Porsche 914 Comeback???

I’ve heard rumblings (along with grumblings) about a possible comeback of the Porsche 914. And by comeback, I mean re-release. It kind of reminds me of the year we started seeing 280Z’s start to disappear. What I heard was that Nissan was buying them up to rebuild, then re-release. Kind of a cool concept although I don’t know how many actually were sold that way or if that’s even how it went down.

Volkswagen has been working on a sports car concept for a while now, and it could be an interesting project for Porsche to jump in on, if it hasn’t already. Given the joint work with VW on the Cayenne Hybrid, is it really that big of a stretch?

The original Porsche 914 was sold in the US from 1969 to 1976. Back then it was a joint effort between VW and Porsche. It was promptly named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in 1970. The 914-4 alone turned out to be Porsche’s top seller during its model run, selling over 118,000 units worldwide. I’m sure price had a LOT to do with that.

Fast forward to today and we’re not in that much different of a situation. With the economy scaring people out of buying cars, much less Porsches, and that effect likely to be felt for a few years to come, it could be a great time for Porsche to capture a market a bit lower than the Cayenne is snatching up. They don’t currently have a 4-cylinder car on the market and could introduce such a model or drop in the 2.7-liter base engine from the Boxster.

Would be an interesting time for Porsche to add a lower priced model into it’s lineup. Not that it necessarily needs the cash, but it could certainly help bolster sales and possibly capture an audience that it wouldn’t otherwise reach. Another side benefit that is just a hunch without any data to prove at this point is the number of people that it brings into the Porsche “family” with a modern day 914. They buy an entry level Porsche, fall in love with the brand and end up buying a higher end model as their financial means increase.

Kind of like how Apple gets you in with an inexpensive MacBook. Before long, you’re dropping three large on a 17″ MacBook Pro, not thinking twice about it and certainly NOT thinking about going back to a PC.

[Sources: Automotive.com, Wikipedia.com]