1972 Porsche 914: “The Punk Rock Avocado”

Words by Dante Cavazos

Pictures by Philipp Wolf, Lane Skelton, and Dante Cavazos

There are two types of people on this planet: those who put the cereal before the milk, and the Martians that go milk first. Philipp @mid_engine_punkrock is certainly the latter. Surrounded by hundreds of cars at DWA’s January 5th Morning Motors, I scan the lot for a bright green 1972 Porsche 914. A glorious lesson in contrast, I spot the matchbox car inconspicuously tucked behind a ragged white F-150 on the far north end of the lot. No shit, the Porsche was only about the length of the truck bed.

Philipp picks me out of the crowd while mixing it up with a few show go-ers and drive buddies, a light German accent pokes through his hellos. Philipp is a skinny man in his early thirties, eager eyes peer at me through black-framed glasses and he sports a mischievous smile - the kind that comes from gas fumes and adrenaline. He hails from Northern Germany and after working in both Stuttgart and Michigan, he finds himself yet again in a different automotive Mecca, Silicon Valley. Eager to get to the meat of it, we exchange formalities and I get to into the details of the car he affectionately calls “The Punk Rock Avocado.”

Fact: You’ll know the car when you see it. The vibrant green “Avocado” sports a smattering of tasteful vintage-styled decals on each front fender, a pure white circle on the door suggest track days perhaps? It squats low enough to the ground to make you sweat on entry, so duck quick and mind your head. The interior is framed by a sparingly padded roll cage that’s been tucked behind a custom shaved dash. The absence of a factory ashtray, climate control, glovebox, and radio speak to the Philipp’s main ideology - delete everything. That’s the particular reason Philipp sourced the 914 as a built and stripped race car before building back it’s creature comforts. Punk rock serves as a clear influence for interior styling: vintage Deist harnesses are strung over faded race buckets, the intentionally sideways tach and pristine MOMO Prototipo add to the cars gritty yet polished charm. Back outside, the flat black hood and trunk are the cars mohawk, the ATS Classics on all four corners act as ripped black vans. The car is the ultimate iteration of Philipp.

After some gymnastics, I strap in the passenger seat and the 914 fires up with a guttural roar. The car is powered by a Porsche sourced Frankenstein flat-four bored and stroked to 2.something, it was originally built by the previous owner who later passed away adding to the car’s lore. It’s a literal brain buster fastening the ancient Deist four points, so I settle for a lap belt and fire off a quick prayer to Ice T. Fearlessly, Phillip slams the dogleg down into first and we snake through people and onto highway 1. Whether by power or weight, I instantly notice the get-up-and-go. Confident in the upgraded transmission, I have the privilege of watching Phillip row to the redline (allegedly) for a brief 10 minutes. Mid-engine inertia is hard to describe but I appreciate the waltz between the limit and complete ass-tightening 360s. No fret, he’s a fantastic driver. I have to praise Philipp for his sense of liberation. The car’s distinct punk rock identity, his passion for hunting redlines, and the car’s race history are a unique combination and they turn Phillip into someone I guess we all want to be: people who fearlessly drive the shit out of our beloved machines.

- Danté

Rad facts about Philipp:

Car: 1972 Porsche 914

Motor: 2.something “Franken-Sh-tien” build

Wheels: ATS Classics

DWA Listener: 3+ years

RADwoods Attended: (1) Sonoma

DWA! Rallies Attended: 2

Other “Beloved Machines”: VW Vanagon/ Lotus Elise/1970 Console GT

Photos and INSTAGRAM: @mid_engine_punkrock