There were 3 cars offered and backed at the time by the factory.
Narrow body 2.0, a -6 with just a little more h.p., and the 916 or GT style.
Look at this beauty !

I disagree.
Porsche had trouble selling the 914-6 because the 911 was a much more refined car for the money. Many people didn't care for the 914 shape next to the 911. The 914 didn't have the Porsche status or backing. I don't believe hot rodding it would have made it sell better. That was the idea for the 916 but Porsche realized it cost the same as a 911 but had way less appeal. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the 914 but it's never been held in the same esteem as the iconic 911.

I have to agree with Mark. In 1973 I bought my 1st new Porsche. I could have had a 914-6 but the choice came down to a white 911S or a yellow 911T Targa. The wife said we needed the Targa. I had already had a green 911S. Yes, I was being a snob at the time.

agree with the others above.

I also disagree.... case in Point the 2016 GT4 and Spyder, fitted with the same engine as the 2016 Carrera S, same brakes 6 piston front, 4 piston rear, turbo steering unit, etc. Still sold plenty of 911s.

So even putting the exact same engine in the mid engine models didnt effect the 911 sales numbers.

Click to view attachment

Playing Devil's Advocate:

Can't compare now and then. The 911 has had a 55yr run by this point and sells due to it's name and iconic look.

The trim upgrade and perhaps more wins racing may have helped but I do not think the 911 would have died. It still had the looks that Porsche had been running for 20+ years in the 356.

If one were to rewrite just a few events, the 914 could have been huge success.

1) Follow through with the handshake agreement between Porsche & VW to sell shells to Porsche at cost would have put the 914/6 $1k+ less than the 911 and much more attractive.

2) No 1.7L/1.8L engines. Only the 2L/4 engine. The 1.7/1.8 are dogs and the 914 got a bad reputation early in its run.

3) Put a rain hat on the battery as well as a battery drain system to alleviate the hell hole.

A few improvements could have changed a lot, but out do the 911 is a long shot. IMO.

Sorry, the 911 has a timeless look. The 914 has some....getting used to.

Porsche also wanted to move to water cooled cars. The 911 was so popular that it stayed aircooled for another 20 years but the 914 had a planned replacement with the 924. Even the 911 was supposed to bow out to the 928 but it's popularity and race car heritage kept it the Porsche flagship.

There wasn't a planned replacement of the 914 with the 924. VW told Porsche that the Karmann plant was shutting down building the 914 to switch to the VW water cooled cars. Porsche looked at building the cars at another location as they were selling pretty well but it just wasn't in the cards.
VW had just pulled the plug on building the 924 cars and that Audi factory came to Porsche begging to take over the project and they finally agreed as Porsche did need a entry level car to sell.
The 914 end came to quickly and suddenly as that's also why Porsche built those 912E's as they had all those extra parts and no 914 bodies to put them on.

In the spirit of a good natured debate. I'm not sure what you mean by refined. I personally don't count an tendency to oversteer on lift throttle "refined".

I suspect you really mean interior trim levels and overall finish of the vehicle. 914's were certainly built to a lower price point and it shows.

Honestly it's a tough call the 911 has so many things working for it:
Rear engine for traction on acceleration
Rear weight bias helps with deceleration by getting more out of the rear brakes

But then it has so many things working against the 911
Corner entry understeer
Lift throttle oversteer
Unfavorable moment of inertia due to rear engine

It has been said many times. The 911 divided the world in two, those that could drive and those that couldn't.

Over its life, the 911 warts were certainly minimized by engineering evolution. I wish the 914 had continued to evolve and improve in the same way. But. . . . that is what those on the site do, carry to ball that Porsche dropped, and improve the 914 breed over time.

Seems as though the 911 came on the scene 1st so advantage 911

And the 914 never really changed or evolved over its production run (thank god) . yes they tried to get it more power but really that was it .

So where the 914 was great for a while it didnt evolve
But the 911 continued to evolve improve etc
And the 2+ tiny 2 seats layout is preferred for comfort ,everyday driving . versatility . getting in and out of car
Etc .advantage 911

And i can tell you as a 914 owner ... The ladies go crazy for a 911( aphrodisiac) ... 914 not so much ....for that reason alone
I should have got a 911 .....bottom line

The 914 WAS a huge success

Yes, of course it was a success. And sure, it could have been a 911 killer if.... but that would have been a pretty dumb business move for Porsche. They needed an entry level car to expand their buying market to the a notch down the economic ladder; not replace their iconic flagship.

The styling thing though.... When I saw my first 914 as a kid, it was love at first sight and I was not a kid really into cars. That one grabbed me like no other. For me, it was the 911 that was the acquired taste. I thought it looked a lot like a VW and bugs were not exactly considered beautiful back in those days. My gut tells me that had Porsche actually decided the 914 would be their 911 successor, the masses would have very quickly "acquired" a taste for the 914 styling when it the HP and performance stats started spanking those of the 911. I think those performance figures have a lot to do with how beauty is judged.