Correct ’73 PORSCHE grill letter color?

[TimW]

Anyone have a 1973 914 sales brochure laying around? I’d like to know the history on which color PORSCHE grill letters were standard and which were an option? Were there just the two colors available, gold and silver? Were they both available in ’73? Did it depend on the car color?

Bottom line is I have a set of both and I’d like to use the ‘correct’ color (if there is one). If there isn’t a ‘correct’ color is there a consensus on which color is more appropriate? Or is it just personal preference?

Right now the ’73 has silver letters, and the gold are from a ’70.

Tim
’73 914 2.0L Signal Orange
www.coolfuelcells.com/914


[This message has been edited by TimW (edited 05-18-2001).]

[bowlsby]

If I remember corrently without checking the book, in 73 the correct engine grille letters are silver anodized aluminum.

Earlier cars had gold finished metal letters, 74-76 were silver finished plastic

Euro cars had no engine grill letters.

[Conrad W Peden]

Weren't there were some with black too?

My 73 2.0 is silver
My 73 1.7 is gold
both cars are signal orange

Ive heard all kinds of stories like, "gold was part of the apperance package" or "only The 6's had gold". Well my 72 is the exception to that one. But there is another signal orange 72 1.7 in town with silver. go figure.

good luck.

------------------
CWP/VIR
72 914 L20E in rusto.
73 914 L20E 2.0L in resto.
http://members.rennlist.com/a914lover

[This message has been edited by Conrad W Peden (edited 05-18-2001).]

[bowlsby]

Well the letters are so easy to change and it would be difficult to trust most existing cars unless the originality can be confirmed (like it was stowed away in a museum or something).

Brett Johnsons restoration book is the book I would trust the most...I'll verify what it says and repost if it hasn't been otherwise confirmed by then.

My nearly original 74 didn't have letters when I obtained it...why I wonder? Every reference I've ever encountered about the 74 cars lists silver finished plastic letters, yet I've never seen a single set on any car...anyone else ever seen silver plastic engine grille letters?

Don't think there were any 'original' black ones...just on the 911 cars and perhaps some aftermarket repros...

[WOODPIE]

I bought a '74 1.8 new from a dealer back in '74. I am pretty certain the PORSCHE letters were silvered plastic. I remember some cars having the gold letters....I always assumed they were included in a Special Edition run, or part of an appearance package. I've never seen metal letters, at least not knowingly.

Ed

[campbellcj]

my 73 2.0 has silver metal letters. it's a numbers matching stock car so I assume they are original.

[72_914]

The engine lid that was on my car (I'm sure it was not the original) had silver plastic letters, or should I say it did have. I slamed the lid a little too hard one day and the "R" broke off. I was going to take the rest off until I got a new one (nothing like driving a P O S C H E!). As I was taking them off half of the remaining letters posts fell apart in my hands. What I am getting to is yes they came with plastic silver letters but the reason you don't see many is because they are crap. I have a lid off another 72 with gold metal letters.

------------------
James
Cincinnati, OH
1972 1.7L
My 914 page

[echocanyons]

Question:
Is it feesible to chrome plate the gold letters?
I am thinking that since the gold letters are tin or aluminum or whatever that they would be more durable than the plastic chrome letters.


Kelly
letterless engine grill

[bowlsby]

FWIW, from the restorers book...

Engine grille letters were from the 911 cars.
Gold-anodized [aluminum] were used from 1970-72 with 1973 cars having bright anodized [silver aluminum] letters. Chrome-plated plastic letters were used from 1974-76.

I just looked at a friends 1976 car which seems pretty original and it seemed to have 'bright-anodized' [silver aluminum] letters. They sure didn't sound like plastic.

I also bought a set of 'silver-anodized' aluminum letters off of an early 70's 911 one time and they were much duller of a silver finish, than the nearly mirror-like chrome finish of the 914 cars.

[TimW]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Looks like I'll stick with the silver.