model year query

[sreddock]

Hi, my 914 2.0 has the following information on the door jamb:

manufactured 11/73
Chassis no. 47429 08559

According to the seller it was a 1973 model (as I would guess from the date above). The AA website suggests is it also 1973. It states that 4742900001 - 47429... are 1973

But there is the seat belt relay & buzzer under the right hand seat. The chassis number index on http://www.dgi.net/914/ suggests this is actually a 1974 model year.

Any more votes?

Thanks, Steve

[Paul_Heery]

It's a 1974 model. You can tell by the first 3 digits of the VIN. 474 = 1974 model year. A 1973 model year car would have 473 as the first 3 digits.

BTW, my car is a 1974 model that was manufactured in 10/73.

[sreddock]

Thanks Paul. After I sent my post I noticed there was a real pattern in the first few digits...

[Jeroen]

The Porsche modelyear runs from october through september and not from januari through december

So a late '73 car (october, november or december) would be a model '74

Confusing, but they still do it like that today...

Same reason why a '69 914 will always have a 1970 vin

HTH,

Jeroen

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Yup. Except that a "69 914" to me will always be a 1970 914, because that's the "model year" of the car.

BTW, both of my 74s were also built 10/73, as was my buddy Josh2's.

--DD

[Bleyseng]

When was the vin cutoff for the 69 to 70 then?
Geoff

[bowlsby]

Actually the model year starts in August. My early 1974 914 was built in August 1973. It was number 1546 built that model year.

[AaronM]

Originally posted by Bleyseng
When was the vin cutoff for the 69 to 70 then?
Geoff

IIRC there were no 1969 914's. There may have been a few early models late in the year, but the 914 was introduced as a 1970 model if I'm remembering things rightly.

My '76 was built in 10/75 if my memory of the door plaque is accurate. It's a stripped-down model too. Guess it was built too early for it to have been one of the '76 cars that Porsche dumped the remaining optional parts into to reduce inventory.

Aaron

[Mike D.]

It's a '74. - Same as right now, you can go buy a 2003 Ford Explorer, not that you would want to... But you could, and it's manufacture date would be like Oct. 2002 - it's still a 2003 model.

-Mike d.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The only 1969 914s were prototypes, IMHO. Some countries actually do count the year of manufacture as the "year" of the car in their official documents, but the US is not one of those. Any US-delivered 914 will be in the 1970-1976 model years. No 69s, no 77s...

But the factory was not notoriously strict nor accurate about record-keeping. Jon Lowe recently said, "Every time I say there was no X, someone comes up to me with an original 914 with X that appears to have been installed at the factory. So I don't say 'no more X' any more."

--DD

[Jeroen]

There are serveral members in our club who actually have a 914 that was delivered/registered in '69
Those are '70 models of course, but still, build and sold in '69
Cheers,

Jeroen

[echocanyons]

MY first 914 was completed in 69 and bore the 69 year stamp

it was registered as a 70

no idea when it was delivered

vin# 4702901654

I guess that makes it the 1654th 914 produced

but the car is long gone now

Kelly

[Bleyseng]

Well, the rustbucket I have was produced in 1/70 and the vin ends in 2045. A fairly early car supposed to be one of the first sold in Seattle,
Then my 76 vin ends in 4063 so its one of the last ones. Yes, it came with all the options too.
Has anyone else heard the story about the NY Porsche Dealer who auctioned off one of the last cars. I guess they got a pretty penny for it too I heard.
Geoff

[tryan]

vin code says it all. i had a 95 300d, production date was feb 94. the 97 f150s went on sale 1/96. go by the vin # . 74's are more better, actually the best (since thats the one i have)