Project Introduction: 1972 914 1.7 liter. Republished with permission from the April 2015 issue of Fourteener Motoring Magazine.

With rising prices (and rampant rust) it is easy to wonder whether clean 914s can be built for a reasonable amount these days. We all see the really clean cars for sale. Clean fours can go for anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000, or more, today. But is there a better choice then buying a finished car? We wanted to know if you really have to buy a top-dollar car to own a good one. So we decided to find out.

We had been looking for a “rust-free” candidate for some time when we came across an ad on 914world.com. All of the important characteristics seemed to be there: Garaged, “no” rust, lots of upgrades, and located relatively nearby on the East Coast (yes, 11 hours is fairly close when looking for the right 914). The owner also seemed ready to let go of his project before it was completed, which often turns out to be an opportunity to buy a car “right.” We hopped in the “tug truck” and off to South Miami we went.

When we arrived we found a fairly clean silver 1972 narrow-body 914. The car was very straight. There were no signs of accident damage or serious bodywork. It had suffered dings and scratches from sitting in the garage for over 10 years, and a motorcycle had fallen into the driver’s door and left a couple small dents. But, overall, it was a straight 914. Initially, we couldn’t find any rust. Trunks were spotless. Hell hole was clean. The floors looked great (the owner had removed the “tar” out of justifiable fear of rust). We kept looking and digging.

The owner was nice enough to let us remove the three cheese-head screws on the bottom of each rocker cover. This was the moment of truth. As we pulled the covers out, we prayed that the car was as clean as it seemed. And . . . it wasn’t. But, it wasn’t too bad either. The jack post supports, filled with years of dirt and road grime, had a few small holes about the diameter of a pencil. The longitudinals looked great overall. But, there was obviously a little rust repair needed.

A lot of money had been spent on the car. And the owner had kept meticulous records, which is always a welcome selling point. Finding someone’s else’s project before it is finished is often a great way to pick up a great deal. This 914 seemed like just one of those situations. The car had a 19mm master cylinder, a lot of new rubber, and many small upgrades too numerous to list. More than the little improvements the owner had made, though, the car had a recently rebuilt engine. Although it wasn’t the original engine, based on the owner’s records it appeared that it had been done well, at considerable cost.

Apparently, a few years earlier he decided that it was time for some more power. In rebuilding the engine, and increasing the displacement to 1911cc, he pulled out all the stops. Machining, new bearings, rebuilt heads, and brand new weber carbs. He spent some money on it. And, in addition to receipts, he had photographs of the rebuild. The engine was clean and obviously assembled with a great deal of attention to detail.

So what was the kicker? It didn’t run. He had apparently gotten it running right after installing it in the car. But, then he had to go out of the country for work, and the engine sat for a couple of years. When he got back to it, he couldn’t get it running. Given the receipts and seemingly meticulous rebuild, I figured it was not likely to be something serious. We didn’t spend any time trying to get it running while we looked over the car. After all, if we figured the problem out and got it to run, it likely would have just increased the price. That would later prove to be a good decision. After a little negotiation we headed back north, with the silver bullet 914 in tow.