Built in 1969 under the direction of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche’s grandson (as well as father of the 917, Ur-Quattro, former VW CEO and all-around easy-going guy) Ferdinand Piëch, the 914/8 was designed to test the feasibility of a super-high performance variant of the fledgling mid-engined sports car. As its model designation suggested, power came from an eight-cylinder, but it definitely wasn’t an SBC. Only two were made–one for Piëch himself, and the other as a gift for Ferry’s 60th. Both are now part of Porsche’s corporate collection, meaning neither is likely to ever be offered for sale–the definition of unobtanium.
The orange 914/8 pictured here came first. Note the quad-headlight setup–this car was built around a very early 914 prototype shell, with some sources claiming it to be the very first ever produced. It looks like it might have been a bit of a handful, but with 350 HP and nearly 10000 RPM to work with, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Apparently, the Targa top of standard production cars was welded in place for added structural rigidity. There are other detail differences here and there, but for the most part 914/8 No. 1 gave few clues to the prototype racer powerplant tucked away underneath.
The interior looked mostly standard as well…
But not entirely. We love that the VDO rev counter looks like it could be a typical off-the-shelf 914 piece, excluding the 9400 RPM redline of course.
Scattered Dymo labeled switchgear further hint at the car’s very special nature.
And here’s the 3.0 liter, quad-cam, air-cooled, 350 HP flat-eight heart of the monster, looking wildly exotic with its magnesium alloy crankcase and naked, hand-laid fiberglass intake trumpets/covers. Though never officially registered for street use, the car was reportedly a fairly common sight on the A8 Autobahn between Munich and Stuttgart, a ~230km stretch that also happened to be Piëch’s commute.
Imagine these sounds coming from a 914–incredible.
Here’s the second car, which by all accounts was finished to a much higher, production-ready standard. In fact, apart from the fixed top (this time equipped with a pop-out sunroof), the car looked almost identical to a run-of-the-mill 914/4. Presumably this photo documents 914/8 No. 2 being gifted to Ferdinand II on his 60th birthday. This second, final prototype was fully road-legal, and though he’s said to have driven it some 7,000km, Ferry found the car lacking in refinement and drivability despite being detuned to just 300 HP.
Image credit: Porsche
from The best vintage and classic cars for sale online | Bring a Trailer https://bringatrailer.com/2018/05/04/unobtanium-ferdinand-piechs-flat-eight-porsche-914-8/
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