One-of-a-kind 400hp Porsche '914-8' for sale
Mid-engined Porsches can be very special with four or six cylinders - this 914 is powered by a Chevy small block...
We all love an engine swap, don’t we? Doesn’t matter if the transplant is complementary to the base car’s characteristics or it totally transforms them, the process is endlessly fascinating - as so many Readers’ Cars threads will attest to. Whether it’s creating something the factory should have made or a unique car, it’s hard not to be intrigued by engine swaps.
The trend has become so popular that there are several well-established powertrain transfers these days. Think mid-engined Lotuses with the other K Series engine in, the Toyota MR2 getting the Celica’s 2ZZ, BMW’s S85 V10 in plenty of places that aren’t an M5 and so on. But we’ll bet you’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s a Porsche 914, originally launched back in 1969 as the VW-Porsche and with power provided by a modest 1.7-litre flat four. Max power was just 80hp, so it was launched alongside a 914/6, with a 911-spec six upping that figure to 110hp. This car, however, is neither of those. Well, it was a standard 914 once, and has the wider /6 arches on it - but under the bonnet is a V8.
You read that right, eight cylinders in the middle of a Porsche 914. Not just any V8, either, but a 5.7-litre Chevy small block. Said to be brand new when the project was undertaken by Renegade Customs in Las Vegas, it has covered 10,000 miles since the conversion. And, thanks to spicy cams, develops 400hp. In a car that weighs as much as a stamp, the 914-8 promises to be a huge amount of fun.
Unsurprisingly given the size of the engine and the size of the car, plenty about the Porsche is bespoke. Not that you’d really be able to tell; it’s lower and wider and meaner than a 914, complete with the Fuchs that are mandatory on a modified Porsche, though it doesn’t scream crazy project car. Presumably, the exhaust will do a very good job of that.
Neither does this look like some kind of cobbled-together sports car. Both interior and exterior look fantastic, without rust for the former or dash cracks for the latter, and there’s still some boot space behind the engine. To all intents and purposes, it’s a much-loved Porsche 914, only one that’s hiding a 350 cubic inch secret.
It’s impossible not to be curious, like all the best engine swaps. Furthermore, as a US-market, left-hand-drive car - plus being some way from standard - this isn’t as expensive as some other 914s. There are UK cars above £30k, yet this is £26,500. Given the nature of the build, you’d have to imagine offers anywhere adjacent to that ballpark would be entertained. And what a hoot it’d surely be; people know the Porsche 914, and people know Chevy V8s. We’ve just never known them together. Imagine the looks on the faces of the Porsche Owners Club...
I don’t know enough about engines but weren’t some of the later small blocks alloy?
It says that it was a new engine when it went in and that would help with the weight.
Hard to imagine how they squeezed it in and so working on it will be tricky.
However I would happily have that. Would swap one of my cars for it and I am sure it will be snapped up.
V8 instead of a 4pot. Brilliant
It’s also worth noting that the Chevy small block is indeed very small and light. All aluminium and with only a single cam push rod design means no big multi valve over head cam heads which utilmately means a compact lightweight design.
Pablo
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