[Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2013 issue of Grassroots Motorsports.]
Transplanting an engine from one car make into another is nothing new. Since the advent of the automobile, imbuing a car with additional power and ending up with something unique has been widely practiced.
Since the introduction of the Porsche 914 more than 40 years ago, numerous copies …
History and Hillclimbs
New Mexico car enthusiast Jeff Watson agrees that the 914 makes a great home for an alternative powerplant. In his case, it’s a Mazda Miata engine that powers his lightweight, Arctic Silver track day special.
In high school, Jeff drove a 1968 Dodge Charger, which is a fun, vintage muscle car in its own right. But as he discovered during his first autocross, the Charger was no race car. “I autocrossed that car exactly once,” chuckles Jeff.
The Charger was soon replaced with an AMX that was built to run in SCCA Solo events and hillclimbs. When Jeff wasn’t studying economics at Boise State University, he was driving that AMX up Freezeout Mountain, where the nearest hillclimb competitions were held–and are still held today.
After graduating from college, Jeff started looking for a Porsche 914 to race. “The 914 was chosen because it was the most affordable mid-engined sports car,” says Jeff. “I’m one of those people who believes real race cars have their engines in the middle.” In 1981, he bought a blue 914 that he soon turned into a race car, and that example was quickly followed by another.
Porsche 914s became a recurring theme in his car-related life. The saga has recently culminated in the 914 pictured here, which Jeff affectionately refers to as the “Por-zda” thanks to the Mazda Miata engine under the deck lid.
However, the car is notable for far more than its Japanese transplant. Jeff has infused this car with every ounce of knowledge and skill he’s learned in 35 years of hillclimbs, road races and SCCA events—including his 1992 SCCA National Championship win in a C Mod Lola Formula Ford.
Jeff purchased this 914 in 2004. He’d recently sold a Formula Ford race car and was suffering from project car withdrawals. “I couldn’t not have a project,” he admits.
He spotted the 914, a ’74 2.0-liter with black paint, in the local newspaper. “It looked good from a distance, but the paint was…
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