I think Porsche should come out with a retro model 914. I mean the Camaro, Challenger and Mustang have taken off big time. Dodge is even coming out with a retro Dart from what I hear.

How cool would it be if they made a retro 914. Hell they probably would all be 6 cylinders at least. Can you imagine what it would look like. I bet it would be pricy.

Do a search right here.Been banterd aboot many times, even by road and track.

You mean like this artist's deception from R&T in Sept 2009?

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Unfortunately Porsche & VW have gone towards a retro 550 Spyder concept for their new "baby Porsche" - apparently scared off by their misconception that their 914 was a "failure"?? Target date last I heard was 2015 MY, with the Cajun for 2013 (the baby Cayanne SUV).

- and it will probably have a base engined high powered 4 banger - not a bad deal with a lower weight advantage; and maybe an up model with a 6.

... sound familiar?

Go to the PCA website & browse the more recent articles on it there.

That is a cool looking picture of what could be. I mean with today's technology I can only imagine what it could do even if a 4 cyl.

They're talking about a 250+ HP & TQ flat 4 for the new Baby Porsche & for the next gen Boxster/Cayman, which should scream & be both a bit more fun & attainable.

Unfortunately it won't have this 914 Retro look with roll bar & targa top & 2 big trunks, but a 550 is nice looking & a middie too!

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YES!
Retro American favorites:
1 Gremlin
2 Pinto
3 Vega maybe Kcar?
Maybe Monza? Imported from Detroit!

I agree that any retro Porsche would be great...at a reasonable price. But the Camaro, Challenger etc. weren't Red-headed step children

No offence to red heads.


PS Boxster = 550 in my eyes

I think they make more profit from high end cars than lower priced more affordable cars. Their whole image and rep. is fast and expensive cars. You remember what happened when VW tried making a large luxurious car? I would like to see Porsche re-make a 914 or 914 like car but I don't see it happening. It might be small with a 4 cyl. turbo diesel... but it will be really expensive.

Cheers, Elliot

Then you need glasses.

Put the two next to each other, and the Boxster looks immense and massively bloated and overweight. It looks too heavy, regardless of the actual weight!

The 550 is one of the best looking cars ever built, IMHO. The Boxster is a decent-looking car, but nowhere near as nice as a 550.

--DD

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Dave K's pic hit it spot on. Now that's something I'd buy. Having said that, no modern car will have the same character as a 914. I love how raw my '74 feels. It's a pleasure to be so connected to a vehicle when sitting behind the wheel.... for better (wow, did I really go that fast around that corner?) or worse (where's 4th gear again?)

fteixeira

There are 2 basic business reasons to produce it Elliot:

1. Get new future Porsche owners into the fold with entry car in the $45k price that the Boxster started at, with the mind that they will eventually buy-up in the line - as many 912, 914, 924, etc. initial owners have.

2. To balance out their fleet-wide fuel mpg performance under the newer & stricter upcoming CAFE standards (USA & Euro), so that they can keep building the really hot-rod 911 GT2/3s, etc. in lower numbers with higher prices & margins.

It's a proven business formula followed by most major auto manufacturers at all price levels, respective to to each one price ranges of course. Look at BMW's 3 series & now 1 Series, or inter-marque move-up in the GM or Ford lines; as well as their reliance on econo-boxes for CAFE evening out - and formerly their extensive use of truck & SUVs which were formerly almost entirely exempt under the old outgoing CAFE standards here n the USA.

Whether it diesel or gas powered is immaterial, as the fuel choices will ebb & flow with availability and technology, eventually with both employing more hybrid and other means to improve fuel efficiency.

Porsche reps. have essentially stated the 2 reasons above in what little press releases they have put out on the baby Porsche and Cajun.

Wow, that really is nice! I think that could work.

http://community-2.webtv.net/@HH!ED...achter/TheDean/

Porsche Boxter "The Dean" 550 recreation. Saw this at Amelia Island Concourse D'elegance some years ago. Don't think it went over too well...

MatTMurphyDesign





The Dean, The nose is ugly, extended to far.


Tho still a 914 ,this one is pretty sweet.

That black car is very sweet! Any details on it's build?

The Boxster run will die. Even if they refresh it, it will become a tired line.

The problem with a new 914 is that the cars are just too small. I thought the new CRZ would be a huge hit, but the size is just off.

Porsche is also selling a ton of 4 doors these days.

The only shot I see of a Porsche 914 is another cobranded VW offering.

I know Mark Schlachter. And I just saw this boxster in person just two weeks ago here is Cincinnati. The man who owns the car is named Dean. It was created from the owners wishes and dreams, and was metal worked by Mark. The front fenders are not Aluminum, they are all one pc steel. Hand formed over his knee, and butt welded on. The 996 shown was not there and i agree that the 996 is very fugly...but the boxster in person is very becoming. At first you don't realize what has been done to it until you stare for a minute or two. The seats were restitched by Ruf in Germany, cause Porsche said that they only make them in black. And one last note after the car was shown in Germany, Porsche sent a letter telling them not to make any more like this because the new boxster was going to have more round headlights at the time when this was finished.

It was recently for sale.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=133115

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=118520

That black 914 is by far my dream 914. It was on ebay a few months ago and didn't sell at $52,600

Rob, they are planning to do exactly what you said - a joint platform sharing program with their new owners - VW - although there will be a difference in the models/styling/motors in all likelihood. Hans L - who has the #2 production 70 914-6 on here - works for the VW-Audi design studio in Santa Monica & was involved with the design of some of the show car/prototypes for that VW 2-seater program (I think including the one below).

