ago. Rotary compressor takes minimal hit to horsepower.

4 or 6? I am starting to see the wisdom of A/C in a 914—might make the difference between taking the 914 on long trips in good weather and taking something else.

As to the OP, it's a good question:

Lotus Elise: Incredible performance and linkable to the 914 in many ways, but it doesn't have the dual "touring" nature of the 914; feels more bare bones to me, in an odd way?

Alfa 4C: Size is so wonderfully right, great styling, similar top concept, but isn't a Porsche in character/nature (much like the Elise isn't) and is auto only (a deal-killer for me).

Toyota MR-2 Spyder: VERY similar to the 914 in many ways, but no trunk space and super cheap materials. Great to drive, but...somehow not quite a modern 914. Vastly underrated, however.

1997-1999 Boxster 2.5: Have to agree that these Boxsters are wonderfully close to a modern 914. Unlike the above, it's a Porsche through and through, and by that I don't mean the status-related thing, but the engineering sensibility and timelessness thing. Had a 1999 for a few years and tested all of the other variants for Excellence/Panorama/000, and only one other Boxster has ever felt like it might replace my 914 if it had to go (see below). Also had a long-term 2001 986 2.7, and if there is one I pine for another of, it's the 2.5. I'd drive the 2.5 and wonder why I kept my 914, as it did everything better and was comfy to boot. Then I'd drive the 914 on the right day and realize the 986 couldn't do what the 914 did, between its more elemental feel, smells, and sounds (and that was with the Type IV engine!). But then I'd park the 914 and be really happy to be back in the 986 after a few hours with vinyl seats and no A/C. The later Boxsters—all of them, 718 included—offer various and myriad improvements, but those first ones are very special. My brother owns my old one, with 215,000 miles on its original engine and Euro M030 suspension plus GT3 Cup control arms and some other tricks. It still sounds amazing, and pulls to redline beautifully. Some plastics are getting tired, and the paint is too, though still presentable. And then I had a funny realization: That 1999 Boxster is now older than my 1973 914 was when I got it in 1991. By that measure, the 986 has definitely worn better than my 914 had by that point. And: no rust.

2010/2011 Boxster Spyder: This is the one I'd get if I was going to replace my 914. The handling is otherworldly, as is the overall experience. The top is novel, and didn't bother me in any way. In fact, I think it added to the car in terms of engineering and experience. YMMV, but you can read more here:

https://www.excellence-mag.com/issues/182/a...se#.W0pJ8yPMwUE

http://www.excellence-mag.com/of-note/revi...ve#.W0pKFyPMwUE

https://www.excellence-mag.com/issues/196/a...st#.W0pKPiPMwUE