1975 Porsche 914 2.0 from North America - Comments

Trust me, 914's are WELL capable of 140mph +

I work at a new raceway in NJ, and I was there for Porsche day.

They had a highly modified Porsche 914 doing 180+ WITHOUT breaking a sweat.

Like I said, the car was highly modified, engine, tranny, everything. It even had a VERY large squared off wing for control at high speeds, and it had rollcages too obviously...

So it IS possible...

I don't see what the big deal of going 140mph in a 914.

Anybody ever heard of a Pontiac Fierro???

Yea...same car pretty much, just not german.

Drop a Northstar v8 in a stock Fierro, and that puts you instantly in the 12 seconds 1/4 mile without even trying.

Also makes it very hard NOT to do wheelie when launching.

The guy claiming the speed of 105 was unattainable probably has never done anything more than look at a 914, and its looks can be deceiving.

I have a `73 914-2.0 which is/was fully stock, but a slightly bored/honed rebuilt engine which achieved 126 mph on a winding & DOWNHILL stretch of an unnamed Interstate out West, and repeated on several trips through there. On the flat, she could regularly muster 110-115 mph on the flat, possibly due to using the adjustable front strut setting to lower the front end about 1/2", which probably improved the slip stream some, as well as making it a perfect 50:50 weight balance (most shops can set this, or look it up in the manuals).

That was in the late `70's, back when the car was running. It's been stored since `85 due body damage & family needs (i.e.: money tight & we needed a bigger car!), and it still awaits repair/restoration (it's a clean & rust-free SoCal car). I'm now looking for a cheap parts car to start that process (would've loved to be there when the guy found two non-runners!), and looking forward to getting her back on the road -as is my 20 year old son. Ergo, my coming across this 914 blog today.

Several places can do quality "built" 914-4 engines - all of the 1.7, 1.8 & 2.0 L sizes, but 2.0 works best. They'll typically bore & stroke, re-piston, cam, crank & valve, etc. the engine, anywhere from 2.0 (for the 1.7 & 1.8's) up to 2.5 or 2.6L. This usually gets you 100+ hp at the smaller displacement, up to 140 hp or better at the larger, and more if it's a non-street legal racing engine. So calculate out the expected top speed using the tranny's gearing information, and I'm sure it'll make or beat 145 mph!

The main things you need to decide are your budget ($4-5k to $10-15k +++ depending on dyno-testing, blueprinting, etc.) ; and how you want to drive it. Apparently, the bigger the jump in power & displacement, the rougher & hotter the running of the new engine. So if you want a street legal and daily. weekender or long distance drivable 914, they recommend stick with a more modest jump in the 110-125 hp range. Otherwise you'll be stopping every 100 miles or so, according to the owner of FAT below.

The 2 places I've come across for reliable rebuilds of "built-up" 914 engines are AutoAtlanta.com in Marietta, GA (e-mail George for info., he/they are 914 specialists) ; and FAT Performance in Orange, CA (also on-line, but don't have the owner's name & web off-hand). FAT specializes in building racing VW, 914 & Datsun (now Nissan for the younger crowd) engines - several of which have powered Baja 1000 winners. They also "build" hot engines for the street variety as well.

Hope that all gets your juices flowing!

Tom

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