I like it when Craigslist ads bring up philosophical questions more intense than wondering if a person can ever, truly, know what they have. Ads like this one, for what’s just called a “1973 Porsche” bring up fascinating questions like “at what point does this car stop being a Porsche?” I’m really not sure this Porsche is a Porsche anymore.
The nature of the Porschitude of the Porsche becomes muddy when you read the description of the car:
“this was originally a 1973 porsche and has been heavily modified but is still titled as a 1973 porsche. It now has a chevy small block engine with 5 speed transmission chrysler 300 headlights corvette taillights just for starters.”
Yeah, I’d say it has been pretty heavily modified.
And, to its credit, it looks like it was modified with some real skill; whatever you think of the car, you have to admit the craftsmanship looks pretty good.
There’s really not much 914 left in the thing; the original air-cooled flat-4 engine is gone, replaced by a Chevy small-block V8, the whole body is different, and looks like a voyage from ‘90s-era Camaro, through Ferrari, and ending up as a Corvette.
The badge at the rear reads PORSCHE 914-8 GTS, but I’m really not sure what’s left here can still be considered a Porsche, despite what the VIN may say.
Really, all I can visibly see left of the Porsche are a few dashboard knobs and those coco floor mats.
So what do you think? At what point did this 914 cease to be a Porsche? At the engine swap? The body re-design? The loss of the front trunk? Are those floor mats enough to let it retain a Porsche identity?
Personally, I think it’s an entirely custom car that happens to be built on a 914 pan. But that’s just me.
Let’s discuss.