Vehicle Details
- Year: 1974
- Make: Porsche
- Model: 914 2.0
- VIN: 4742915411
- Mileage Shown: 48,361mi (TMU)
- Transmission: Manual
- Title Status: Clean
- Color: Black
- Seller Type: Private Party
- Location: Heber City, UT 84032
- Country: United States of America
- Lot #: V-0055583-DT
Celebrating the Porsche 917/30’s dominance in the 1973 Can-Am racing series, the 1974 Porsche 914 Limited Edition (LE) was offered in two distinct color schemes, with just 500 examples of each produced. This 914 LE is one of the 500 “Bumblebee” variants finished in Black with Sunflower Yellow accents and painted wheels. Acquired as a disassembled project in 2019, the seller oversaw a restoration, documented in several comprehensive videos, including a repaint, a Targa top refinish, an interior refurbishment, and brake and axle servicing. Upgrades include LED headlights, Turbo tie rods, Bilstein front shocks, Eibach rear springs, and more. Powered by a rebuilt 2.0L VW Type 4 engine paired with a 5-speed manual transaxle, this example is now being offered for auction out of Utah accompanied by a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity.
The 914 LE can be distinguished by its absence of vinyl sail panel covers, a “Can-Am” front spoiler, painted 15” alloy wheels, and contrasting Porsche side stripes with matching valance and bumper accents. This “Bumblebee” example was refinished in its original Black and Sunflower Yellow livery in 2020, including a Targa top restoration. The trunk floor and passenger-side floor pan were replaced, along with the rubber seals, lenses, and windshield. LED headlights have been added, and the fog lights were refurbished. The car rides on 195/65 Continental True Contact tires. Minor imperfections are noted, and detailed images are provided in the gallery.
Inside, the driver is welcomed by black vinyl upholstery. Equipment includes fixed-back bucket seats, a four-spoke steering wheel, VDO instrumentation, and aftermarket yellow seatbelts. A replacement dash pad and carpeting have also been fitted. A Dakota cylinder head temperature, oil pressure, and temperature gauge have been integrated into the center console. The 914 LE originally came standard with the Appearance Group, including a center console with a clock and additional gauges for temperature and battery voltage, which will accompany the sale.
The replacement Volkswagen Type 4 air-cooled flat-four engine was rebuilt by Red-E Motorsports in West Valley City, Utah, in 2022, with displacement increased to 2,056cc. The build is said to include KB Performance pistons, a Raby 9590 camshaft, Hoffman Automotive Machine cylinder heads, a 123ignition distributor, FJ67 fuel injectors, and replacement heat exchangers. The flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate were also replaced during the refurbishment. Additionally, the brake rotors, lines, and emergency brake cables were replaced, the calipers were refurbished, the steering rack was rebuilt, and Turbo tie rods, Bilstein front shocks, and Eibach rear springs were installed.
This sale will include a clean title, a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, owner’s manuals, a spare tire, a jack, a rear sway bar, a heated indicator light, and other miscellaneous small parts.
The seller would like you to know: “This is the bumblebee that’s been chronicled from roller-to-road on my YouTube channel. I certainly don’t expect every potential buyer to binge the entire series, but 30 episodes tell the whole story of this nut-and-bolt restoration, and I’m happy to answer any questions you may have. I’m selling it for two reasons…1) I’ve taken possession of a barn find 1970 914-6 that hasn’t run in 42 years, and I need the space to dive into that. (Yes, a new series is coming soon.) And 2) I’ve always felt we’re just temporary caretakers of these cars. I’ve gotten a ton of joy from the restoration and driving this bumblebee in the Utah mountain twisties, and it seems like the right time for someone else to have some fun with it. Here’s a link to the YouTube playlist which contains every episode. The last one gives a recap of the timeline and talks about how it ended up with a Red-E motorsports-built engine: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmCYkBdjzDJ2oXm-gzDzARyNYg4qREGtf Thanks again for your comments and questions. Looking forward to the week ahead!”
Auction Results
- Sold for: $39,000
- Auction End: Mar 22, 2025 02:31:53AM UTC
- Number of Offers: 2
Comments (32)
Sold for $39,000
Offer in the amount of $39,000
Offer in the amount of $35,000
Appreciate the bidding everyone. Guess I'm going to get to enjoy this a while longer. Will be cool to have an LE, factory -6 and highly original '74 2.0 ravenna car in the same garage.
Bid in the amount of $21,000
Bid in the amount of $20,000
Bid in the amount of $19,000
Bid in the amount of $18,500
Bid in the amount of $18,250
Bid in the amount of $18,000
Bid in the amount of $17,250
Bid in the amount of $17,000
Just a quick note. If you want to stand out at any car show, especially a PCA event, a Bumblebee or Creamsicle is will do it. I have to add 15 minutes for a trip to the supermarket if I use my LE to give it some exercise.
Bid in the amount of $16,000
Bid in the amount of $15,250
@andersk9 Thanks so much for the super kind words
I own a restored PCA Concours class winning Can Am Limited Edition (-14854 on the LE Registry) and having followed all of Ian's terrific YouTube videos of this car's restoration, I can offer the opinion that this car is the best publicly offered LE to become available in the last decade. Also the best documented rebuild so there is proof that the usual trouble areas and weaknesses have all been addressed. This is rare to have available so one can bid with confidence. Good luck with the auction!
We're in the home stretch! Happy to answer any last minute questions so you can bid with confidence. Thanks much. Looking foward to meeting the next caretaker of this special car...
Bid in the amount of $15,000
Bid in the amount of $11,500
Bid in the amount of $11,000
Bid in the amount of $10,250
Here’s the link to the registry…
https://bowlsby.net/914/CanAm/914CanAmRegistry.htm
I’ve been asked if the car is in the Can Am Registry. Yes it is. For those who aren’t familiar, Porsche only made about 1,000 Limited Edition cars…500 in this color combination of black and yellow. According to the registry, only about 185 still survive, so by the numbers these cars are 20X rarer than a 914-6. You can see where this car falls in the list by checking this link and scrolling down to the VIN which ends with 15411
@jasonpintar thanks for the bid. Please lmk if there are any specific pics, videos or info you’d like.
Bid in the amount of $10,000
Your work seems meticulous and probably did increase the power. My 914's were under powered but made up for it with the handling. I wanted to reproduce that feeling when I bought the 718 S but it is so much more than I expected. The 914 holds a special place in my heart. I hope you do extremely well on this sale. The Bumblebee is a very special item.
@Developer Much appreciated. I've not dyno-ed the 2056, but seat-of-the pants it feels like maybe 20% snappier than my stock 2.0, with a wider torque band.
@The914 Thanks so much
Beautiful Car and great restoration, what is the HP with the 2.0 (approximately), still in the 94 range? I've had 2 914's a 928, 911 and now the 718 S. I completely agree with your comment "I’ve always felt we’re just temporary caretakers of these cars." I bought a 718 S manual transmission, probably my last Porsche but wanted a drivers car. I feel the same way that I'm just the caretaker until the next steward comes along.
Beautiful work! Thank you for the detailed documentation. GLWA!
Great to be here on Pcar. Thanks for looking at my LE. Happy to answer any questions, and if you're in the Salt Lake area, please come by!