The ubiquitous white van is the vehicle of choice for tradesmen, small businesses and delivery drivers the world over – so imagine if you spotted this custom built VW Porsche 914 pick up instead outside your office window…

We’ve seen some pretty unusual Porsches on this blog, like the mysterious 911 HLS the Porsche tractor, the Porsche inspired Beetle and stunning Boxster derived Bug, but this 914 pick up surely takes the award for the most bizarre.

It’s the work of ex-racer turned coachbuilder Dick Troutman, best known for his Scarab Grand Prix and Le Mans cars of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Now Dick’s obviously no novice when it comes to modifying Stuttgart’s finest because he’s also carried out various Porsche-based builds, including a four-door 911. He’s also from California, which perhaps explains a lot…

The 1972 914 creation was built in the early ‘70s. Two were made, one of which was kept by Troutman and the other (seen here) was converted specially to be used by a dismantling business to ship parts around. The removable targa roof cleverly stows on the top of the load area to keep its contents protected, we presume. This one then passed to a Porsche collector Stateside before being snapped up by a succession of other Porsche enthusiasts.

The tail lights are from an Opel Manta, apparently.

We suspect that the original Troutman car, which was based on a 914/6 – hence the flared arches – has recently been kitted out in the style of a 914-6 GT racing service car from the early ‘70s.

Love it or loathe it, one thing’s for certain – it sure is different…

Ian

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage.