The rarest Porsche in the world: the Porsche 914/8
Only two were ever made The post The rarest Porsche in the world: the Porsche 914/8 appeared first on Supercar Blondie.
The Porsche 914/8 might not be the first car that comes to mind when you think of the rarest Porsche, but you might want to rethink that.
With only two ever made, it’s arguably the rarest in the world.
Tucked away in the brand’s museum in Stuttgart, Germany, these legends were never registered for road use, never sold to the public, and definitely never meant for mass production.
But make no mistake, for they’re some of the most radical machines the German automaker ever built.
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The Porsche 914/8
In 1969, Porsche was already making waves with its motorsport dominance, but the brand wasn’t afraid to experiment.
Ferdinand Piëch, the visionary grandson of company founder Ferdinand Porsche and a future titan of the automotive world, wanted to test the limits of the 914 chassis
He decided to commission two insane one-off Porsche 914/8 prototypes: one for himself, and one as a 60th birthday present for Ferry.
The first 914/8, built for Piëch, was powered by a monstrous 3.0-liter flat-eight engine lifted from the 908 race car.
This engine produced a jaw-dropping 350 horsepower in a car that weighed just 2,100 pounds.
This power-to-weight ratio would be impressive in a modern supercar, but remember, this was in the late 1960s.
The second car was relatively milder, detuned to about 300 horsepower, although it still packed a punch for the time.
Both cars were fitted with a 916 transmission and built for internal testing, never seeing a public road.
The rarest Porsche in the world
Neither car was ever licensed or intended for the public.
They were testbeds, designed to push the boundaries of what a lightweight, mid-engine platform could handle.
At a time when most cars were lumbering sedans, the 914/8 was zooming way ahead of its competitors.
It wasn’t just ahead of its time, but truly out of its decade.
Today, the only 914/8s ever built live a quiet life at the brand’s museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
In 2019, the brand invited fans of the two-seater to a special event called ’50 years of the 914 – Typically Porsche’, in order to celebrate the 914.
The 914 series was credited with being the second sports car series for the brand’s younger fans, and for clinching success in various events.
For example, a 914/6 GT from Team Sonauto won the GT class at Le Mans in Europe in 1970.
At the end of the day, the 914/8 isn’t just the rarest Porsche; it’s mythical.
Sometimes, two is the magic number.The post The rarest Porsche in the world: the Porsche 914/8 appeared first on Supercar Blondie.
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