By Stephen Turcotte, republished with permission from the July 2015 issue of Fourteener Motoring Magazine

She sidled up to me and asked, “Is that a sports car?” I was at a gas station, filling up the 914 The question took me by surprise. It’s a hard question to answer. You don’t want to embellish the facts, and in truth the 914-4’s performance numbers were never the stuff of sports car dreams, even in the 70’s.

The 2.0L produced about 91 hp and approximately 118 ft./lbs. of torque, which by today’s standards are not overly impressive numbers. Many economy cars can beat those numbers now.  Even the 914-6 topped out at 110 hp. In the early 70’s when the muscle car horsepower wars were in full bloom, the numbers seemed lacking, and compared to the statistics many sports cars put out today, well, it’s a little embarrassing.

The 0 to 60 times, of arond 10 seconds, are not going to blow anyone away in today’s market. When the current crop of sports cars are getting to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds, with launch control and turbo and hybrids and PDK, and carbon fiber and tires wider than 3 standard 914 tires, a 10 second time isn’t going to turn any heads. Hell, the Halo cars are getting there under 3 seconds, and still dropping.

No, raw numbers were never the 914’s calling card. Nimble handling was, and still is, the allure of the 914. Weighing only a tick over 2000 lbs., and having its engine amidships, was the reason why such a small powerplant could give the 914 its exciting driver experience. Sitting low, and using some very forward thinking engineering, like 4 wheel disc brakes, anti-roll bars, and independent suspension, meant you could really drive the 914 at its limits. 

And racers then and now will tell you the same thing: If you add horsepower to the basic 914 platform, the car can hang with just about anything. The 914 has the racing chops to back it up. There are a lot of newly produced “sports cars” that haven’t raced to anything more prestigious than the supermarket. The factory built racing version of the Porsche 914-6, and the 914-6 GT, dominated in its class during the production run. Winning the 1970 International GT Trophy, the 1970 24 Hours of LeMans (first in class, 6th overall), the 1971 IMSA Championship, and the 1971 24 Hours of Daytona (first in class, 7th overall). Great handling and racing endurance, rather than straight line speed and acceleration, is what the 914 is all about.

So what makes a car a sports car? It’s not just horsepower, or torqu Many dismiss any car that doesn’t measure up to their standards in those departments. But, climb into a stock 914-4, and drive it around a stretch of curvy road, and tell me again how you define a “sports car.”

The 914 is a lot more than its spec’s. Indeed, it is a car that is greater than the sum of its parts.  It engages you. It forces you to drive it, not ride along. You have to steer the car thru the curves with your arms. You need to have a firm pedal for the disc brakes to give you the stopping power and feedback you want.  If you can carry more speed into the corner, then you need less horsepower to get out the other side. 

Ask ten people at the grocery store what a makes a car a “sports car,” and you will probably get ten different answers. Some folks will tell you any car with a certain horsepower and torque rating is a sports car, or even any “drop-top” is a sports car. Those folks are typically driving a Camry, but hey, it’s not a lie, if you believe it. Right? 

I checked the definition of a sports car in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It defines a sports car as:

A low small usually 2-passenger automobile designed for quick response, easy maneuverability, and high-speed driving.

Wikipedia says this:

A sports car (sportscar) is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for spirited performance and nimble handling.  Sports cars may be spartan or luxurious, but high maneuverability and minimum weight are requisite. They may be equipped for racing, “especially an aerodynamically shaped one-passenger or two-passenger vehicle having a low center of gravity and steering and suspension designed for precise control at high speeds.”

So there you have it, it’s on the internet. It must be true.

To be honest I don’t care if people consider the 914 a sports car. I love my car. I’ve named her “Betty.” And although I’ve taken her to a car show a couple of times, really I just love to drive her. Either alone, or better yet, with one of my boys. I’m not racing her, or entering her in Concours, I’m just trying to find a curvy road, and enjoy the 914 for what it is.

So when the young lady asked me if my car is a sports car, I said “Yep, it sure is, isn’t she a beauty?”