After owning this '72 914-6 for awhile, it's now time to start the restoration I have been waiting for. Only problem is, I have grown fond of these odd modifications (the flares are factory steel) that have been carried out years ago in Europe and am finding it hard to pulling the trigger on welding the turn signal tunnel housings back on, getting rid of the 916-ish bumpers w/ their strange headlights, and putting the top part of the roof back to black. When this car came into the US from Switzerland it did not have pop up front head lights. It sported a solid one piece metal front hood and the 4 lower front bumper lights were the 'headlights'. California DOT would not license the car as they deamed the headlights too low for safety, and the pop ups were welded back in and a stock hood installed. I have the original one piece metal hood.

Do I convert the exterior to traditional 914-6 GT look, or keep it the way it was when imported and paint it back to it's original Silver Metallic?

Here is the steel front hood that will eliminate the pop up headlights...

I vote 914-6 GT. In the long run, a stock looking body will probably bring more $ than a heavily modded one.

Customs are always in the eye of the beholder, but I'd say that this is a very nice one, and I'd be tempted to leave it alone. By the time you do everything to bring it back to factory fresh, you'll have a lot of money invested.

Enjoy it and have fun with it!

I really like it. It looks mean and low with no turnsignal humps and the lights. Maybe add a little contast by doing the roof black. Pesonally the last thing Id do is paint it silver. Silver looks best on stock bodyed cars with lots of black contrast, 916 bumpers need painted rockers and solid colors. Just have your guys work on the fit and finish of everything.


Remember its good to be different

hell I vote for keep it....I mean you must be able to see for miles with that much night illumination!

Do whatever YOU like brother! Your car seems to be tastefully done, so make yourself happy. I'd like to see what the car with looks like with the modified hood.

It sounds like you don't really want to go back stock. Listen to your heart.

Drive it like you stole it!

If you want a restoration project, why don't you pick up a sad car and bring it back to life. This car is already alive.

i like the stock body, but thats my thing

Thanks guys for all the input. I am still leaning towards keeping it as is, but putting some items back to factory original. I think I am having personal issues with just selling my stock '71 6. There was something that made me feel better in having both a 'correct' one and a custom too.

Here is a photo of the interior. I just don't care for the white accents.

John, I would keep the car basically as-is. Did you have top fixed, where that 3-M protector film was screwed up? I would take the pop-up headlight covers off (disconnect the lights & motors) & put the full hood on.

I would also dye the seats so they are full black. I like the center console, so if you ever decide to get rid of it and put in an original, consider me 1st in line.

Does it still have the 69 S-Motor in it? I know you have that replacement case that I gave you, did you start rebuilding that?

Oh, and have a Happy Birthday this weekend. I'll call you.

T.C.

I can see the allure of taking one of the rare '72 Sixes and turning it back to stock, but that car looks to be in good shape. Drive it. If you want a resto project, there are plenty of rusty tubs on life support that could use the attention.

I actually think that front bumper and light treatment looks really good. A nice but unique touch...

The bumper treatment looks like the Glockner-6

T.C.

Click to view attachment

you know what I think. Of course it will cost a ton to put it back stock and if done properly you will not recover the cost for a number of years, but there is nothing more valuable that an original configuration 914. (now if I could figure out a way of prying off that welded on roof from the 916 so I could make it a convertible again!)

Yes, You're crazy...

You bought and are driving a 35 year old Porsche. You're totally insane, over the bend, crazy. But that has nothing to do with keeping this as it is or reverting it back to it's original state.

If you enjoy it, drive it like it is. If someone else doesn't like it,

tell them to

Eric

If you don't return the Headlight to stock, ( as per D.O.T.) you can't drive it

legally , Right ? that is to nice a car to just trailer around.

Like the turn signals as they are.

Paint it silver if that is your want, work on fit and finish.

Leave your other 6 BONE stock, that my friend is better than money in the

bank! My 2 cents. Dave

If you value its history... keep it AS is.

If that doesn't matter and there's some history you want to write, then change it.

