Full Version: Interesting Reading
I guess lots of luggage space, a long wheelbase and roomy interior, a flawlessly balanced suspension set-up and all wheel disc brakes still isn't enough to convince some people. Add to that, Tens of thousands of units sold over a 7 year time span and a grassroots cult following commited to; restoring, improving, racing and investing in a wonderful, odd little car. Some people will never get it!
Fact checking is always a weak point in most such articles, and it's a real shame when such a short article manages to have more than one mistake in it.
First, the sales of the 914/4 were hardly bad by Porsche standards. The best year of 914 sales (1973) saw 28,000 cars sold, when the best year of 911 sales to that time saw fewer than 10,000 sold. So, to say it was a sales failure is simply not true. VW should have known better, too. The best sales year of the Karmann Ghia was 1966, at only a few hundred more than the 914 in 1973, so even by VW standards, 28K in one year for a "sports car" should've been considered extremely successful.
The 2.0/4 wasn't technically a VW design. The 914 2.0 was never used on any VW, only on the 914. The VW 2.0 had completely different heads and pistons.
They also state: "The next year the 1.7 was bored out to 1.8 liters and given fuel-injection in North American markets." which rather suggests the 1.7 had carbs in the North American market prior to that time, which we also know isn't true. 100% of US market 914s used EFI.
I'll agree with him, however, that Porsche misread the US market and thought that American buyers would accept a VW/Porsche. VW has never been looked down on in Europe like it generally has been here, and US buyers are typically morons who can't be bothered to remember Porsche's history. Even some 356 owners are snobbish enough to exclude VWs, despite the fact that a 356 shares a lot more with a Bug than it does with a 911.
First, the sales of the 914/4 were hardly bad by Porsche standards. The best year of 914 sales (1973) saw 28,000 cars sold, when the best year of 911 sales to that time saw fewer than 10,000 sold. So, to say it was a sales failure is simply not true. VW should have known better, too. The best sales year of the Karmann Ghia was 1966, at only a few hundred more than the 914 in 1973, so even by VW standards, 28K in one year for a "sports car" should've been considered extremely successful.
The 2.0/4 wasn't technically a VW design. The 914 2.0 was never used on any VW, only on the 914. The VW 2.0 had completely different heads and pistons.
They also state: "The next year the 1.7 was bored out to 1.8 liters and given fuel-injection in North American markets." which rather suggests the 1.7 had carbs in the North American market prior to that time, which we also know isn't true. 100% of US market 914s used EFI.
I'll agree with him, however, that Porsche misread the US market and thought that American buyers would accept a VW/Porsche. VW has never been looked down on in Europe like it generally has been here, and US buyers are typically morons who can't be bothered to remember Porsche's history. Even some 356 owners are snobbish enough to exclude VWs, despite the fact that a 356 shares a lot more with a Bug than it does with a 911.
They came with an optional Sportomatic? 
| QUOTE (Buzzard1 @ Dec 10 2005, 04:30 PM) |
| They came with an optional Sportomatic? :huh: |
Ja! I think there are only a few left or something?
Anyways, what a
article. And again, why do all think the 914 is ugly? I think it's a beaut. They also say a 914 can't even compete with a boxster on the track. Tis that true? 
just proves that the down fall of western civilization. "authors" can publish such inaccurate drivle, while posing an expert. any thing to make a buck.
| QUOTE (lapuwali @ Dec 10 2005, 03:21 PM) |
| Fact checking is always a weak point in most such articles, . They also state: "The next year the 1.7 was bored out to 1.8 liters and given fuel-injection in North American markets." which rather suggests the 1.7 had carbs in the North American market prior to that time, which we also know isn't true. 100% of US market 914s used EFI. I'll agree with him, however, that Porsche misread the US market .... |
[QUOTE]
Duh! I forgot to mention EFI
If the (low cost body) deal with Kharman Had gone through, do you think ALL US 914's would've been six's?
I kinda think so!
And it would've been an early boxter!
My correction needs correction itself. The 100% of US market 914/4s had fuel injection. All of the 914/6s had carbs. If I'm going to criticize someone else's details, I should at least get my own right.
The deal wasn't with Karmann, it was with VW. Nordoff agreed to subsidize Porsche bodies, but his death nixed that deal, and the new VW CEO made Porsche pay Karmann's full price. The combo of more expensive than expected bodies along with more expensive engines and more expensive assembly costs (at Porsche's factory, which finished all of the Sixes), meant the 914/6 cost a LOT more than a 914/4, nearly as much as a 911. The gap in price between a 914/6 and a 911T was almost non-existent, so the "entry level" Porsche evaporated. The 914/4 was cheaper, but it was also viewed as a VW, not a Porsche.
Had Nordoff lived, and the deal survived, more 914/6s may have been made, but it quite likely that the 914/4 would have remained in the lineup, and it's likely they would still have made a lot more 4s than 6s. The 914/6 likely wouldn't have survived past 1974, anyway, as the carb'd version of the engine wouldn't have met smog standards, and adding CIS would have driven the price up. The forces within Porsche trying to kill the air-cooled engines (remember, the 928 was designed as a 911 REPLACEMENT), and the 924/944 probably would have ended up happening, anyway.
The deal wasn't with Karmann, it was with VW. Nordoff agreed to subsidize Porsche bodies, but his death nixed that deal, and the new VW CEO made Porsche pay Karmann's full price. The combo of more expensive than expected bodies along with more expensive engines and more expensive assembly costs (at Porsche's factory, which finished all of the Sixes), meant the 914/6 cost a LOT more than a 914/4, nearly as much as a 911. The gap in price between a 914/6 and a 911T was almost non-existent, so the "entry level" Porsche evaporated. The 914/4 was cheaper, but it was also viewed as a VW, not a Porsche.
Had Nordoff lived, and the deal survived, more 914/6s may have been made, but it quite likely that the 914/4 would have remained in the lineup, and it's likely they would still have made a lot more 4s than 6s. The 914/6 likely wouldn't have survived past 1974, anyway, as the carb'd version of the engine wouldn't have met smog standards, and adding CIS would have driven the price up. The forces within Porsche trying to kill the air-cooled engines (remember, the 928 was designed as a 911 REPLACEMENT), and the 924/944 probably would have ended up happening, anyway.
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