Jacques Cooper styled this 1969 Porsche Murène for Brissonneau & Lotz, a French firm initially founded as a locomotive engineering and manufacturing firm but later involved with automotive production, including bodywork for Opel’s GT. Financial difficulties forced B&L to cancel the project shortly after acquiring a donor car, but rather than concede defeat, the resourceful Cooper (best known for leading the design of the first TGV prototype) simply shopped around with his sketches before finding a partner in historic French coachbuilder Heuliez. The resultant car debuted at the 1970 Paris Motor Show, but Porsche AG passed on the design despite its popularity with the public.
The car then went into storage for many decades until recently and has reportedly since been treated to light cosmetic and thorough mechanical refurbishment. We’ve always thought it was a cool-looking car and would love to see it at an upcoming Retromobile.
The design isn’t as successful from some angles as others, but neither was the production 914. It’s a quirky, endearing thing, and we’ve always admired its distinctly French take on things. Bodied in plastic and originally presented in the light brown and cream livery saw below at its 1970 Paris Motor Show debut, the car’s upper portions were resprayed in orange shortly afterward.
Note that the wheels were changed too. The lower dash and door interior door panels differ from standard 914 items, but everything else looks largely standard in the period promotional image below. Mechanicals were standard 914-6, meaning power comes from a 2.0 liter, 125 HP flat-six driving the rear wheels through a 5-speed transaxle. The car has undergone some light cosmetic and more thorough mechanical restoration before its last sale in 2012, though we gather it’s never actually been street-registered.
Source: One-Off Heuliez Prototype: 1969 Porsche ... - Bring a Trailer. https://bringatrailer.com/2018/04/30/one-off-heuliez-prototype-1969-porsche-914-6-murene/
Images: oldconceptcars