The history comment rings true. This car is part of the 914 History books. So, if you said you were GOING to build a car like this out of a /6, I'd bitch, but this car has evolved into something unique along time ago and you should honor the beast the way it is. I'd even leave the seats alone. If they bug you, pick up another set and put these in storage.

1st: We don't have vehicle inspections here in Florida, so I think only a POS Trooper would ever give him shit.

2nd: John just sold his Stock Six

T.C.

I would just do what had to be done to get it licensed in your state, then put it back with the solid hood and let a cop tell you it's wrong. They won't. You're more likely to get pulled over for talking on a cell phone then some keystone-cop noticing that your headlights are too low.

As the old saying goes, "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission". Drive it the way you like it and all others be damned.

KEEP it!

I saw a 930 with a similar treatment in an Excellence a couple months back, and the same car was in Hemmings Sport and Exotic cars magazine.
It was an EVEX 930, I think they were Strosek before it was Strosek.



If one car can make those mags, there has to be something to the company that made those body mods.

PS: As you see, this owner had no issues with leaving the low headlights and running it like the designer imagined.
Also, here in VA, if you have antique tags you can run whatever you want.

Hey Nathan, you may be onto something. That 930 has what looks to be the same bent front corner reflector as my 914. Thanks for the info!

Keep it as is. Lots of other stock ones around to restore.

I would just fix the fit of the bumper and remove that side marker in it, that looks messed up.. The dual fog lamps look good. Just make it nice and drive it! (nice means, gapped, clean, etc) I'm not big on the white stripes on the seats, but as long as they are in good shape, just leave them.
Mark

Looks like a lenner kit

I can not agree with McMark more. Follow your heart, if you like the car in a certain way than do it. It is just a car, and it is "YOUR" car so make it yours. So what if it is an original six and is no longer stock, it still looks like a 914 to me. I had a hard time taking my car from a 4 cylinder, to a six, and now to a gutted track car, but once I got over what others would think about the car I am happy with the choice I made.

enjoy it,
Steve

Well, it's been a long time and I figured I'd update this post. Once the paint was stripped, and I saw how nice/extensive the metal fabrication was, and decided to leave everything as is. Many hours spent aligning bumpers and closing gaps.

Very nice! I'm glad to see you went with your heart. More pics, please. Do you have the history of who did what to the car before it came to the US? Was some of it factory?

Good to see some mods preserved, from back in the day.
Nice Bumper fit

Very cool, glad to see a period custom survive.

Good choice! looks really nice!

In my heart, I feel you did the right thing, you might want to research who did the mods, looks like something Konig cold have done. Don't change the int either..

I like it John, Glad you sent me pics last week

T.C.

Here are a few more exterior pics...

Chassis number is 9142430091 and it was imported from Swizerland by an Italian who lived in Simi Valley, CA and owned/s a shop called German Import Service. He told me that in order to get the thing DOT approved in CA, he had to take the front hood thats on the car now off and weld/install the original type pop up headlights. He must have been the one who painted it white. The original color is silver, but it was painted many times, one of them a metallic blue. POS Certificate ofAuthenticity lists options as: stabilizer bars, manual antenna - left wth loudspeakers in front, tinted windshield and side glass, high output airconditioner (???), Dunlop racing tires. I like this cool Tenex snapped engine grill cover. It's made from that old heavy grain German vinyl.

last of em

awesome choice, I would have said to do it that way if I had seen the thread.
Good luck with the rest of it....should be an awesome ride.

Rich

Glad to see you kept the old mods. Looks great!

914's are too old and too hard to find left alone these days. If you can make it look like something the factory rolled out, it'll be worth more.

Normally I would agree with this statement, but not in this case, there is more to this 914-6 than a funky front bumper installed and if he can find/verify what Tuner built this car could put this one in another level..

I went through and re-read the thread and agree with you now. Some cars built by certain folks at certain times have more value and interesting history to them than others. This 914 appears to be one of them.

The silver is a great color for it, much, much better than the white.