QUOTE(Tdskip @ Oct 5 2020, 03:59 PM)
@mesptein - do your customers ever ask for a "mild" 914/6 conversion or is it call big $?
An excellent question....
The customers for "mild" conversions are out there, whether due to taste or budget. One of the coolest examples I've found is this car—I find it really, really appealing…on par with some of the best flared conversions out there but for different reasons.
https://patrickmotorsports.com/blogs/news/9...road-rally-trimQUOTE(mepstein @ Oct 6 2020, 04:50 AM)
The shop where I used to work does 98% aircooled 911. The majority of the conversions are 3.2/3.4 or 3.6/3.8. These days, 911 guys want the big engines so it's mostly 3.8's. They've done one 914-6 conversion even though the owner is a 914 fan and has two 914 race cars. Most of the shop builds are $2-300K so it's well beyond what most 914 are looking for. I don't think the website has been updated for a while but they are at -
www.rswerks.com
Cost to build a mild or a wild six conversion isn't all that different if both are all inclusive (metal work + full paint + interior + engine/trans + suspension/brakes/wheels/tires). So I can see why most builds go wild (big six, flares, etc), and not sure I could resist myself. Suspect the nice narrow cars are a bit like a John Willhoit 356B or C coupe. Same $350-500k ballpark for a complete restoration, but on a car that will likely never be able to justify that cost. But the person wants what they want, for whatever reason (nostalgia, utility, subtlety, etc), and is willing to pay for it because there's no exact alternative. As I understand it, the Willhoit cars trade between Willhoit customers at a super premium over analogous cars—because those patrons know how long and how many $ it takes to do one of those cars.
I don't see that happening—on that level—for the 914 world, as the 356 and 911 are just different beasts. Is anyone doing $150-250k in metal work on a 914 (before paint!) as yet?
What's funny to me about the 914 is that, the more time I've spent in various Porsches, the better it holds up. This goes for 356s, 911s of all eras, the "ultimate" Porsches, the race cars, RSRs, etc. Not saying it's better, but it holds up surprisingly well given the "press" it always got. I didn't expect that, as I always accepted the idea that my 914 was a "starter kit" Porsche to budding Porsche enthusiasts, the one you discard as you as you get that used 911 SC, or whatever. But as other Porsches have come and gone, whether as press cars or my own cars, the 914 is the one I've kept, and the one I keep coming back to. Its branding heritage—for those who care—is a mess, but its identity is clear. Both as a Porsche design and engineering project, and as a simply fantastic sports car.