By Menno van Ry, the Netherlands, republished with permission from the July 2015 issue of Fourteener Motoring Magazine

The first time I noticed a 914 was back in the 70s, sitting in the back of my father’s car. Back then, Dutch highway patrol officers drove Porsches. The 914 I saw back then was a 914-6. But I didn’t know that at the time. I only remember the fact that I loved the shape.

Fast forward many years. Ever since I got my driver’s license, I’ve owned one or more classic cars. Saabs, Triumphs. But never a Porsche. Until last winter when my wife encouraged me to go out and find a nice new project for myself. The perfect moment to find a Porsche.

914world.com offered me a warm welcome and lots of info. Just what I needed. So the search started. After seeing a few cars, I found one not too far away. The seller had a good reputation with the Dutch 914 fraternity and has lots of parts for our cars. He had a few cars for sale. Including the metallic silver 914 I bought. The car had been sitting for 17 years. But was well cared for. After careful inspection, money changed hands. I took it on a trailer to the workshop where my friends Henk and Alan perform magic on classic cars. From humble Fiats to ultra expensive Aston Martin DB5s and 6s.

Over the weeks Alan used his magic on my Teener. We did a full rebuild of the engine, a respray of the engine bay and a respray of the floor under the spare wheel. 

Last month, the car was ready for the first test drive under its own power in 17 years. The master cylinder proved to be broken, so after a short drive, we drove the car back to the workshop. ATE delivered a new master cylinder, and I took the car for a longer test drive. Fan-tas-tic experience. I’ve become a true believer now.