Date:         Fri, 28 May 2004 15:04:04 -0600
Reply-To:     don spence <dspence@OANET.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         don spence <dspence@OANET.COM>
Subject:      Re: no VW sports cars?
In-Reply-To:  <200405281959.i4SJxWL06587@moe.oanet.com>
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Actually Bruce, there were two 914's. A VW one with a 4 banger and a
Porsche one with 6 cylinders.  Very different animals.  It don't matter
who sold them on your block. VW-Audi  built them out of VW bits.
(except for the Porsche 6 engine)

1969 The mid-engined sports car, VW Porsche 914, was launched on the
world's markets in a marketing cooperative with the Volkswagen factory.
It was joined by the Type 914/6 with 911 engine.


Badged as a VW-Porsche, the 914 probably did more for the reputation of
VW, than that of Porsche; and the former went on to develop the Golf
GTi, while the latter struggled for survival.


914

At the same time Volkswagon needed a replacement for the Karmann Ghia.
The solution to both firms was the 914. In Europe, the four-cylinder
914 was sold by a new joint marketing effort called VW-Porsche. The
mandate of VW-Porsche was to build vehicles out of VW components. In
the States, the 914-4 was marketed as a Porsche. (World-wide, the 914-6
was marketed as a Porsche.) Controversy ensued.

Even with the controversy, the 914 was a successful venture (made big
bucks). A successor was asked for. Work commenced in 1972, sponsored by
VW-Porsche. Then there was a management change at VW, and the whole
concept of VW-Porsche was history. It was then thought to make the car
into what-would-have-been the predecessor to the Audi Coupe. Then there
was another management change at VW, and the project was killed. It was
almost complete, though, and Porsche really wanted a 914 successor, so
Porsche proposed to buy back the design from VW-Audi at bargain
basement prices. VW-Audi agreed. The car would continue to be built as
planned at the Audi plant in Neckarsulm, and most of the parts came
from VW-Audi bins. Work immediately started on making the car more
"Porsche."


On Friday, May 28, 2004, at 01:57  PM, Automatic digest processor wrote:

> From:    Bruce Nadig <motorbruce@HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: no VW sports cars?
>
> Sorry, gotta step in here. The 914, while sold in Europe as a VW, was a
> Porsche in the U.S. Only Porsche dealers sold them here.
>
> Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I know it was a joint venture with Porsche, just
> like the
> Cayenne thing is. It hardly makes them the same animal.
>
> We live in the U.S. The 914 is a Porsche.
>
> By the way, I owned a 1990 G60 Corrado that was pretty hopped up. That
> was
> one wild ride it you really got on it. Damn, I wish I never sold that
> car.
>
> Cheers,
> Bruce
> motorbruce