Kostamojen

iTrader: (2)

I dont know if it is because of where I live (people with $$$$$$), but ive seen like 4 or 5 Porsche Boxters in the past week with all those fun aftermarket porsche mods. Nice BBS wheels, body kits, those different types of roofs that you can get... I even saw one with a modified exhaust and probably some other stuff I couldnt see

You know, if I could afford it, I think I would get a boxter and do that Those cars are just great for not only driving but the fact they have 2 trunks And of course the low price for being a brand spanken new porsche...

I know all about older porshes being decked out, but I just fancy the boxter for mod purposes for some reason...

Oh well, end rant

IgotWRXed

bah, i wouldnt get a boxster just because of the stigma surrounding them. its kind of like those c230 mercedes. sure its a mercedes.......but its not A Mercedes Ruf makes their version of the boxster, like a 3600 or 3500 or some weird number, altho i still wouldnt get it just because of the unfortunate, gutless stigma.

Kostamojen

iTrader: (2)

I always thought of Subaru as a poor mans porsche... But oh well.

I havent heard of that stigma, and every true enthusiast knows that a boxster is a great car, so I dont get it.

Kostamojen

iTrader: (2)

what about the 914?

Sea Dragon Rex

The 914 is the poorest of the poor man Porsches and has a heritage that has been questioned continuously since they were first introduced.

Okay, since I know a little about the "bastard" Porsche I'll give you a little history lesson. The 914 concept was first introduced in the late 1960's as the Porsche for the masses. 911 production was going well but Porsche decided it wanted to replace the 912. At the same time, VW was producing the Karmann Ghia and was looking for a replacement. Ferdinand Porsche and Piech (sp?) had very close ties with VW and had a "hand shake" agreement on the production of the car. So, Porsche with the help of a designer (I can't remember the guy's name) came up with the 914. The 914's based on the mid-engined platform that was used on the 906's and various other Porsche race cars.

914 Models and Production

There were two models designed on the 914 platform. One was the 914-6 and the other was the 914-4. The 914-6 was to have the boxer 6 2.0 911T engine in it and have 911 suspension components. The 914-4 was to have the Type 4 1.7 VW engine in it and various VW brake components (both had the same transaxle and suspension components). The 914-4 was originally to be marketed as the "VW-Porsche" and the 914-6 was marketed as a "pure Porsche." Around 1968, Porsche and VW had a falling out but both companies decided to continue the joint project.

All 914 chassis were built and assembled at VW's Karmann plant. Then the bodies for the 914-6 were shipped to Stuttgart while the 914-4's were produced in the VW plant. When VW and Porsche had the falling out, VW nullified the "hand shake" agreement with Porsche on the price of the chassis.

914 Marketing

As stated previously, the 914-6 was originally supposed to be the entry-level Porsche and the 914-4 was supposed to be the replacement for the Karmann Ghia. In the US, both cars were sold through Porsche dealerships and the 914-4 was marketed as the "entry-level" Porsche. Unfortunately because of the falling out between VW and Porsche, Porsche paid a lot more for the chassis than they originally agreed to and the price of the 914-6 was very close to the 911T. Because of this and the car's ties to the 914-4, the 914-6 only stayed in production for two years and only 3200 cars were produced.

The 914-4 had a longer lifespan. It was produced from 1970 until 1976. Throughout its life, it's heritage was questioned. In Europe and the rest of the world, the 914-4 was actually sold as a VW (though the marking on the rear of the car said "VW-Porsche") and cars with the steel wheels actually had VW chrome hubcaps. In 1973, the 914 was fitted with the Type 4 2.0 engine. Many believe that this is the same 2.0 that was used in the VW bus but in fact the engine has different internals and heads (Porsche designed).

As for the 914-4's heritage, the early 356's were built in VW plants (Karmann) with VW support. If you look at markings and placards throughout the 914 it says VW. But very few of the parts (especially the 2.0's) can be purchased through VW parts distributors. The car shares the same front suspension as the 911 and most of the parts are unique to the car.

Anyway, your eyes are probably getting tired by now. In terms of success of the car, Porsche considered the car as less than desireable in terms of marketing. That is an interesting note considering over 130000 (if I remember correctly) cars were sold in 6 years (more than the entire production run of the 356 and 912 combined). The 914 was Road and Track's Car of the Year in 1970 and the 914-6 won its class at Le Mans in its debut in 1970 (I believe it was in the top 10 competing against the 917's, Ferrari 512's and 911's of the era). The 914-6 was also very successful in many other races continued was winning races in class up until the 1980's (Camel GT, GTU class). The 914-4's dominated SCCA's EP class in the 1970s and have been forced to race against higher horsepower cars (the 914-2.0 has to compete against the BMW 2002 Tii, Mazda RX-3 and Honda CRX-Si in SCCA's ITA class).

Not too bad for an underpowered box who's heritage has always been in question.

Kostamojen

iTrader: (2)

Ya, I still want a 914 for a track car... There was one at a local private sale weekend event that was TOTALY decked out for track events (roll bar and everything) but they were asking like 6000 for it... Blah

Kostamojen

iTrader: (2)

Ug, I know the boxter is slower, thats not the point... Now go away.