This is a 1970 Porsche 914/6 that benefits from a series of major upgrades, including an upgrade to M471 GT specification by Antwerpse Automobile Company in 1975, followed by a series of mods by RUF in Germany.
The car is now being sold out of the ownership of Luc Donckerwolke, one of the most important automotive designers of the modern age, and the man behind the styling of the Lamborghini Diablo VT, the Murciélago, Gallardo, Bentley Flying Spur, and a slew of others. He’s currently the President and Chief Creative Officer of the Hyundai Motor Group.
Fast Facts: A RUF-Modified 1970 Porsche 914/6
- This 1970 Porsche 914/6 was delivered new to Belgium in Lemon Yellow. In 1975, Antwerpse Automobile Company converted it to M471 GT specification with steel GT-style fender flares, chassis reinforcements, and wider Fuchs wheels, giving the car a considerably more competition-focused configuration.
- Automotive designer Luc Donckerwolke bought the car in 2020 and sent it to RUF in Pfaffenhausen, Germany, for an extensive rebuild. RUF repainted it Grand Prix White and fitted lightweight fiberglass body panels, a central fuel filler, upgraded oil cooling, RSR brakes, replacement control arms, and wider Fuchs wheels.
- RUF rebuilt the flat-six and increased displacement to 2.4 liters using Mahle pistons and cylinders. The engine also received twin-plug cylinder heads, triple-barrel Weber carburetors, velocity stacks, and a Friedrich Motorsport stainless exhaust. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transaxle and a limited-slip differential.
- The cabin now has Recaro seats, Willans harnesses, a padded Heigo roll cage, Alcantara trim, a Momo Prototipo steering wheel, and refurbed VDO instruments. The odometer was reset during refurbishment and shows 321 kilometers. The car is offered from Germany with documentation including a Porsche certificate and service records.
History Speedrun: The Porsche 914
Porsche built 115,631 four-cylinder 914s but just 3,338 with the flat-six, those four-cylinder numbers made it the company’s volume seller of the early 1970s – it was an approachable, fun, and perhaps most importantly, an affordable sports car.
The 914 was built around a steel unibody with a removable GRP (glass fiber reinforced) roof panel that stowed in the rear trunk when not in use. It has pop-up headlights, MacPherson struts and longitudinal torsion bars in front, and semi-trailing arms on coil springs at the rear. Image courtesy of Porsche.
The 914 arrived as a joint Porsche-Volkswagen project, sold in Europe under a Volkswagen-Porsche badge that America never saw, and it spent most of its production run being argued about. It’s now the most forgotten of the major Porsche production cars, even the 912 seems to be better remembered.
Two Companies + One Car
By the late 1960s both Porsche and Volkswagen needed a new model. Porsche wanted a replacement for the more affordable 912, and Volkswagen wanted a range-topper to succeed the Type 34 Karmann Ghia. The balancing act was that that car had to be capable of being a halo model for one automaker, and a cheaper volume seller for the other.
For decades VW had been contracting its development work to Porsche under an arrangement dating back to Porsche’s founding, and the 914 was set up as the last project under the arrangement, with Ferdinand Piëch at the helm.
The first prototype ran on March the 1st, 1968. Six weeks later Volkswagen chairman Heinrich Nordhoff died, and the handshake agreement he had reached with Ferry Porsche on the price of the bodyshells died with him – it had never been written down. His successor Kurt Lotz took the view that Volkswagen owned the car and had no reason to carry Porsche’s share of the tooling costs.
The engine used at launch was Volkswagen’s fuel-injected 1,679 cc flat-four from the 411, rated at 79 bhp at 4,900 rpm. The 914/6 used the 1,991 cc Type 901 flat-six from the 911T on Weber carburetors offering 109 bhp – it also had larger brakes and five-lug wheels. Image courtesy of Porsche.
