Synonymous with Subarus in this day and age, the boxer motor layout that Subaru shares with the prestigious likes of Porsche and Ferrari lends itself to create a common bond between owners of these manufacturers. With a twin-turbo boxer-6 engine, it is not uncommon for Subaru owners to see Porsche 911s as being the older, more affluent brother of their younger, single-turbo boxer-4 Imprezas or Legacies. This brethren is also officially shared between Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru's parent company) and Porsche, with the two companies having cooperative sales ties on the Japanese market, according to the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association.
Indeed, Porsche played a significant role within Subaru just a few years ago, designing the exclusive "Type Euro" wagon body kit for the bugeye GDA-chassis Impreza. With Porsche sharing some of its design and style with Subaru, one would think that at the very least, Subaru would share the same with its European ally. In the case of Dana Stokes, this sharing of design and style would turn into a brand new boxer-4 engine for his 1973 Porsche 914.
Always wanting a Porsche 914 since he was young, Dana's original plan was more of a rescue mission, rather than building a track-conquering machine. Three years ago, while Dana was attending school at Wyotech in Laramie, Wyo., he came across a little orange dot in a cow pasture on a random back road he was exploring. "Sure enough, this poor little 914 had been sitting out in the middle of nowhere since 1982, and I knew that I had to save it," recalls Dana.
Despite being indecisive about his overall plan for the car, the first thing Dana decided to do was stiffen up the chassis. To do this, he built a cage for the car from scratch and tig-welded it to the frame. To fix up the interior a bit, Dana then sewed the entire interior, again from scratch. It was at this point that Dana began working at Renegade Hybrids in Las Vegas, Nev., a shop that specializes in motor swaps into various models of Porsches. Past swaps into 914s consisted of V8-powered motors, but before any motor swap was to be considered, the suspension had to be upgraded first.
Dana decided to install a complete Bilstein 911 Carrera front suspension and Bilstein adjustable rear struts to match. Dana now had a car that could handle with some of the best cars out there, but the stock, 72-horsepower Porsche boxer-4 engine just wasn't enough to make his 914 into the track monster he envisioned. However, instead of swapping in a V8 motor like the shop had done numerous times in the past, Dana wanted to try something that would stay true to the Porsche's boxer motor roots.
The 2.0L, boxer-4 engine from a 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX was Dana's obvious choice. Actually weighing less than the stock Porsche engine, this choice in engines looked to be a match made in heaven. With plenty of help from Dana's boss at Renegade Hybrids, Mike Johnson, the WRX's EJ205 engine was successfully installed into the midship engine bay, mated to the stock Porsche 5-speed transaxle. The swap was a success, but it was soon found that after driving the car for a bit, the car was desperately in need of thicker tires. To accomplish this, Dana decided that widening the fenders would be the best option first and foremost, so he installed a set of aftermarket steel GT fender flares. This allowed Dana to install 7-inch-wide 2002 Porsche 911 wheels in front, and the matching 9-inch-wide wheels in the rear, complete with Porsche center caps all around. Finally, with a simple clearcoat to prevent rust, Dana's 914 hybrid was ready for the tarmac.
On the road, the Subaru-motivated 914 is nothing short of amazing. The stock 227 horsepower in the 3,000-pound WRX body was always more than respectable, but that same stock horsepower in a 2,200-pound, rear-wheel-drive 914 body transforms the Porsche into not just a sleeper to surprise cars on the street, but into a car perhaps even worthy of taking on a Lotus Elise at the track. Weight distribution is great with the mid-engine layout, and without the drivetrain loss felt by the Subaru all-wheel drive system, power transfers to the rear wheels with ease, allowing Dana to break the tires loose quite easily. Onlookers tend to have a dumbfounded look on their faces as they see a 33-year-old Porsche 914 outpacing a modified, last-generation Camaro up into highway speeds. Handling-wise, the upgrade to the Porsche 911 Bilstein suspension turns the already go-kart-like 914 into a super-handling machine that would even make Mario and Luigi proud. Point the car in a direction, and it goes without hesitation, or even remorse. Riding along with Dana to take photos for last issue's Second Annual SEMA Show Subaru Cruise, there were a number of times that Subiesport photographers hung on for dear life as the car's lateral Gs almost threw them out of the vehicle.
Although well on its way to being a track car, Dana utilizes his 914 as his daily driver. Thus, Dana was at first unsure about how both the Porsche and Subaru camps would react to his hybrid. Initial reaction from the Porsche crowd was very positive, because of the engine similarities and aforementioned boxer engine common bond. On the other hand, the reaction from the Subaru camp was much more enthusiastic. "I took the car to a Flat 4 club meeting in Las Vegas and was immediately welcomed into the club," Dana said. Just the thought of this swap seemed to be a bit of an epiphany to many Subaru enthusiasts, Subiesport staff very much included. Seeing, hearing, and riding in this car in reality is surely something that can only be completely understood in person.
As remarkable as Dana's 914 hybrid is right now, he still insists that he has barely started this project. The main goal is still to make it a full-on track car, but other than painting the car back to orange someday, the future still seems rather uncertain. Nevertheless, with upgraded EJ205 motors pushing more than 300 horsepower to the wheels in all-wheel drive WRXs, the amount of potential for Dana's car is incredible, to say the least. Whichever direction Dana decides to take, he is sure that he'll love every second of it. "This is a really fun car to drive; it never fails to amaze me," Dana said happily. "It is always fun to surprise a Corvette or a new Porsche that thinks he can make an easy kill."
Be sure to check out Dana's CarDomain member page here: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2361780
For more articles like this, check out Subiesport Magazine.
Article © 2006 Subiesport Magazine/MediaSpigot LLC, provided for HTML distribution to CarDomain.com. For additional uses, contact Ryan Douthit, Group Publisher: 425-458-4949.
Words: Armin H. Ausejo
Photos: Yujiro Otsuki with photo assistant Mike Wang
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