One of Today’s Greatest Automotive Designers Owned a Porsche 914. That Says a Lot About the Car
The Drive ·
Luc Donckerwolke designed the Lamborghini Gallardo, and is the driving force behind Genesis. So he must know what he's talking about, right? The post One of Today’s Greatest Automotive Designers Owned a Porsche 914. That Says a Lot About the Car appeared first on The Drive .
The Porsche 914 has long been deficient in the respect department. Shunned by purists when new, and lacking the glamor of the automaker’s more well-known models, it has what can best be described as a niche following. But one of those 914 aficionados happens to be one of the biggest names in car design.
Luc Donckerwolke built his reputation in the Volkswagen Group , most notably with Lamborghini on projects like the Gallardo . He then moved on to Genesis , overseeing the creation of a distinctive look for the upstart luxury brand, and then kindling the Magma performance sub-brand and racing program. Until recently, he owned a 914.
This past week, that car sold for 225,000 euros (about $253,000 at current exchange rates) on Bring a Trailer . The high selling price (only a handful of these cars have sold for more than $150,000 on the auction site) reflects the fact that this is no ordinary 914—and not just because of its famous owner. It’s a 1970 Porsche 914-6, with the more powerful flat-six engine (other models had flat-fours) and some period modifications. And it was rebuilt and upgraded by Ruf after Donckerwolke bought it in 2020.
Delivered new in Donckerwolke’s home country of Belgium, the car was modified in 1975 by local car dealer Antwerpse Automobile Company with steel fender flares in the style of the 914-6 GT race car. Ruf kept those, while adding a fiberglass hood, engine cover, bumpers, and rockers, as well as a central fuel filler. The German company also repainted the car from its factory Lemon Yellow to Grand Prix White.
The majority of 914s had four-cylinder engines ranging in displacement from 1.7 to 2.0 liters, and that was a big part of this car’s negative reception with brand purists because those engines were supplied by Volkswagen. The 914 was originally supposed to be a replacement for the VW Karmann Ghia, engineered by Porsche, but sold as a VW. The bigger automaker backed out of the project, so Porsche decided to sell the car itself. It then installed its own 2.0-liter flat-six, which made a more respectable 108 horsepower.
Ruf increased the displacement of the engine in Donckerwolke’s car to 2.4 liters, and also installed a twin-plug ignition system and velocity stacks for the dual Weber triple-barrel carburetors. Ruf also fitted a new stainless steel exhaust system and oil cooling system, fitted modern brakes, and swapped in a new clutch and lightweight flywheel for the five-speed manual transaxle.
This tastefully modified 914 shows the potential of this 1970s mid-engined Porsche. Wrongfully overlooked by many, it had a genuine racing pedigree (a 914-6 GT finished sixth at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans) and presaged the Boxster and Cayman . Not every restomodded Porsche needs to be a 911 .
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