I had no idea there was a great place like this. Here's my story:

In 1982 I imported a couple of grey market cars from Europe, one was a yellow 1972 914-6 vin 9142430107. At the time I was in the middle of a 16 year career in the car biz and in 1985 was one of the top 50 Toyota salesmen in the U.S. and actually sold a Mazda Cosmo once. I always loved cars and had accumulated 9 of them, mostly imports and included:

A 1979 BMW 635CSI(grey market)

A 1972 914-4

A 1976 MGB

A 1976 VW SCIROCCO

A 1975 914-4

A 1977 Datsun 280z

A 1959 BMW R69 m/c

A 1974 Honda 550 m/c

A 1973 BMW Bavaria

It was a pretty cool 'stable' of toys. Besides that I got a demo from work to drive.

As the years went by I started getting tired of throwing money constantly at the BMWs and trying to keep the cars dry in the moist climate of the Great Lakes. I learned if any of them got wet they would dissolve like sugar. Not having the proper dry storage facilities to house more than a couple of them I started to off the most of them. I sold the 635 in 1989 when it was no longer economically feasible to do what it needed. The rest were gone by the mid 90s except for the Datsun and the 914-6.

Time passes so quickly that suddenly it's the late 2000s and I realize that 25 years had gone by since the Porsche had even been on the road. So there it has sat in a very dry garage alongside it's (also yellow stablemate) Datsun. The cars have not deteriorated a bit and 7 years ago I got the Z back on the road for 2 days until it developed a dry rot gas line leak that has not been repaired so it has sat again.

I don't know if I did much harm by sitting it so long, but by it being 'on ice' for 25 years has that added a bit of history to the car? I believe it could be one of the only 72s in the U.S. It's never had a bit of rust to this day.

I am glad this site is dedicated to a car that I've considered one of my 'children'. I look forward to all this site has to offer.

Now put it on jackstands and tear it apart. That would qualify you for a full membership.

A real VW/Porsche 6! Cool!

Yep, what he said!!!

How about pictures of all the cars? Very nice taste in vehicles I might add.

Our two 914's are our "babies" too...

.... oh, and

Hi

One more member. We come here from all over the world. For example I am ZE french guy

and i'm the resident german



welcome! yes, the '72 914-6 are somewhat rare around here ...
Andy

PS:

And I am one of the resident Canucks, plus a 914 historian who is very interested in learning a bit more about that 72 914/6. I'm just across Lake Erie from you.

Dave

and I'm a resident Texan... spent all 9 months and the first year of my life in a 71 914.
Too bad it's not down here. bodies stay in great shape, it's the engines that are hammered down here!

OH, and welcome!

Oh, I see those very often where I am from Wow, that sounds like you have a very sweet little car. Restore that baby. Oh, and...

72 /6's are quite rare, so please take LOTS of pics of it as it sits now, then LOTS MORE as you restore it back to pristine condition.

welcome, that's a great story. Looking forwards to pictures and if you are so inclined, there are some threads in the Originality forum that could really benefit from you experience.

:welcome:

Thanks for the welcome everyone. Like I said I just found this place today. All my pics are from 20+ years ago when cameras used things called 'film'. Damn, I feel so old.

A friend is coming over tomorrow so if he remembers to bring his digital camera I should have some shots up by this weekend.

Yes yes yes - Welcome!

You fit right in here We seem to have some similar tastes.

Welcome to the monkey house

I can't wait to see pictures of you car . . .

Would be more than glad to lend a hand any way I could. Steer me in the direction of these threads you mentioned, there are quite a few in there.

My brother lives just north of you on Lake Livingston. Actually the trick is to keep them dry. The way I look at it, if the Datsun sitting next to it hasn't dissolved by now it must be really, really dry.

The 914 is a totally unrestored original. I've read there is some value in that to some collectors, who knows?

not me, but i can hear the salivation from here!

welcome to the insanity!

T

WOW, an original, unmolested 72 -6....the pics should be pure 914 porn...and we like that .....I am the club "displaced Alaskan"....FWIW....welcome...

this value you speak of....i found a low miles 914-6 in sealy, tx and the guy was asking$17,000 for it.

it was all original, and i bet he'd get it, just not from me, as i have no money, my 914 keeps taking it from me! it's like a bully with my lunch money

Hey Andy, my BMW 635CSI was imported from Germany as a grey market vehicle in 1984. My God what a nightmare it was bringing it up to U.S. impact standards. You even have to hire a certified translator.

The car was way too much for the original owner, looked like he'd crashed it 3-4 times by my guess. It had been modified and misrepresented to me as an 'Alpina' vehicle, only to be found out not to be an official one after it was here. Damn, that car was fast with no top end. I had it up to 140 one night and had pedal left.

