Changing thoughts on 914's

[71six]

Jeff indeed I did and it now resides in New England. Do you possibly have any knowledge of it's history while out west? Nice car with a lot of potential.

Mark

[Cal]

Jeff indeed I did and it now resides in New England. Do you possibly have any knowledge of it's history while out west? Nice car with a lot of potential.

Mark

Mark, I almost purchased the car back in ‘14/’15 when it was owned by Barry Richins in Utah.....Dale purchased the car from him. I can send you an email with some restoration photos and a description of the work that was done.....send me a PM with your email address.

[71six]

Jeff,
PM sent.
Thanks,
Mark

[911MRP]

I was watching something on TV and 914 came on. Having seen this thread I asked my daughter what she thought. Immediate reply:” ugh, I don’t like the aesthetics at all“.

Must say I’ve never liked the looks of 914 since I used to pass a newish one on my way to school every day either so couldn’t disagree. End of that dad / daughter Porsche chat!

[stout]

Agreed, Koenigs were cheaply made and priced accordingly. I still have the GT Scheel from my old #58 914/6GT, one of the lightest and most comfortable race seats ever IMO.

Here are the NOS pair of Scheels I sold to Pete. Would really like to see how they look in his car...

Attachment 522616

Attachment 522630

Attachment 522629

Sorry I took these out of the boxes, they got a little shelf rash over the years. Note the bottoms: sequential numbers! 6623 & 6624

The sequential numbers are the coolest—after cloth seatbacks in a 914.

I have no doubt these Scheels have been together since the start, but my upholsterer thinks they may have been redone at some point. I decided to leave them as is for a while, and they have transformed the driving experience. Scheels are the only seats I've tried in a 914 that approximate the stock seats for comfort while adding useful support—and the cloth backs mean no more sweating on warm days (let alone hot ones). I'll never go back to vinyl seat centers—or leather, for that matter. These seats are very comfortable, and I can't wait to do a long trip in them…which is something I couldn't say before they went in.

As for pics, please find them below. Your old Scheels have been living a good life, and returned the favor by providing vastly superior comfort and positioning over the seat in the blue car…

[recarno]

@bullethead: thank you for the picture of the bottom. yes, i also had the scheel 100 in the 911 for a while. the 114 is almost identical in construction - the 300 series that was produced at the same time has more lateral support and is above all much lighter because it is made entirely of fiberglass and not a tubular steel frame. as well as the recaros mentioned and then recommended by porsche. Incidentally, we always drove the Scheel and Recaros in the 914s without headrests (as with the GT). It looks much cooler from behind when looking through. of course not so good in the event of an accident. Ouch!

best

[Jim Breazeale]

Pete

Your pictures remind me of the Porsche ad from 1970 showing their new $3500.00 Porsche and their other $37,000.00 mid engined Porsche. Maybe somebody can post a pisture of that ad. It hung on the wall in the bathroom of my old shop. Somehow, it got lost in the move.

Ciao

Jim

[Bullethead]

Terrific Pete, thanks for posting those... they look perfect! The fit is a bit snug for larger types but the bolsters really provide lateral security. I'm pleased they're in the right hands.

And while your upholsterer may have doubts, those seats came to me in the original boxes!


Here's the fiberglass OG seat installed in my old GT... removed prior to sale, it along with another original 300 Scheel with straight bolsters are going into my streetable GT which I hope to finish next year.

They are supremely comfortable.

914-6 GT 2563 001.jpg

[stout]

@bullethead: thank you for the picture of the bottom. yes, i also had the scheel 100 in the 911 for a while. the 114 is almost identical in construction - the 300 series that was produced at the same time has more lateral support and is above all much lighter because it is made entirely of fiberglass and not a tubular steel frame. as well as the recaros mentioned and then recommended by porsche. Incidentally, we always drove the Scheel and Recaros in the 914s without headrests (as with the GT). It looks much cooler from behind when looking through. of course not so good in the event of an accident. Ouch!

best

Love the look of 914s with no headrests—even purer. Just not brave enough to run that way after being rear-ended in my car years ago. Too many texting drivers around here.

I was surprised at how little information on Scheels was out there, particularly among 914 enthusiasts, so I tried to add some real info from my experience as well as a bit of poking around on the net. You can read more here.

Pete

Your pictures remind me of the Porsche ad from 1970 showing their new $3500.00 Porsche and their other $37,000.00 mid engined Porsche. Maybe somebody can post a pisture of that ad. It hung on the wall in the bathroom of my old shop. Somehow, it got lost in the move.

Ciao

Jim

I remember that poster! Funny thing here is one is worth something closer to $20,000 while I am told the other is worth something closer to $20,000,000. We took some more pics that day…

Still need to grab that lunch, and get a sense how the hobby shop is coming. Hope you and the family are well!

Terrific Pete, thanks for posting those... they look perfect! The fit is a bit snug for larger types but the bolsters really provide lateral security. I'm pleased they're in the right hands.

And while your upholsterer may have doubts, those seats came to me in the original boxes!


Here's the fiberglass OG seat installed in my old GT... removed prior to sale, it along with another original 300 Scheel with straight bolsters are going into my streetable GT which I hope to finish next year.

They are supremely comfortable.

914-6 GT 2563 001.jpg

Great stuff! NOS, a bit of shop wear, a mysterious history before you got them...don't care—just beyond happy to have them. Thank you (!) again.

Your old GT was gorgeous, and can't wait to see your new project when it's completed...

pete

[Unobtanium-inc]

Given that the 914 is the same vintage as our early 911's, has your views on them changed over time?

I always liked the looks but clearly preferred the elegance of the 911.
And many condemned them as not being Porsches but VWs. Which is odd since they were designed by Porsche, had Porsche parts and the 914-6 was even built on the same line as the 911.
In that sense, it's more a Porsche than the 356 was.

The looks are love or hate, I suppose, but clearly distinctive
I am a fan.

The 914 has long been the step-child of the Porsche line, but recently the Factory has come to embrace it, which I think is great. I own two 914's and love both of them. I often tell guys with impossible 356 projects to sell them and go buy a 914, they won't regret it. I drive the snot out of my black one and it really feels like you are sitting on the ground, much like my kid's go-kart. My other car is a former IMSA 914-6, once run by Garretson, it too is a blast to drive but much scarier.

Glad to see the 914 get the respect it has so long been denied.

---Adam