The Strenger GT

In a 1971 sales bulletin entitled “The Competition Option Group,” Porsche quietly offered a special equipment package (internally known as “M471”) aimed at homologating the 914/6 for racing. Modifications included wide arches, a steel flared front valance, wheel spacers, flared fibreglass arches, and 15-inch Fuchs alloy wheels. Just 23 road-going versions of the M471 were produced.

In the spring of 1972, it was used as a camera car at the Nürburgring Nordschliefe to film a commercial introducing the 1973 914 2.0. It shared the track with three 914/6 GTs, filming them as they circulated. Historic imagery indicates that at least the larger wheels had been added by this time, and a communications antenna was installed in the rear driver’s quarter panel during filming.

In May 1973, this special 914/6 finally made its way to Erich Strenger, Porsche’s Art Director. Strenger had enjoyed a two-decade relationship with Porsche by 1973, making an indelible mark on Porsche’s visual history. His accomplishments included serving as the first art director for Christophorus, Porsche’s official magazine. He also designed the first Porsche catalog in 1951, most of the company’s early brochures, and countless promotional racing posters from the 1950s through the 1980s. Over the ensuing years of passionate ownership, Strenger happily documented several of his trips across Continental Europe within the pages of Christophorus.

This beautiful 1971 Porsche 914/6 'M471' is available at RM Sotheby’s upcoming Amelia Island auction held on 5th March 2022 in Florida. Photos: Rafael Martin © RM Sotheby's