Barnfind- "914 Testarossa" -?

Schumi · 07:40 PM

So I reccently moved to a new city and I was driving around exploring the other day. I decided to turn around in a gravel parking lot behind this truck stop to head back towards my place when out of the corner of my eye I spotted this sad neglected friend:

The pics are from my camera phone. THey are a bit off color. The car was red-ish (not Guards by far... more of a darker red) and had yellow stipes. Notice the rear plate that says "914 Testarossa"..

It was in horrible condition. The interior was totally trash, there was no top, the frame was all rust, and the panels didn't line up anywhere. I cannot tell if this was at one time a fully fucntional nice looking well done up vehicle or if it was a project done really half ***ed and then given up on. I do know that it actually had some nice 70's period looking cookie cutter knock offs I believe and was sporting (flat) 275's in the rear. So the tires were as wide as the body....

I was rather intrigued by the body kit as, even though at first I thought it was ridiculous... it grew on me.

The seats were all crapped up but they were the stock seats with tiny 2" wide 4 point SCROTH harnesses.

I could not tell if an engine was present but the exhast was..

Anyone seen ANYTHING like this before? It had a date on it written in soap or oil pencil on the windsheild, something like x/x/02 ...so I think maybe it was towed/moved last in 2002. It is covered in dust from the truck stop parking lot.

It also had s note soaped on the window that I think read "not for sale"

I was going to track down the owner and offer 50$ plus the oppourtunity to tow it off the lot for him...
Now that I think about it I don't even know if it was worth that... maybe just the free tow away..

whitesell81 · 09-26-2006, 12:17 AM

I picked up one with some front end damage. The problem is some of these kits were put on cars that really needed some work. I'm having to replace the front end, and repair some previous damage that was covered up. The other problem is that the bonding on the fiberglass to to body will bubble if it's not perfectly clean. I'm having to redo the door panels, and some for the front fenders.

It's a premier kit. form Lake Oswego Oregon. Priemer is not still in business.

I wouldn't spend more than you can get out of it if you change your mind and salvage it. The real question is is it a 2.0l. Then you could offer a couple of hundred on spec. odds are it will not run. Good luck.

Schumi · 09-26-2006, 08:35 AM

I don't even know if it would be repairable to any sort of driveable condition. The wheels are worth something though. I'm thiniking they were 10" in the rear.

With that sort of rubber is it possible that this was a 914/6? I tried looking down the grate over the engine but all I could see was dusty junk. I did spot a ignition coil though, but everything was so dark so it was hard to tell what was in there. The tailpipes are still there so I'm assuming that is a good sign that the engine is still in it. I did spot that on the tach the redline was around 5600 (?). I don't know a lot about these old engines. I'm used to the more 6400-7000 range...

All 4 tires were flat. The side rocker boards below the doors were missing so those would have to be re fabbed. Even panel would have to be taken off, stripped, bondo-ed, and re aligned back on the car.

I would like it to play around with on weekends but unfortunately the nearest shop which I could store it in is 120 miles away.

djpateman · 09-26-2006, 08:49 AM

First off, look for the VIN in the windshield frame.
5600 rpm redline would be a /4
check the exhaust pipes into the muffler; 4 flat = 2.0, 4 gooseneck = 1.7 or 1.8, 2 flat = six

Schumi · 09-26-2006, 05:58 PM

Haven't had a chance to go check the VIN..

But I realized they the nameplate on the back, "Testarossa" is spelled wrong.... dumb...

gbalke · gbalke's Garage

Check out this link, a company called Fiber Jet makes a kit like this:

http://www.kitcar.com/fiberjet/

Bravossa
Skin transplant packages have always been in demand for the venerable Porsche 914. Enter this dazzling body package from Fiber Jet. Skilfully blending the best attributes of Eurostyled supercars--from the frontal persona of the Porsche 928 to the sidestrakes of the Testarossa to the whaletail of the Lamborghini Countach 5000--Fiber Jet's Bravossa package transforms your agile-but-homely Porsche 914 into a modern, crowd-stopping street machine... and at an eminently affordable price! The package is designed to facilitate your conversion process, and consists of a one-piece front end, one-piece rear end, two straked door skins and matching rocker panels, mirror mounts, hood scoops and taillight assembly.

So are you living in St. Louis now? There are a few of us 914 people here.

Schumi · 09-28-2006, 07:19 PM

It's like the Bravossa, but different. Definately different. The door rakes are similar but the front and rear is different.

I was living in south st. louis near Festus. I am now in Rolla, MO, but my 924S is back in St. Francois county.

I didn't know there were a lot of 914's around the eastern MO area. I'd love to own one but I think my next purchase will be more in the 951 to 911 range...

Schumi · 10-01-2006, 01:18 PM

Went to try to find the VIN today, no luck.

I checked under the rear end and found that I could see the engine and transmission, in tact. It was a flat 4. The exhast is all custom; I could not tell what displacement engine it was. It was hard to see but it looked like the pipes went forwards underneath hte car to two catylytic converters and then back into some strange mufller piping and then out into 4 exhast tips. The car, because of the flat tires, is nearly sitting on the ground, so it was hard to see up in there.

On a strange note, since I had been there last week, someone had written with their finger on the dust on the front bonnet "THERE IS NO ENGINE IN HERE"....

I was thinking... yea theres no engine under there... it's in the middle...

Not sure if that was the owner trying to deter people from prodding around the car or what...

Speedo959 · 10-07-2006, 01:01 PM

Some guy on the 914club had one of those. I think he had a V8 in his. I seem to remember he had to junk the body cause it was so rusted.

boxstr · 10-09-2006, 07:57 AM

We had one of those at CAMP 914 last summer, it looked very similar. It was in excellent condition. Big 2.2 4 motor. Got lots of looks, not really my cup of tea.
Traded to a fellow with a 25 Ford bucket T.
CCL

ajracer · 10-13-2006, 08:08 PM

Just my $ 0.02 worth.

Yes my friend Turbo Paul in Canada has one which I have seen.

It is a Premier Kit according to him and was expensive $ 5,000+

when new and it is my understanding the kit is becvoming quite

rare. Might be worth buying for parts and then just sell of the

body kit and parts. It is a very impressive fit for this little car;

but a 4 cyl. is hardly enough power to go along with the

exotic sports car look !

Allan

kirk4 · 10-21-2006, 08:18 AM

I thought I had it bad. After reading your description of the condition and then you still try chasing down the owner.......I guess I'm not the only crazy Porsche hunter out there. Even when we know we should walk away it's so hard to do. Good luck in your chase.