>>Porsche 914-6 GT

Porsche 914-6 GT

Porsche 914-6 GT

Manufacturer	Porsche
Production	1970 – 1972
Predecessor	Porsche 912
Successor	Porsche 924
Class	Sports car
Body style	Targa Coupe
Layout	Mid engined
Engine	2.0 L flat-6
Related	Porsche 914

The Porsche 914-6 GT was a race car built and sold collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche.

History

The Porsche 914 was introduced in September 1969 as a collaborative effort between Porsche and Volkswagen to produce a sporty car. The car they came up with was a mid-engined vehicle with seating for two and featured a targa top. A 4-cylinder boxer engineprovided the power. Volkswagen needed a vehicle to replace the aging Karmann-Ghiawhile Porsche was looking for another option to add to their line up. The 914 in Europe were badged as Volkswagen/Porsche, while all 914's sold in North America were sold as Porsches.

The car sits very low and the suspension was a combination of a 911-type torsion bar front suspension with a rear coil spring suspension. The headlights hide in the hood and pop-up when needed. The targa top can be stored in the trunk.

The horizontally opposed flat-four engine is mid-mounted and was produced with different displacements; 1.7, 1.8 or 2.0 liter. The 1.7 liter engine produced 80 hp (60 kW), the 1.8 produced 79, and the 2.0 liter engine produced 95. A five-speed manual gearbox was standard equipment on all models.

The 914/6 was short lived with only 3360 examples produced between 1970 and 1972. All featured the 2.0 liter flat-six engine. It was raced using different engine configurations. This included the 'T' specification, which was basically a stock 911 engine. Another popular configuration was to use a converted Carrera 6 engine.

In 1970 Porsche entered a 914/6 GT in the grueling 24 hours of Le Mans race. It finished 6th overall and won its class. This was only one chapter in the vehicle's extensive racing career, which continues even to this day.