Porsche 914 Autocross Monster: Jägermeister Special
Story and Photos by Trevor Y. Ryan
This Porsche 914 AutoCross Monster is clearly not your average beast. Ed’s 914, the result of an odd joint effort between Volkswagen and Porsche, was originally powered by a VW straight-4 making less than 100 horses at the crank when it came off the line in ’73. Over the past five years, however, Ed and the previous owner took to transforming the squishy, stock poor man’s Porsche into a full-blown track monster.
Having purchased the Porsche 914 in the fall of 2015 Ed managed to squeeze in three AutoCross events before the year was out. A year later the car was sprayed in Continental Orange, after which Ed applied the stickers himself. The livery, while never in use in this exact form on a 914, really suits the car; certainly an excellent throwback to the Jägermeister RSR 934 Turbo.
While we have come across a couple attempts at similar builds around the internet, none look as nice nor are driven as hard as this one. It is an autocross dedicated build that, piloted by the previous owner in 2014, placed first in class and second overall at Porsche Nationals where Ed hopes to compete for years to come.
Ed explained that even at amateur autocross events there are really only two realistic options if you want to be competing for top times of the day: a heavily modified 914 or a track-ready GT3. With race-prepped GT3s (very much over the six-figure mark), this 914 was the obvious choice.
Diving into the modifications, a few things stand out immediately. A very obvious widebody kit and aggressive aero adorn the car from front to back – the B pillar seems to be the only area that’s relatively untouched. Even with a half-cage, the extra aero (including a huge diffuser originally for an Elise), and a much larger motor, the car weighs in at just 1,712 pounds.
Nearly every square inch of the bodywork has been replaced with either fiberglass or carbon fiber. Lacking a windshield, mirrors and other conveniences, the car is clearly not one that sees many road miles.
Despite this, Ed snuck it around some back roads and gave us a run-down on the Porsche 914 during our shoot. The absolute lack of creature comforts is certainly worth every 100th of a second Ed saves at the track – after all, the car missed best overall time at Porsche Nationals by only six hundredths of a second.
Plenty of modifications have been performed to help at the Nationals including tiny wheels wrapped in A7 Hoosier slicks, a 4-gallon fuel cell, and an aggressive suspension setup that Ed didn’t seem to want to talk much about. The result is an angry looking, low and lightweight monster with a huge wing over the business end of the machine.
Wheels which are driven by a proper air-cooled swap – a hearty 2.7L flat-6 from a mid-70s 911. Built close to RS spec with 40mm triple-throat Weber carburetors and mated to a 901 side-shift 5-speed transmission with custom gearing and a limited slip differential, this thing hooks up the power.
With all of the aggressive upgrades it’s easy to forget how tiny this car really is. Having less than nine pounds to haul around per horsepower and at half the weight of Ed’s 997, it could easily shut down many modern muscle cars from zero to sixty, not to mention around the curvy bits.
Along with the livery, Ed also re-vamped the interior. Already completely stripped down, a new seat was added for a more comfortable shifting and driving position. All that remains of the dash and electronics are a tach, small gauge cluster, a couple switches, and a starter button. After all, hot rods are stripped down to bare essentials.
In case of a bad day, the carpet and sound deadening have been replaced by a fire extinguisher that’s firmly strapped in. Steel braided fuel lines run through the length of the interior where the passenger seat would go; certainly no ride-alongs in this Porsche 914.
Taking in the endless details of the exterior design and livery was something we very much enjoyed. Being a big fan of the Jägermeister Sponsored 934 from the 70s, we admired the exact sticker locations and attention to detail. Ed did his homework!
The only thing left to add is a healthy dose of race patina. Cone marks, rock chips and more will give Ed’s 914 yet more appeal. The rawness of this build really is refreshing. Ed’s 914 embodies everything an extreme vehicle should have – a wind in your face – gnarly loud, high-octane, grippy track beast. What more could you ask for?
