1974 Porsche 914

White with Orange trim and wheels, Black upholstery, Charcoal carpeting and Black removeable targa top, 2.0 Liter 4-cylinder engine, 5 speed manual gearbox, Restored.

Known officially as the 914 Limited Edition, or LE, Porsche imported 500 cars with Black as the primary color and 500 in Light Ivory. The Black cars all featured Sunflower Yellow rocker panels, bumpers, spoiler, and wheels, earning the car the "Bumblebee" nickname. The White cars were accented in the same places with Phoenix Red, a nearly orange color, giving rise to the "Creamsicle" name.

What they received for their money were add-ons to make quite the slick-looking 914, a special interior, alloy wheels, a spoiler below the front bumper, front and rear anti-roll bars and one of two unique paint combinations, highlighted by a "negative" stripe that spelled out "Porsche" just above the rocker panels.

Although Porsche made a 1.8-liter engine available as the base engine in the '74 914, all LE's came equipped with the 2.0-liter flat-four a heavily revised version--by Porsche--of the Volkswagen powerplant and first offered in 1973. Small increases in bore and stroke yielded a 1,971-cc displacement against the base 1,795-cc engine, resulting in a robust 91 hp in U.S. trim, a considerable upgrade over the 72.5-hp Porsche listed for the smaller engine.

Despite stumbling out of the blocks with it in 1970, by 1973, Porsche had fixed most of what ailed the four-cylinder 914, primarily with the more powerful 2.0-liter engine. But the engineers also fitted a new gearbox. Earlier 914s, with their notably balky shifting, used a linkage that connected at the far rear of the transmission. The new-for-'73 transaxle featured a connection closer to the front of the unit, allowing for a smoother-acting shifter via a shorter linkage rod.

Magazine reviewers of the day, who had been harsh in some reviews when the car debuted in 1970, began praising the car once the larger engine had been fitted. Its handling truly the car's single most attractive attribute remained strong, due to a fully independent suspension with torsion bars up front and coil springs at the rear. Unassisted power steering allowed for excellent feedback and control of the lightweight machine with near 50/50 weight distribution. Disc brakes at all four corners provided plenty of stopping power.

decided to wrap this 914 rather than repaint to ensure the paint under the wrap is preserved properly. The original interior is in excellent condition.

Available with detailed restoration receipts, this very rare 914 LE Creamsicle is once again, one of only 500 total production with approximately 200 left per the registry.

Key details
VIN / chassis: 4742915088

Offered by Autosport Designs, 203 West Hills Road, Huntington Station, NY 11746. Taxes, title and fees not included.

Photos courtesy of Autosport Designs.