The Porsche name is one that instantly conjures up images of iconic design, silhouettes of fastback, spoilered rears, and pontoon, aerodynamic fronts. But not every car ever made in Munich was nearly as respected as the 911.

Take this 914, for example. Produced from 1969 to 1976, the sporty roadster was a result of a Porsche-Volkswagen joint venture that was marketed as an entry-level, young adult car. It wasn’t particularly quick off the line, but the car nevertheless managed to defy critics and ticked-off enthusiasts over the years, ultimately reaching a production total of 118,978 cars.

The 914 seen here, belonging to Mike De (aka returf on 914club.com) is one of the lucky few to have survived some forty years of abuse, and certainly looked the part for much of its life. The New Zealander originally bought the Porsche to have as “a midmounted track car or even a certified road car” that he could romp around in, and quickly went the way of the LS swap after finding out how much a replacement flat-six would run him.

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The 914 as it appears today. A night and day difference.

With the LS1 sorted, as well as an ECU and engine loom, De secured a six-speed Subaru transmission and custom-fab exhaust and had it all installed. Along the way, a turbocharger was suggested by De’s son as a way to harness more power, and a BorgWarner unit was patched in along with an intercooler post-haste.

The front of the 914 was given a GT1 front clip, while further enhancements saw to a Wilwood disc brake installation, bushing and bearing overhaul, and a repaint of the entire body. Before long, De had himself a genuine track star, and was showing it off at the local track as seen in the video above.

We hope man and machine get many more happy laps together in the future, and wonder what his next oddball project will be. Check out De’s complete build thread here.