Body prices rose as a result, and the six-cylinder 914/6 ended up costing only slightly less than the 911T, which was the one thing its position in the range couldn’t survive – not many buyers would take a 914/6 when they could opt for a 911 for just a few more clams.
The car was presented to the public for the first time at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1969. Karmann built the bodies at Osnabrück and finished the four-cylinder cars, Porsche assembled the sixes at Zuffenhausen. In Europe the four-cylinder version was sold as a VW-Porsche through Volkswagen dealers, while the 914/6 wore Porsche badges.
In North America they were both sold as Porsches, and this has caused no end of confusion over the years that followed.
What The Porsche 914 Was Up Against
At roughly $3,500 in the United States for 1970, the four-cylinder car landed on top of Datsun’s new 240Z, which had 150 bhp and cost about the same. Road & Track put the 914 against the MGB Mk II, Fiat 124 Spider and Triumph TR6 in the June 1970 issue and found it slowest off the line but marginally quickest flat out, with the best braking and fuel economy of the four.
Motor Trend named it “Import Car of the Year” for 1970. This all seemed positive, but the reception to the car’s styling was less favorable, Road & Track called it “unpretty,” and this seemed to be the general consensus among the reviewers of the time.
Right from the beginning, the 914/6 had the harder job. Selling for around $6,000 it faced the 911T above and the 240Z below, it beat neither on value, but enthusiasts knew it could handily beat both around the local track if set up correctly.
The wheelbase was 96.5 inches and curb weight started at 2,070 lbs – it was a remarkably lightweight car that had been designed from the outset with a convertible/targa layout, meaning it didn’t lose any rigidity or gain any weight due to the removable roof. Image courtesy of Porsche.
Porsche 914 Variants + Specifications
The 914 was built around a steel unibody with a removable GRP (glass fiber reinforced) roof panel that stowed in the rear trunk when not in use. It has pop-up headlights, MacPherson struts and longitudinal torsion bars in front, and semi-trailing arms on coil springs at the rear.
The wheelbase was 96.5 inches and curb weight started at 2,070 lbs – it was a remarkably lightweight car that had been designed from the outset with a convertible/targa layout, meaning it didn’t lose any rigidity (or gain any weight) due to the removable roof.
The engine used at launch was Volkswagen’s fuel-injected 1,679 cc flat-four from the 411, rated at 79 bhp at 4,900 rpm. The 914/6 used the 1,991 cc Type 901 flat-six from the 911T on Weber carburetors offering 109 bhp – it also had larger brakes and five-lug wheels.
The 914/6 was dropped after 1972 and replaced for 1973 with the 914 2.0 now powered by a 2.0 liter four offering 99 bhp, arriving alongside anti-roll bars and a much better side-shift linkage. For 1974 the 1.7 gave way to a 1.8 rated at 84 bhp in Europe and 75 bhp in the United States.
Two more extreme 914 derivatives never entered series production – the 916, canceled after eleven pre-series cars with 2.4 or 2.7 liter sixes, and the 914/8, two cars with 908 racing flat-eights, one built at Piëch’s instigation and one given to Ferry Porsche for his 60th birthday. By most accounts he didn’t really like it, but today it’s a true holy grail for Porsche enthusiasts.
The Porsche 914 Goes Racing
The 914/6 was homologated for FIA Group 4 in March of 1970. Competition cars got wider steel fender flares, lightweight fiberglass panels, a 100 liter tank, 911S racing brakes, a twin-plug ignition system and 207 bhp at 8,000 rpm, at 1,980 lbs ready to race. The car was a weapon on track.
The 914/6 was dropped after 1972 and replaced for 1973 with the 914 2.0 now powered by a 2.0 liter four offering 99 bhp, arriving alongside anti-roll bars and a much better side-shift linkage. For 1974 the 1.7 gave way to a 1.8 rated at 84 bhp in Europe and 75 bhp in the United States. Image courtesy of Porsche.
At Le Mans that June the Sonauto entry of Claude Ballot-Léna and Guy Chasseuil won its class and finished 6th overall. It went largely unremarked, because the same race gave Porsche its first outright Le Mans victory with the 917.
