This Porsche 914 has the heart of a Cayman

British classic car builder Fifteen Eleven Design is set to transplant the powertrain of Porsche Cayman into a 1975 914.

The Derbyshire company is an offshoot of the Mellors Elliot Motorsport team, which runs a Proton Iriz 5 in the World Rally Championship. It has previously specialized in glamorous restorations including a rare 1962 Maserati 3500 GT Iniezione.

Prior to designing this 914, Fifteen Eleven created a bizarre Ford Escort Mk1 Speedster, which somehow manages to look completely wrong and strangely right.

For its new 914 project Fifteen Eleven has taken a base car, strengthened and stiffened its chassis, and then installed a wider carbon-fiber body over the top. There’s a clear targa roof, projector LED headlamps, and a ducktail rear spoiler which adjusts according to driving speed. Inside, the car is fitted with Recaro bucket seats and trimmed in leather.

Power comes from a 987 Cayman S: a 3.4-liter water-cooled flat-six with 300 hp, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. A stainless-steel exhaust vents gases. The adjustable coil-over dampers are linked to Cayman-derived suspension. Brembo four-piston calipers sit behind 18-inch Fuchs alloys fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires.

Fifteen Eleven boss Chris Mellors says: “Our vision is to re-create classic cars into modern-day restorations which anyone would be proud to drive and the Porsche 914 will be just that. It has an impressive specification that should address the pitfalls of the original, whilst giving owners many technological advantages of today’s engineering and manufacturing processes.”

The 914 will be built to order in left- or right-hand drive, but prices have yet to be announced. We like the Porsche 914 and made it one of our 2020 Bull Market selections; but while we’re never likely to shy away from extra power or a tasteful restomod, we haven’t quite made up our minds about this one. What do you think?