Porsche 914 to make a comeback?

Porsche, the increasingly hyperactive sports car manufacturer may be planning another model.
As well as the four-door Panamera, already confirmed, Porsche is said by an American magazine, Road & Track, to be working on a new smaller sports car. It will be in co-operation with VW - a Porsche chassis with a VW 2.0 engine of around 220 bhp. If Porsche wanted to go ahead, VW could not refuse - Porsche now owns nearly 20% of VW and has seats on the board.

It would take Porsche back to its roots - sports cars based on tuned VW engines. However, Porsche will be well aware that the last VW co-operation, the 1.7 and 2.0 Porsche 914 of the early seventies, was one of the company's few sales failures.

Source: Reuters via Road and track

atomicbri - 1/25/2006 11:22:52 AM

+1 Boost

Maybe Porsche should do an entry level car, but I think they need to be careful to not over extend their exclusitivity. One thing that makes Porsche so desirable is not only that its cars are fine driving machines, but also you don't see them every 10th car that passes by. Also I think I would definately not name it anything near the old 914....I am sure it would get some "C" name..... perhaps maybe the Porsche Citrus, or Porsche Coconut (just kidding) or the Porsche Cents....since it will be its cheapest car....LOL

mdewane - 1/25/2006 11:56:28 AM

+1 Boost

Careful reading of the article indicates not that Porsche is planning this vehicle but that the Road and Track piece is suggesting HOW porsche could and why they should build such a vehicle. Now don't get me wrong, Porsche may very well be working on such a car, but there is nothing in the referenced Road and Track article indicating that this is so.

JUGNU - 1/26/2006 4:06:53 AM

+1 Boost

I think it's enough now,Porsche should not go down below a boxter,and whattt they r planning for VW engines in their upcomin cars.No way this should not happen.
If yes i doubt the upcomin panamera will lift many things from the ceased and flopped phaeton,like it's engine, may be tuned. whats wrong with porsche.don't they want to remain and called exotic.they r downing/decreasing their image.

JUGNU - 1/26/2006 4:06:53 AM

+1 Boost

I think it's enough now,Porsche should not go down below a boxter,and whattt they r planning for VW engines in their upcomin cars.No way this should not happen.
If yes i doubt the upcomin panamera will lift many things from the ceased and flopped phaeton,like it's engine, may be tuned. whats wrong with porsche.don't they want to remain and called exotic.they r downing/decreasing their image.

Daytripper - 1/27/2006 12:45:53 AM

+1 Boost

When the 914 was available for sale it sold pretty well in the U.S. (At least the 4-cylinder models did.) It's biggest rival was the 240-Z (faster in a straight line, but not as good a handler.) The 914 was a better car than most of its competition at the time, though, and not that much slower than a Z. But the market is a lot more crowded now, and a 4-cylinder Porsche is probably not smartest way for them to spend their development money when such a car would be priced up against so many 6-cylinder models.