In the 86 Hour Marathon de la Route at the Nürburgring later that same year, three works 914/6 GTs finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the winning car of Gérard Larrousse, Helmut Marko (yes, that Helmut Marko), and Claude Haldi covering 360 laps and 10,184 kms.
The repair log across all three cars listed one tire change each, two blown fuses, a taillight bulb, and two broken window cranks. It had proven to be remarkably reliable in what was one of the most grueling circuit races in the world, if not the most grueling outright.
The rallying record of the 914 didn’t go quite so well. The 1971 Monte Carlo had the worst weather in years, two of the three works cars retired with transmission and clutch trouble, and Björn Waldegård brought the survivor home 1st in class and joint 3rd overall.
Porsche opted not to continue the rally program, perhaps wise given the one-two punch of the Alpine A110 and the Lancia Stratos that were waiting just down the road.
In America, Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood won the first IMSA GT race at Virginia International Raceway in 1971 in the No. 59 Brumos 914/6 GT, and took the GTU title in the series’ opening season.
The car does also have one other claim to fame, at Mosport in September of 1973, a yellow 914 became the first safety car ever deployed in a Formula 1 race, with Eppie Wietzes driving. Race control picked up the wrong leader, and much of the field was lapped by mistake.
This is a 1970 Porsche 914-6 that was delivered new to Belgium in Lemon Yellow, and was then converted to M471 GT specification in 1975 by Antwerpse Automobile Company. The work included steel GT-style fender flares, various chassis reinforcements, and wider Fuchs wheels allowing the fitment of wider rubber.
914 production ended in 1976, the 924 took its place, though not everywhere at once. American buyers had no 924 yet, so Porsche filled a single model year with the 912E.
The RUF-Modified 1970 Porsche 914/6 Shown Here
This is a 1970 Porsche 914-6 that was delivered new to Belgium in Lemon Yellow, and was then converted to M471 GT specification in 1975 by Antwerpse Automobile Company. The work included steel GT-style fender flares, various chassis reinforcements, and wider Fuchs wheels allowing the fitment of wider rubber.
It passed into the ownership of automotive designer Luc Donckerwolke, who bought it in 2020. Under Donckerwolke’s ownership, the Porsche was sent to RUF in Pfaffenhausen, Germany, for an extensive rebuild and further modification. The body was refinished in Grand Prix White and fitted with lightweight fiberglass front and rear lids, bumpers, and rocker panels, along with a central fuel filler.
RUF also fitted RSR brake calipers, new rotors and pads, a brake balance bar, replacement control arms, an upgraded oil-cooling system, and 8 and 9 inch wide 15-inch Fuchs wheels shod with Michelin TB15 tires.
The flat-six was rebuilt by RUF and enlarged to 2.4 liters using 87.5 mm Mahle pistons and cylinders. It also received twin-plug cylinder heads, dual Weber triple-barrel carburetors with velocity stacks, and a Friedrich Motorsport stainless-steel exhaust.
Power is sent through a 5-speed manual transaxle with a limited-slip differential, with a lightweight flywheel and replacement clutch fitted during the rebuild by RUF.
The flat-six was rebuilt by RUF and enlarged to 2.4 liters using 87.5 mm Mahle pistons and cylinders. It also received twin-plug cylinder heads, dual Weber triple-barrel carburetors with velocity stacks, and a Friedrich Motorsport stainless-steel exhaust.
Inside, the cabin was stripped and fitted with Recaro seats, Willans harnesses, a padded Heigo roll cage, Alcantara trim, a Momo Prototipo steering wheel, and refurbed VDO instrumentation. The odometer was reset during the refurb process and it now shows 321 kilometers (199 miles).
The car is now being offered with a Porsche certificate, owner’s manual, service records, and German registration. It’s being offered for sale out of Erlangen, Germany and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images provided by Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
