Life begins for the People's Porsche

The 914 was developed jointly with Volkswagen, but VW was dropped from the prefix for the US market. Photo / AP

The mid-engined Porsche 914 turns 40 this year - an anniversary that has not escaped the attention of classic car buffs. Interest in the 914 has been further pricked by the fact that it is the direct production predecessor of the Boxster roadster and slots into the Porsche lineage.

Australian auction house Shannons has a 2-litre 914 up for sale, and the company says the car has created interest on both sides of the Tasman.

The 914 was a Porsche/Volkswagen production. Back in the 1960s, VW was looking for a successor to its then-dated Karmann Ghia sports coupe, while Porsche at the same time wanted a more affordable sports car beneath the 911. The two companies in 1966 verbally agreed on a joint venture, with Porsche given the assignment to develop a low-cost, mid-engined sports car intended to enter the market as a Volkswagen with four cylinders and as a Porsche with a six-cylinder boxer engine.

But during the development process there was a change of VW management following the sudden death of CEO Heinrich Nordhoff in 1968. His successor Kurt Lotz rescinded the contract and insisted on VW having exclusive sales rights for the car.

What followed was a vigorous boardroom struggle that took the 914 project to the brink of failure. Then the two companies agreed on a compromise: the new car with its Targa roof would have a four-cylinder engine, be called the VW-Porsche and sold through a joint sales network.

The VW-Porsche 914 was unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show on September 11, 1969. It became the first series production, mid-engined sports car built in Germany. But it created an image problem for Porsche in Europe when it became known as the "People's Porsche".

Despite that, it became a success, accounting for 115,631 cars until production ceased in early 1976.

Most of the cars built were exported to the United States, where the 914 was marketed as a fully fledged Porsche without the VW prefix.

Originally, the 914 came with a 1.7-litre VW air-cooled engine running on carburettors. This unit was later upgraded to 1.8 litres, and finally 2 litres with Bosch fuel injection.

The roadster up for auction in Sydney is a white 1974 model with a 2-litre engine. It has been fitted with rollbars for use in motorsport events and is expected to fetch between A$12,000 and A$18,000 ($15,000 and $23,000).