Special 914 model, made on a monday!!! Options

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

very rare!!!! (we have seen these factory mistakes before):

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

[SirAndy]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[Root_Werks]

Okay, someone please explain this one to me. A VIN that starts with a 5 seems out of sorts, the rest I dunno what I'm looking at.

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

that is it, all 914 four cylinder cars started 47 followed by the year made, this one is a factory misprint having a 5 as the prefix

Okay, someone please explain this one to me. A VIN that starts with a 5 seems out of sorts, the rest I dunno what I'm looking at.

[Steve]

that is it, all 914 four cylinder cars started 47 followed by the year made, this one is a factory misprint having a 5 as the prefix

Okay, someone please explain this one to me. A VIN that starts with a 5 seems out of sorts, the rest I dunno what I'm looking at.

I am guessing the stamp in the trunk is correct?

[rhodyguy]

What is the chassis # on the title?

[930cabman]

Franz was asleep at the wheel, or drunkenzee

[wonkipop]

@dr914 @automobileatlanta

i have 4742913655 on file from L jet research.

thats 14 cars before the one you have posted.

655 has VWproduction# 0529575
75th car on 29 Jan 74.
given they made around just under a hundred cars a day usually
there must be a good chance the one you have posted is same day of commencement of production?
but not necessarily same day vin (completion). or vice versa?

i'm not sure whether i had a vin sticker to go off the vin number on the one i had or a windscreen tag. i'll have to see if i can dig it out of files to see what i have on it.
but its close - be interesting to see if its got an error plate or correct 474 as first three digits.

there is some stuff @davep has found with oddities in the VW production # on the 74 cars but its further along in the production run. had something to do with karmann closing down the exclusive 914 production line to make room for the scirrocco.


EDIT
ok i dug up 655 from my files.
vin plate correct. someone had the brain fade shortly afterwards - 14 cars later.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[wonkipop]

that is it, all 914 four cylinder cars started 47 followed by the year made, this one is a factory misprint having a 5 as the prefix

Okay, someone please explain this one to me. A VIN that starts with a 5 seems out of sorts, the rest I dunno what I'm looking at.

yes
i believe the 47 stands for the model number.
ie in VW parlance a 914 is type 4 like a 411.
its no 7 type 4.

i had a list somewhere. the 914 is the last one. so is 47.
they run from 41 through to 47.
as doc says 4 (third number) means 74.
i forget what the two is.
although i do have a feeling that in the Vin like the VW production number (aka karmann number) that the 9 stands for the karmann factory. not 100% on that when it comes to the Vin.
the Vin is actually a standard conforming VW vin code that is similar for other VW models.
the first two digits define all the VW models of various types.
so usually for instance a beetle starts with 1.
the second number would denote exactly what variation of the beetle it is.
ie 11 or 12 r 13 etc.

i wonder if the 5 is a mistake due to the scirrocco.
i'd have to find an early scirrocco vin to see if that was so.
i think around about this time, end of jan/start of feb they were sending the first few early production scirroccos down the line at karmann to test production.
might have been a brain fade error induced by that moment.
i'm pretty sure those very early scirroccos were mixed in with 914s coming down the line.

[wonkipop]

vin tag off a 77 scirocco.



starts with 5 !!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
53 likely stands for particular variation of scirocco.
third number is 7 (correct number for 1977).

its got a 2 and a 0 after that.
again not sure of 2. something in the back of my memory tells me that means something like the second decade of when this particular vin code sequencing came in.
i think it was introduced in the 1960s. so all 1960s model year cars have a 1 where the 70s model year cars have a 2.
the 0 stands for the factory. pretty sure on that. which means either karmann factory was renumbered as 0 because another factory had come on line or this scirocco was made somewhere at another factory besides karmann. but i can't be a 100% on what that number stands for. something else in my memory is nagging at me saying that its there for if production numbers got higher than 100,000. which they did for beetles for instance. and there is something quirky about 914s where they use a 9 instead of 0.
it was a few years ago i stumbled on this stuff and i forget where i filed it.

this vin code sequence was in use by VW up to 1980 when they completely revised vins to conform with internationally agreed conventions or at least european wide agreed conventions across manufacturers. but it was in use during the 1960s and 70s.

i'd say there is a good chance that vin plate is a mess up because a very early batch (maybe even first little batch) of sciroccos got mixed in with the 914s and fritz got himself in a fix with the numbers on the plate stamp. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) )

[wonkipop]

Okay, someone please explain this one to me. A VIN that starts with a 5 seems out of sorts, the rest I dunno what I'm looking at.

this might assist with rest of "dunno what i am looking at"

some vins for the 411 {type 4 regular models).

