CARSCOOPS:Porsche is only two years away from launching the new Boxster and Cayman EVs, the company’s first all-electric production sports cars. But this converted 914 lets us imagine how things might have gone if the electric revolution – and lithium battery technology – had happened 40 years ago.
It started life as a standard 1975 Porsche 914, the mid-engine sports car that resulted from a joint project between Porsche and Volkswagen and was produced between 1968 and 1977. A few cars got a mild-tune 2.0-liter flat-six from the 911, but most came with a flat-four, which by the time this car rolled off the line would have been either a 75 hp (76 PS) 1.8 or a more promising 94 hp (95 PS) 2.0.
But there’s no sign of either in this car’s engine bay because it’s been upgraded to battery power by renowned California electric wizards EV West. It now features a HPEVS AC-50 brushless electric motor and 36 CALB LiFeP04 battery pack, but the fun thing is that lot is hooked up to the standard five-speed transmission, so you still get to throw a stick around.
Inside, things appear mostly standard, at least until you get a load of the Andromeda Interfaces digital instrument cluster that includes a speedometer and outputs for motor voltage, motor temperature, controller temperature, high voltage, average battery cell temperature, and maximum cell temperature.
The exterior has a few small blemishes, but a past repaint still presents well in the Bring-a-Trailer auction pics and is set off by 15-inch Fuchs wheels and slim fiberglass bumper that replace the nasty US-spec girders that were fitted when new to comply with mid-’70s crash regulations.
The ad doesn’t say how far this 914 can go on a charge, or how long it takes to juice up, though you can bet that the 2024 Boxster EV will beat it in every metric. The new Porsche will also have significantly more power than the 96 hp (97 PS) the owner states this one has, but he claims it still pulls well and the almost perfect 50:50 weight distribution should make it fun in the bends.
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