Daily Slideshow: World's Nicest Porsche 914 Brings Big Bucks

Breaking the Mold

Pretty much every classic Porsche has already reached insane territory when it comes to resale prices. It wasn't that long ago that cars like '80s air-cooled 911s were still cheap, but those days are over. One of the few stalwarts is the 914 - a seldom appreciated yet an interesting slice of Porsche history. But if the sale of this gorgeous '74 is any indication, the days of cheap 914s might be coming to an end, too.

Exceeding Expectations

With an initial auction estimate of $60,000-$80,000, it was widely thought that this particular car might break the $100k mark at a recent Gooding & Company auction. And while it didn't quite reach that prestigious mark, the stellar 914 did hammer at an astonishing $93,500.

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Better Than Average

Granted, this isn't your average Porsche 914, one that can be had for a few grand just about anywhere on the used car market. For starters, it has less than 5,000 miles showing on the odometer. And it also has quite the pedigree.

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Perfect Pedigree

This 914 stayed with its original owner for 30 years before it was purchased by the legendary Brumos Collection back in 2003. And for Porsche collectors, any association with Brumos is an important distinction that adds value.

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Dual Breed

The incredibly low mileage and star-studded ownership history add a significant value to a car that most consider a bit of a mixed-breed. Porsche and Volkswagen teamed up to build the 914, a car that was originally designed to be sold as a VW, with a higher performance variant marketed by Porsche.

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Pay the Cost

There was just one problem with that idea - the car was too expensive to build for VW to market under its own brand. So the 914 was sold as a Volkswagen-Porsche in Europe and as a Porsche in the U.S. 

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Green With Envy

The 914 still proved to be a reasonable sales success, regardless of this little blunder. But you won't find any better than this Zambezi Green example. It was originally imported and sold at Camp's Cars in Midland, Michigan for a mere (by today's standards) $7,135.

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Pure Desire

When it comes to four-cylinder 914s, this one also sports the most desired configuration - the 2.0-liter fuel-injected boxer engine is backed up by a five-speed manual transmission. And it packs quite a few nice options, too.

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Tasty Options

This particular car sports chrome bumpers, anti-roll bars in the front and rear, tinted glass, 15-inch forged alloy wheels and an appearance package. The latter adds fog lights, a dual-tone horn, leatherette-covered steering wheel, voltmeter, console-mounted clock, and oil temp gauge.

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Anchor in the Sea

Historically, only the higher-performance 914/6 has managed to return decent money at auction. In fact, one reached a high mark of $70,000 just two years ago at an Auction America event. So what does that say about this amazing four-cylinder sale? If nothing else, we expect it to act much like a rising tide - one that lifts the value of all 914s.