The world of vintage Porsche collecting appears split into two radically different wings. On one side, purists prize only highly original air-cooled 911 and 356 examples, deeming anything else in Stuttgart's long and storied history completely irrelevant. On the other, a host of less nitpicky fans happily celebrate anything from rally-inspired safari builds to modern restomods from the likes of Singer and even patinaed outlaw-style projects.
But even within the burgeoning world of radical Porsche restyling, the famous "Urban Outlaw" Magnus Walker maintains an aura of mystery in his public persona. He has, however, recently begun to branch out from the Porsche family with some new purchases, like a pair of E-Type Jaguars, and even allowed the Petersen Automotive Museum into the Arts District warehouse that houses his car collection for a brief tour. Earlier this week, he dropped an enigmatic new video produced and directed by Dilan Mistry and Cameron Thuman of NativeFour entitled "Ascension" that further hints at more changes on the way.
In advance of the new video's debut, Walker invited me down to his headquarters for a visit and while we were there, I couldn't help but quiz him about a Porsche 914 art car that he put together for SEMA 2019. The 914's unique style popped out among his unbelievable menagerie because I am, at the moment, in the market for just such a car. Luckily, in typical Magnus Walker fashion, he was ready and willing to take a quick dive into the car's history at the drop of a hat.
One Of Two 914s Magnus Walker Owns
The 914 remains something of an ugly duckling in Porsche's history, a car that was developed in concert with Volkswagen to replace the four-cylinder 912 as Stuttgart's entry-level model. The angular exterior compared to previous Porsches hinted at big changes under the skin, notably the mid-engined layout. Today, however, most 914 examples on the road suffer from rust issues so severe that Googling "hell hole" will turn up an infinite number of nightmarish images showing battery trays, rocker panels, and underbellies reduced entirely to orange crust.
But for those 914s that have survived relatively intact, advantages include plenty of parts shared with Volkswagen, which makes sourcing and servicing them a little cheaper than on "real" classic Porsches. (The six-cylinder 914-6 with a legitimate Porsche powerplant remains the rare unicorn that most collectors might deign to consider.)
Plus, the mid-engined layout combines with a curb weight right around 2,000 pounds to make the cars incredibly nimble—even if they aren't particularly powerful. Best of all, they're cheaper than cheap, though currently on the up-and-up as even the "undesirable" Porsche classics have begun to appreciate as the air-cooled 911 market skyrockets (and a 914-6 will definitely cost a pretty penny.)
Magnus Walker isn't one of those collectors who prizes originality over all else—if anything, he's helped to lead the charge in the opposite direction. Yes, he's got a sparkling collection of air-cooled 911s, but he's also got four different variants of Porsche's most controversial 911 generation, the 996, as well as a handful of front-engined examples of the 924 and 928 platforms.
Not The Most Practical Daily Driver—But Not Bad
His 914, specifically, is one of two he currently owns (though he had a third until relatively recently) and it's a 1973 model year, which means it left Porsche's factory with a revised side-shift transaxle that makes finding the dog-leg five-speed's gears much easier. And shifting properly in a 914 becomes all the more important considering that the 1.7-liter flat-four mounted behind the cockpit only produced 79 horsepower when new—and most have had their Bosch D-Jetronic fuel-injection system removed in favor of simpler carburetors, which reduce power output even further.
While the 914 may seem like a tiny car that's completely unsafe (not to mention unfeasible) for use as a daily driver in LA traffic, the car actually feels pretty roomy on the inside because there's no engine up front restricting legroom. Plus, the two trunks front and rear offer plenty of storage space—and the Targa top can even pop off and fit in the rear trunk.
Star Of The Mobil 1 Booth, SEMA 2019
Walker got this 914 from Hot Wheels designer Felix Holst, having been attracted by the driver's door alone, and now drives it in Los Angeles, even up on the Angeles Crest, where the car saw some snow (a bold move given the rust proclivities of the steel-bodied 914). Holst also helped Walker transform the car for SEMA 2019, where it appeared in the Mobil 1 booth after being revamped with some "mod-rock" livery.
Freehand Sketches Of A 914 Art Car
Prepping the exterior as it now sits cost only $500 in tape and paint, after Walker had drawn some freehand sketches onto printed-out images he snapped of the car. The arrow on the hood found inspiration from the arrow on the door, the "73" hearkens to the car's model year, the "9" and "14" on each side to the model designation, and the checkering up top was originally laid out with Post-It Notes. He estimates it may be the single cheapest art car project to have ever appeared at a SEMA event.
Keeping a 914 cheap remains the name of the game, even to a notorious (some might say heretical) hot-rodder like Magnus Walker. Sure, he's got a rebuilt twin-plug flat-six sitting in his shop that's built and ready to pump out 270 horses—but dropping that powerplant in the 914, even if it would fit relatively easily, would then require a host of other complementary work to cope with quadrupling output. Suspension work, upgraded brakes, wheels and tires, beefing up the trans—it all adds up quickly.
Bringing An Art Car To Life
Knowing Walker, he may one day opt to jump headfirst into just such a project, but for now, he's happy with his SEMA budget build. Inspiring to look at, fun to drive, and easy on the wallet, Walker's 914 art car serves as a refreshing reminder in a Porsche community often caricatured as a bunch of compulsive chamois cloth-toting Concours competitors that when it comes to cars, having fun is still the name of the game.
Personally, I'd also go for a 1975 or earlier 914 to avoid California's smog requirements, though probably with a simpler paint job so as not to distract from the 914's downright peculiar design. The 1973 side-shift upgrade sounds great but that model year also added a 100-hp 2.0-liter flat-four to replace the 914-6. And in 1974, out went the 1.7 in favor of a 1.8 producing 85 horsepower. As with all things Porsche, including "undesirable" models like the 914, you get what you pay for—anyone got a 914 budget build for me? (Note: my budget is a fair bit higher than $500.)
Sources: youtube.com, nativefour.com, facebook.com, and bloomberg.com.