Pelican Parts: Karl Johnson's $51K 914-6 Conversion

Dear Wayne and Tom,

What a wonderful surprise to find your website! (Not to mention all of the other great 914 links as well) I have just spent the past week devouring every word, scanning every picture, and exploring every link that your website has to offer. You really should be commended! This is a great site that is well organized and very informative.

And I must say that it is reassuring to know that there are others as obsessed with the 914 as I am. Or perhaps addicted is a better word for my condition.( I think Porsche should have put warning labels on these cars concerning their addictive nature!) I have owned my ‘72 914 for a]most 21 years now and wouldn’t trade it for the world. Enclosed are a few pictures.

This car is totally restored and, although not stock, is one of the finest examples of the 914 that you will find anywhere. You are actually looking at a $52,000.00 914 here. And that is not including the countless hours I have personally invested restoring and detailing this car. It would take five pages to list everything that went into building this car. Rather than listing them all here now, I’ll just give a few of this car’s distinguishing features.

To begin with, I wanted the appearance of the car to be clean, simple, and purposeful. This was accomplished by blacking out all of the chrome trim and also by sanding the roof smooth and painting it to match the body. I even removed the foglights to unclutter the appearance of the front end. The resulting all black "look" is very striking. The flares are factory steel that were correctly welded on. They really give the car an aggressive, powerful look. Black center Fuchs are 7" front and 8" rear. In addition, the car has been lowered and utilizes a 9 14-6 GT front bumper/valence with a front mounted oil cooler. The all black theme continues with the interior. Highlighted by Konig seats, new carpet, new dash, leather door panels, and factory center console, the interior is all new. Gauges are from a 1991 C-2 because the engine in this car happens to be a 3.6L with Motronic. The Motronic brain is mounted in the interior behind the passenger seat. This engine was not just slapped into the car either. The engine installation looks just as though the factory had done the work with incredible attention to detail. The 901 transmission is a ‘71 911 with a Centerforce clutch and features a billet intermediate plate and rare factory 6:29 ring and pinion. The combination of this ring and pinion and the horsepower/torque of the 3.6L is phenomenal! (So what if I lose a little top end speed. As it is I can still do better than 140 MPH and I get there much faster this way! Besides, this is a street car - I don’t need to go over 140 MPH!) Also, because of this ring and pinion and the high torque of this motor, 1st gear was eliminated giving me a four speed which is much nicer to shift. Wilwood racing calipers in front and 911S calipers in back serve to bring this car back to earth when needed. The installation of the engine, transmission modification, oiling system installation, and brake modification took one full year to complete at a cost of over $17,000.00. The result is as you see in the pictures.

The car is stunning to look at and really appears factory prepared. Absolute quality workmanship throughout. And to drive.....it's hard to describe in words what it's like to drive this car. Suffice it to say that this is a racecar for the street. The 3.6L is just a dream of an engine. Smooth enough that my grandmother could drive it but responsive enough that when called upon becomes exhilarating for even the most serious driver. (I guarantee this car will make your heart beat faster! My pulse quickens from the moment I first turn the key and the 3.6L comes to life. It’s a pure delight of the senses. The sound of the engine - the smell of the leather - the feel of the Konig seat - the pressure of the g-forces when you push hard on the throttle!) The car actually has sort of a dual personality. From 1500 RPM - 3500 RPM it is smooth as silk with no strain or jerkiness even at low RPM’s. Anyone could drive this car. Then from 3500 RPM - 6500 RPM the other personality kicks in. I would say it more closely resembles an F-16 fighter jet at these higher RPM’s. You really have to hang on tight to the steering wheel when you press hard on the throttle! It is wickedly fast and never ceases to amaze me. And the beauty of the 3.6L is that it goes back and forth between these two personalities - back and forth from 1500 RPM - 6500 RPM as smoothly as can be. It is truly amazing! Every time I come back from a drive I find myself standing there shaking my head - staring at this beautiful car - with a smile on my face that just won’t go away. As I said before, I am obsessed and have been since the first day I bought this car.. What a great 914!

Thanks for allowing me to share this with you, and, once again, thanks for the great website. Whenever I need things in the future I will be sure to check with you.

Sincerely,

Karl Johnson

P.S. I wish every 914 owner could experience this level of performance as it is truly incredible. Anyone considering modifying their car in a similar manner needs to know the true costs involved however. As I said before, this is a $52,000.00 914. I wasn’t kidding or exaggerating this figure! And I say this because I don’t want anyone else to have to experience the "heart attacks" that I suffered in finishing this car. (I was handed back to back $6,000.00 bills that I wasn’t expecting.) The labor involved in this serious a modification is unbelievable. Yes, you could "cut corners" but at this level you wouldn’t want to. If you are going to commit to this level of performance you need to do it right and quite honestly that costs big bucks.

In my own personal experience, being handed an unexpected bill that was $12,000.00 higher than anticipated and definitely over-budget hurt me tremendously. Besides the financial setback, for a short while it took the fun out of owning the car from me. That was the biggest loss because owning a 914 is about having fun! So the purpose of this postscript is to inform anyone considering this type of project up front so that there are no surprises and that none of the joys of owning a 914 can ever be taken from you. Fortunately, I have been able to deal with this situation and can once again totally enjoy my car.

And believe me... I do enjoy this car!

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