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VINTAGE: Porsche 914 Celebrates 40th Anniversary
Written by: Vintage Motorsport Staff
Vintage Motorsport Magazine   http://www.vintagemotorsport.com
04/13/2009
Stuttgart, Germany
 
Most of the cars built were exported to the United States, where the 914 was marketed as a genuine, fully-fledged Porsche without the VW prefix. (Photo: vintagemotorsports.com) ยป More Photos

Everything remained very quiet when today’s Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG established VW-Porsche-Vertriebsgesellschaft mbh, the VW-Porsche Sales Company, together with Volkswagenwerk AG, as it was called at the time, in April 1969.

Holding stock capital of DM 5 million, the new company launched the strategy of success for two sports cars still carefully held back from the public pending their final presentation: the VW-Porsche 914 and 914/6.

The establishment of the VW-Porsche Sales Company marked the beginning of a true story of success and the fortunate end of a dramatic development. Back in the mid-60s VW was looking for a successor to its then rather outdated Type 34 sports coupe, better known as the Karmann Ghia. At the same time Porsche was striving to expand its position in the market with a sports car in the promising segment beneath the 911.

Facing this challenge Ferry Porsche and
VWs CEO Heinrich Nordhoff agreed in spring 1966 on a joint venture destined to benefit both parties: Porsche was given the assignment by Volkswagen to develop a low-cost mid-engined sports car intended to enter the market as a Volkswagen with four cylinders and as a Porsche with a 6-cylinder boxer engine.

With the development process continuing at a good pace, the Board of Management of VW was suddenly confronted with a tragic change: Heinrich Nordhoff died unexpectedly in 1968 and Kurt Lotz was appointed the new Chief Executive Officer. Lotz rescinded the contract agreed verbally and insisted on Volkswagen receiving the sole and exclusive sales rights for the car being developed by Porsche. After long and tough struggles bringing the 914 to the brink of failure more than once, the two companies agreed in a compromise to call the new car the VW-Porsche and to market this new model through a joint sales network.

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