10k: Cheap and Clean: 1972 Porsche 914 LS1

Someday, air-cooled Porsches could become entirely out of reach for the everyman. Even today, the going rate of a base 914 could put you in a 986 Boxster. If $70k 914s and six-figure 911s have you down, this budget ‘Teener is just what the doctor ordered… if your doctor had a vested interest in your untimely death. Packing an LS1 where the VW-sourced 1.7 once sat, this 914-8 is a better performance:price proposition than any other 914 or Boxster. Find this LS1-swapped 1972 Porsche 914 for sale in Traverse City, MI for $9,001 with 5 days to go via eBay.

Let’s state the obvious here: This car is gorgeous. 914s can be polarizing, but this one’s gotta be palatable by anyone’s standards. Adjustable Koni shocks and Fuchs four-lug wheels result in a great stance, complemented by inconspicuous fiberglass aftermarket bumpers. But what makes this car so visually pleasing is the stock fenders and deleted side market lights, leaving the 914’s classic lines uninterrupted. They allow the eye to take in the rear fenders’ subtle curves, and the low, wide proportions all around. The interior is similarly well-preserved with a trio of aftermarket gauges, and a curiously clocked tachometer that hasn’t been entirely wired up yet.

Some of the LS1 creations gracing the pages of Daily Turismo feature questionable build quality or corner-cutting, or have quality issues of some kind. Not this one. Stainless steel fuel lines, upgraded and re-sealed fuel tank, 930 tie rods, and more went into this project built by a guy who’s no stranger to these cars. The under body pan has been sealed, eliminating all rust, including the hell-hole. Coolant lines connecting to the front-mount radiator are the only under-body abnormalities. The swap even includes Renegade Hybrid’s four-speed conversion, which blocks 1st gear (useless with 305 horsepower and 310 ft.-lbs of torque) and stretches out the ratios of the upper four.

Shown here is where the LS1’s intake piping takes up room otherwise used for groceries. It’s one of several pictures showing bodywork clean enough to eat sauerkraut off of. This 914-8 is ready for daily use with just a few minor issues to be sorted out. The wipers don’t work, as if you needed a reason to avoid driving it in the rain until you got to know it better. It also lacks air conditioning and heat, although both can be fixed with a call to Renegade Hybrids with your credit card number handy.

See a more attractive 914 proposition? Email us at tips@dailyturismo.com

PhiLOL doesn’t have an unhealthy obsession with finding V8 swaps. They find me.