Back in the early 1970s, the concept of a cheap, mid-engined sports car didn’t exist, at least until the Porsche 914 was unveiled. Riding on the success of the world-beating 917, Porsche wanted to capitalise on those track victories by introducing a new entry-level sports car to replace the ageing 912. As luck would have it, Volkswagen’s Karmann Ghia was also pretty long in the tooth, and so the two brands joint forces to produce the minimalist sports car you see today.

While the six-cylinder 914-6 has been adored by those in the know for a while, the Volkswagen-engined standard 914 — like this example from 1974 — still has a lot to love. For a start, the VW 411E engine produced about the same horsepower as the 356 Super 90 it replaced and actually pairs perfectly with this lightweight sports car. The design has aged remarkably well too, especially when finished in such a cheerful shade of yellow as this one is. Even better, the fact that the 914 has lived in the shadow of its more powerful siblings for so long means prices are still reasonable compared to other air-cooled Porsches. So, if you want to experience the genesis of lightweight mid-engined fun, be sure to check out Osenat’s Collector Cars auction on March 27th.