1970 Porsche 914/6 GT sells for $995,000, the best-ever auction result for a 914

Once derided as the runt kid brother of the Porsche lineage, the 914 is having a major moment in the sun. A rare racing version of a 914, anyway. This Porsche 914/6 GT consigned to Gooding & Company’s 2020 Scottsdale auction just sold for $995,000 (commission included). That result represents the best-ever auction result for a Porsche 914.

The opening bid came in at $500,000 and shot to $750,000 in short order. From there, bidding stalled at $875,000 before the eventual buyer finally entered the winning bid at a hammer price of $900,000.

Gooding’s pre-sale estimate for Porsche 914/6 GT chassis #9140431017 was $1.0M–$1.3M, which at first glance seemed like a pretty penny for any 914. Digging into the details, however, revealed that this rare racing-spec 914 had all the right competition pedigree, factory construction, and a litany of solid provenance.

It also helps that the car is one of just 16 examples built in 1970, and that its upgrades include a host of hot performance add-ons: steel fender flares to fit wider Fuchs alloy wheels; fiberglass deck lids, rocker panels, and bumpers; anti-roll bars at both ends and vented brakes; Plexiglas rear and side windows; an extra front oil cooler, a long-range fuel tank, and a competition interior. This example bears the beefiest of three available 1991cc flat-six engine configurations—210 horsepower thanks to a 906-type camshaft, big-valve cylinder heads, dual ignition, higher compression, and more.

“This car’s value is less about its 914-ness and more about its history, which is superb,” according to Rob Sass, editor of the PCA’s Panorama magazine. The 914/6 GT’s accolades include a first-place class victory (seventh overall) at the 1971 24 Hours of Daytona and a fourth in class at the 12 Hours of Sebring, plus a first overall win at the 1971 6 Hours of Saint Croix and a first in class (third overall) at the Carnival at Three Rivers. As a bonus, the car was originally delivered to French Canadian driver and journalist Jacques Duval, who raced Porsches from the 356 all the way to the 904 and 906.

This is by any analysis a high watermark for the Porsche 914, and it has the potential to drive up interest in motorsport-accomplished examples in general. As it is, we’ve seen the 914 get more and more respect on the auction block in recent years, and these big headline results can only mean good things for the mid-engine machine going forward.

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