VW's "Concept R" from article at link below:
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http://www.autoweek.com/article/20080722/FREE/662581032

There is a company in SoCal doing 356 & 550 repros, as is the prior Beck 550 repro that most of you here have probably seen (don't know if Beck still does them down in Brazil for import here or not).

There is also a group building street legal repro 917s powered by modern waterboxer 911 motors. A guy brought his out to Porsches & Doughnuts here in OC a few months back & IIRC it had a 3.8L H-6 & done to full scale in the GULF livery as in this old ad/promo pic:

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Does the idea of driving a street legal knock-off of that get anyone's juices flowing?

I thought the CRZ would be a huge hit as well, However they are only offering a hybrid model at the moment.. If they would just put in a regular 125HP 1.6L engine in as a "base" model they would sell quite a few of those IMHO. However there are still some serious issues with that car and many modern cars. they are designed for style and not practicality. the biggest issue with the CRZ in my opinion (asside from low performance for the money) is looking through the rear view mirror. If you have ever been in a CRX one of the main draw points is its practicality, you look in the rear view mirror or turn your head around to merge and you can see everything! The CRZ has a HUGE blind spot! They need a base model, and an SI model to really sell that car. They are not being serious with that CRZ chassis they have at the moment. I mean seriously? 40mpg on the smallest hybrid availible? Give it a standard motor, the car will do that with a standard motor and all the hybrid gizmo's removed (weight savings).

I would buy one with a K20A3 motor in it. Regular gas, timing CHAIN, and plenty powerful for a daily commute. Hey, my RSX ain't gonna last forever.

I think this turned out very mazda MX-5 looking??

Now that we're kid free, I might pop for a new "Retro 914" as a DD.

... gee, that would be car number 6 for me since 1969 ....ever.... not counting my parents cars nor my son's/kids' cars.


I don't think it was the CRZ's nor 914's size being too small Rob, nor would it be for a smaller 914-ish sub-Boxster, so long as you're not trying to cart around a family/etc.

Honda missed the boat on the new CRZ with lack of a sport set-up & wider range - and the back seat comes in handy for most since it's NOT an S2000. The Hybrid CRZ should be 50-60 mpg, cuz the standard & lighter Civic gas I-4 easily get in the 40's!

The small CRX of the 80's period was the hot ticket, and the rest of their Civic sedan & HB rounded out the line & engine choices.
One guy in PCA OCR AX's his 87-88 HB:
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.

My son's 88 Honda Civic Hatchback DL has the base 1.5L, & he's getting 40-42 mpg on the highway & mid 30's around town. I mostly got 35-38 driving it back to Ft Drum NY for him this last July - primarily because it has no AC & it was 100+ on the heat wave of the century all the way, & having the windows down screwed the aerodynamics enough to knock 20-25% off the mpg. I did get 42 mpg on one tank in N. AZ up I-17 & down I-40 around Flagstaff at night when it was cool enough to close the windows.

Here's a pic of my son's 88 Honda HB, at about 124k miles, after we finished the refurb/rolling-resto in April 09, after his uncle left it sit in a storage lot for 5+ years (it's been in the family since new with my wife's 2 brothers, before the last to own it passed away in 08) -
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.

I did a refresh & paint chip touch-up & had it serviced in June, then drove it 3200 miles to him - now at about 157k miles, so he'd have wheels on post:
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> Dang! ....spilled my coffee again on my Johannes' "914 Comin-n-Goin" T-shirt!
> As I he's driving it down to my brother's house in VA near DC for Xmas, and he drove 1200 mi each way to my daughter's for T-giving in Asheville NC.

Just adding "The Dean" pics in here ... for posterity.


http://europeancar.automotive.com/69667/ep...ster/index.html

From the Pelican board:

That is a beautiful machine.

Yikes!

VW Concept car Blue Sport

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes...ok/viewall.html

The rear isn't too bad but the front just looks all wrong ...

Another ...

Nathan Wells concept:
http://www.coroflot.com/wellsnj/914-concept

That side view of the Wells 914-S Concept looks too much like a Disney Cars movie character - I just don't like the scrunched up look & odd roof lines.

Matt Murphy's 914 concept is a bit better, but the belt-line seems too high and the F&R ends too truncated & tall.

The Boxster-nee-550 is a nice try, but just doesn't have the sleek lines of the real 550 or Beck's/other replic-cars.

Just IMHO to my eyes!

Being old school in the design biz, I do like to see real paper & pen/pencil sketches like Wells & Murphy did.

This thing is ugly...

The pencil sketches look better than the computer renderings. The high front/low rear and odd line of the rear buttress got exaggerated in the computer rendering, making the car look very cartoonish and not very attractive to my eyes.

It looks pretty decent from the front 3/4 view, but that's probably because it mostly hides the "backwards" taper from that angle. I think.

--DD

Just targa-size a Cayman.. done.

Someone actually suggested that over on Planet9 (cayman forum) and was crucified. Guess its not a popular choice with the Cayman crowd.

targa-ized 911

http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=32329

stop me if you've heard this before, but supposedly 2013-2014 ...

Every few weeks or so Dave - in Autoweek, PCA newsletter, etc.!

IIRC - The Porsche is an artist conception of what they think the "new 550" concept will look like, and the VW & Audi are probably too, albeit they're design studies have been put out by VW/Audi so may be closer to actual.

A bit different price range Rand!
... but the right engine & Targa top/rollbar configuration.

I like this 911 Targa's lines much better than the Cabrio - which looks like it has a big

Brusa Spyder ....
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