The VW-Porsche 914, produced between 1969 and 1976 is regarded by some as the ‘Rodney Dangerfield’ of Porsche cars. Back in 1970 Joe Hoppen, who was the motorsports manager for Volkswagen, Porsche and Audi in the U.S., wanted to promote the 914 through racing so he formed three factory teams. The team in the south-east was run by Brumos, the mid-west by Bob Hindson and the west coast by Richie Ginther.
The Ginther Porsche 914s have a particular significance for me. Here’s why: If my memory serves me correctly the first time they ran was at a race accompanying the Can-Am event at Laguna Seca in 1970. I was just 21 years old and I had photo credentials. At the race I met Jeremy Walton, who was an established writer for Motorsport and Motoring News, two important racing publications in the UK. He gave me my first assignment – photographing the Ginther Porsche 914s. A photo of the two cars (the one marked by the grease pen on the old black & white contact sheet) going down the famous corkscrew was the first photo I had published in an auto magazine and my career as a motor racing photographer began.
Fast forward to this year’s Porsche Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca. I was unable to attend as I had to go to Rome on a last minute assignment to drive the new VW UP! city car. However, Nick my 21 year old son, who owns a Porsche 924s and is training as a Porsche and BMW technician, did attend so I asked him to replicate my original photos as closely as he could. Despite not having photo credentials he managed to capture these two color photos of the “Mid-West” 914 that was originally driven forty years ago by Bob Hindson. Apparently this car is the only one of the original six cars that still exists.
Here’s what my son had to say about the event: “Watching the Ginther 914 race around Laguna Seca in the Eifel Trophy class along with 911s and 904s reaffirmed my love of 914s as a racecar, under powered by 2 cylinders compared to the others they held their own coming around the corkscrew. Growing up in a time of LMP Le Mans, and Formula 1 cars being the top tier of road racing I’ve always loved seeing old photos and videos of the racecars from my father’s years. At the Rennsport Reunion I was overwhelmed by getting to see all the classic Porsche race cars up close, getting to watch them race around the track wide open was a whole ‘nother experience. With my assignment in hand, however small it was, I felt I had a real purpose being at the corkscrew capturing the Ginther 914. I was continuing my father’s legacy and I feel continuing the legacy of these historically significant racecars that started the icon that Porsche is in racing today.”
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A beautiful poster printed on high-quality 80-lb. stock and featuring the illustrations of Paul Laguette covers the evolution of the 911.
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