This masterpiece started life as a 914/4 with a 1.7 Liter four cylinder motor.
A previous owner decided to use the chassis as the basis for a 914-6 GT Tribute build. Various Southern California shops were involved in the build, including metalwork by 911 Design, who installed steel GT-style fender flares, as well as providing chassis reinforcement and trailing arm mounts. 911 Design also installed a 1,200 mile 993 3.6 liter engine, sourced from a wrecked 911. In 2018, the project was acquired by the Avant Garde Collection of Portland, Oregon, who brought the long-standing project to its fantastic conclusion, after disassembling the car, and stripping the body down to bare metal, before applying two coats of PPG paint in Voodoo Blue. AGC also upgraded the suspension and brakes, and commissioned a custom interior with black leather and tartan wool seats.
The 914 features a 915 transaxle, massaged by Wevo, with a limited slip differential.
With just under 300 horsepower and weighing only 2,228 pounds, the car is extremely responsive.
Other build details include:
16″ RSR-finished Fuchs wheels, 911 brakes, Elephant Racing torsion bars, Bilstein shocks, a front-mounted oil cooler, a WEVO shifter, and a MOMO Prototipo steering wheel.
The rotisserie work included priming with 3M Mar-Hyde, Wurth undercoating, and Voodoo Blue two-stage PPG paint.
The front bumper and its support were modified with an enlarged air inlet for the front-mount oil cooler, and the exterior trim was stripped and either painted or powder coated in satin black. The targa panel was smoothed and refinished in the body color, and the windshield, body seals, taillight assemblies, weatherstripping, window seals, and lenses were also replaced.
he 16″ Fuchs wheels measure 8″ and 9″ wide and received an RSR-style refinish in March 2020. Toyo R888R tires are sized 225/45 front and 245/45 rear and show 2019 date codes. Service in 2019 included replacing the suspension bearings and ball joints and installing 22mm torsion bars from Elephant Racing, front Bilstein inserts, rear Bilstein shocks, five-lug hubs, and 914-6 anti-roll bars. Braking is handled by 911 calipers paired with cross-drilled and vented rotors all around.
Fixed-back seats were modified with larger bolsters and seatbelt pass-throughs, before being reupholstered in black leather with red and blue wool tartan inserts. Matching tartan covers the door panels and dash fascia, and the rear bulkhead has been trimmed in black leather. Replacement carpets were also fitted, the window winders refurbished, and a WEVO shifter installed.
The MOMO Prototipo steering wheel frames a 914-6 speedometer and tachometer that were rebuilt by Seattle Speedometer in April 2020. A VDO combination gauge was also installed and monitors oil temperature, oil pressure, and fuel level.
The remote oil cooler was sourced from Patrick Motorsports and mounted in the spare tire well in the front trunk. It is plumbed with oil lines from Elephant Racing and has been covered with a sheet-metal vent shroud. Both the front and rear trunk liners have also been replaced.
The 3.6-liter flat-six reportedly originated in a 1996 Porsche 911 and is said to have been sourced by the previous owner in 1997. A Patrick Motorsports engine wiring harness was modified for the car in order to retain OBD diagnostic capability, and a Bosch electric fuel pump has been installed.
The prior owner had an aluminum 915 transaxle built with a WEVO tail section, a Sachs clutch and RS-style flywheel, Porsche limited-slip differential, and an electric speedometer sender. Custom Sway-A-Way axles with 930 CV joints and stub flanges have also been installed. The exhaust system features Billy Boat headers and heat exchangers in addition to a stainless steel Dansk muffler and custom stainless outlets.