I don't ask for things. Anyone who knows me knows that. But I'm asking now, because this one matters.
Five years ago, I started mentoring a kid from Sierra Madre, California who was converting a 1976 Porsche 914 to electric. She was twelve. She had no automotive experience. She'd bought the car with money she earned selling grapefruits and vegetables from her family's garden at local farmers' markets.
That kid is Frances Farnam. And the hardest thing for most people to do is start. Frances's superpower is she didn't just start—she went for it.
What I Saw in Her
I've spent over twenty years in the 914 community. I built 914 Rubber to provide parts that aren't available anymore and to support the people who refuse to let these cars die. That's what we do. So I know what commitment looks like. I know the difference between people who talk about doing things and people who actually do them.
Frances does them.
I first met Frances in 2020. She was a kid in Sierra Madre, California with a 1976 Porsche 914 in her garage, an aspirational EV conversion project, and a mission to inspire other kids her age. That mission is what got me. I started mentoring her and introduced her to 914World and the incredible people in this community. Experts like Mark Brems, Eric Shea at PMB, Bruce Stone—people who know these cars inside and out. They all chipped in. Parts. Knowledge. Time. Because that's what this community does.
And now we're making that opportunity available to you.
But before I ask for anything, you need to understand who Frances actually is.
Before Tinkergineering had any following at all, before anyone was watching, Frances donated her hair to Locks of Love for children with cancer. She used money from her grapefruit sales to buy Christmas presents for less fortunate kids in her community. When fires threatened Sierra Madre and her family was evacuated—uncertain whether their home would survive—she volunteered at shelters to help other families.
She doesn't talk about any of this unless you ask. That's how you know it's real.
"The car is a door to opportunity. It's about inspiring other kids my age to chase their dreams and show them what's possible when they try."
Where She Is Now
Frances is 17. She's been building this car for seven years. The body is done. Paint is on. The suspension is going in. Wiring harness is in. She's past the point where most adults quit—I told her that directly, because it's true. Most grown adults with full workshops and decades of experience leave their projects in storage. She didn't.
Her Tinkergineering YouTube channel documents every step. She was named a finalist for Plug In America's Emerging Leader Award—competing against graduate students and professional environmental specialists. She's been featured at SEMA. She's inspired adults to rethink what young people are capable of.
But now she's hit the wall that every builder knows. The final push. The most expensive components of the entire build.
What's Left
The EV conversion components are the heart of this project—and they're the most expensive part of the entire seven-year build. Here's what Frances needs to bring this 914 to life:
Total needed: approximately $25,000. That's the gap between seven years of work and a running car.
Why I'm Asking
Mark, Eric, Bruce, myself—we've all been contributing parts, expertise, and time for years. That's not going to stop. But the EV components are a different scale. This isn't bushings and seals. This is the powertrain.
I believe in this project because I believe in what it represents. A teenager who started with nothing but grapefruits and a dream is about to prove that you don't need to be an adult to create real change. That a 914—our weird, unloved, misunderstood car—can be the vehicle that inspires the next generation of builders.
The 914 community has always been about strangers helping strangers. People showing up for each other because the car connects us. Frances is one of us. She's been one of us since she was eleven years old, even if she didn't know it yet.
This is her "one thing connected to another thing connected to another thing" moment. She can see the finish. She needs the community to help her get there.
The 914 community doesn't let people disappear. It doesn't let projects die. And it doesn't let someone who's worked this hard come up short at the end.
Every dollar goes directly to EV components. I'm personally overseeing that. Frances isn't asking for this—I am. Because someone has to, and I've watched her earn it for five years.
— Matt Whitesell
Owner, 914 Rubber
914World: Matty900