I had used up my one time EPA exemption on my Porsche and had to put the BMW in a friend's name who I split the cost with, with the idea we were going to make some serious cash selling it. Took us a year to get a U.S. title with all the B.S. involved. It was worse than joint custody of a child with this other guy having the yuppie brought out in him and me without a name on the title. Finally bought him out of his half way too late to make any money. A life lesson learned.

I am also of German descent, the city of Recklinghausen is in the Ruhr valley. I visited Munich in 1971 when the city was being prepared for the Olympics. It is a pleasure to make your aquaintance.

Hello Johannes, France was the original home of my 914. Must have been from somewhere near the coast as both sets of lights are amber.

In the early 80s a tennis pro was travelling around Europe making a list of grey market cars. I bought it sight-unseen and you had to be lucky to get a good one. There were 150 cars on his list, all kinds of them. Everything from Lambos and Ferraris to a classic the rep in my area brought in and let me drive once, a 73 RSR.

A teacher used to own it, but it has been too long to remember his name.

there is a recent post were someone in ohio putting together a list of ohio cars. i'm sure he'd be interested in talking to you. maybe someone has the link, or do a search



mike

Love to see some pics when you get the chance.

Please, please, please post copious pictures to the Originality Forum. Did I mention, please?

And welcome to this sad state of affairs!
Pat

That's funny because my 914 actually comes from California !!! It has been reimported in Germany in 1993. I bought it near Stuttgart three years ago ...

To be honest, I am as interested in the 240Z as I am the 914.

More interested actually. When I was growing up, I promised myself that a 240Z would be the car I had when I got old enough. I had the Hot Wheel, I knew it was a good car.

All you need in there is a BMW 2002, and you'd have my three favorite cars.

Zach

Wow! Excellent! Would love to see some cool pictures! A rare car indeed!....also some other owners here have some really nice cars. I too am glad to find this site. Cheers

Welcome Mel.

I visit your area on business & would like to stop & say hello when in the area. You will get lots of help from our local MI/OH guys. There are lots of us around & your 1972 914-6 is a rare one.

Thanks for joining this forum.

Tom

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Here's a shot from 7years ago, still planning on doing a bunch more tonight. Looks like the file space is too large to do more than one at a time because I don't know how to make them smaller.

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This one from 1989 when the 635 was still around. I've got a roll of film that can't be developed locally that has a complete series on the 914 that has been sitting around here for quite some time.

It's an optical illusion of some sort that made the garage look crooked.

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The beast, complete with water buffalo seats. Driver's door and LF fender were only original parts(aside from roof) that didn't appear to have been damaged during its life. The repair work was of poor quality and the car really started deteriorating not long after this picture was taken. It was going to need exhaust, tires, rust repair, total repaint and brakes. Big bucks that were not going to do anything more than bring it back to good condition.

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1977 Datsun 280z I purchased in 1978 from a flight attendant who traded it in on a Chevy van. Has a 1978 Hawaii inspection sticker on it. Keeps the 914 company.

All of these shots were scanned from photos so I apologize for the quality. The one's tonight should be much better.

Was on the other site, finally got home. Will post pics of my 914-6 conversion soon. Mack

Can't wait to see them

Beautiful cars, Mel.
I went through the one-time exemption, gray-market process in 85 with an e21 BMW. I REALLY wanted a 3.0 CS but they were all dust and bondo and when I left Germany I had this 320 with a straight 6 engine that just sang on the autobahn, so I brought it home. As I recall, it was pretty complicated....
My Mom had a Z-car of about that vintage as well
Anyway, it is time to

start
that
car.


and
WELCOME TO THE 914WORLD!!

It was as 'polar opposite' as it could have gotten, the difference between what it took to bring the 914 up to standards compared to the BMW. Because the impact standards for 1972 were so low(no big bumpers) it took about 10 minutes to do all the work on the Porsche. We had the 635's bumpers off, had to put steel beams in the doors and such a series of complications it was hardly worth it. That process took us a year. Didn't help that the guy who's shop it was in had someone break in only to be mauled by his German Shepard guard dog and ultimately got sued by the thief and lost. Sometimes there's no justice whatsoever.

If he'd only had a 'guard sheep' it may have turned out like this.

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Took some shots last night, but it may take some time to download them they are so huge. I have Windows 98 and the downsize links I found here requires a newer OS.

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Good, it's working. As part of the process of bringing it up to U.S. code they required an ID plate on the pillar. The one here we stamped out on some piece of tin, (not original).

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too bad it was dark in the garage

hinge area is in good shape

cloth seats

Nice score! Yellow is faster

You really are making it hard for me to forget about this car for another 25 years.