71 MY 411 4 door

42 stands for 411 4 door. (i believe 42 = automatic. 41 would be manual).
1 stands for 1971
2 stands for 1970 production onwards (second decade) - but more on that later because even that 2 is weird and is a convention based around beetle Vin #s given the astonishing production rates and numbers for beetles. but for the sake of lower production volume cars this was 1 prior to 1970 and 2 after 1970.
then there is a zero. this i believe was because VW had the vain hope that the 411 might get up to 1.000,000 cars a year as per beetle. never did.




71 MY 411 variant (square back)

46 stands for 411 2 door variant. 46 = auto. 45 would be manual.
1 stands for 1971
rest as per above.




72 MY 411 variant (squareback).

46 stands for 411 2 door variant. 46 - auto. see how its the same as for the 71.
2 is now the second number. its 1972.
next 2 stands for second decade of production.
rest of numbers as per above.



examples of the 2 door fastback version of the 411 used the numbers 43 and 44 as the first two numbers.

and the 914 - which started life initially as conceptually a VW karmann ghia type 4 was assigned the number 47 as the first two numbers and retained those two numbers for its vin allocations.


-------

now as to that number 2 which is the 4th number.
it really goes like this.
VW assigned it first with the beetle in mind.
and it was 1 before 1970. (or look closer and its not even there for the first million).
i think the date on this new vin type sequencing is that it was introduced in 1968.
anyway by the end of model year 1969 (mid way through calendar year 1969) they had almost hit 2 million beetles.
so they clicked it to a 2 with the start of model year 1970 mid way through calendar year 1969. and then.......kept going. you can see it clicked over to a 3 a short time later and on it went. 4 , 5, 6 and so forth.




and as a result of this milestone in VW production with vin numbers hitting 2.0m right around the start of model year 1970 VW decided to transfer that 2 across as the base line number for all other model VWs beginning in my 1970. including the 914 which starts its production in my 1970. so thats why they all get the 2.

then after the 2 the number is a raw 6 number set which is cumulative chassis numbers as they are produced beginning 000,001 up to 999,999. which a beetle could easily be made in those numbers for a model year.

and as noted they vainly hoped for the type 4s. (dream on as it turned out).
but the 411 still got the 6 raw digits beginning 0.

however it was weird with the 914. they arbitrarily used 9 as the first digit.
knowing full well they would never get to a million. so its 9 followed by the cumulative chassis numbers produced in a model year.

the karmann ghias are similar. they seem to use a 5 where the 914s used a 9.
don't ask me why they chose 9 or 5 for those cars. they just do.
it might have meant something but no one knows. i was wrong it stood for karmann factory but i half thought that. since ghias and 914s were both made at karmann the 9 would not stand for that or otherwise ghias would have had it too.


hope that helps.
you can actually read those chassis vin numbers.
they do mean something.

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

funny how the factory made a mistake on the plate, yet the other numbers are all ok. (excuse the poor photography). This was a wrecked customer 914 that we are doing a GT conversion. Had to replace the complete left rear quarter panel rear panel and rear trunk floor. Had been "fixed" in the past but the quarter spliced and welded while still bent (and some insurance company years ago paid good money for this butchery!!!!)

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

[cholland_]

starts with 5 !!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
53 likely stands for particular variation of scirocco.

Yes, all Scirocco's are Type 53's. Second generation was 53B. The Corrado was 53C (although that's not reflected in VINs because they were onto the agreed conventions by the time the mk2 was released). All original Golfs/Rabbits are type 17.

I have '75 Scirocco #11186. VIN starts with 5352. No idea what the 2 represents.

[930cabman]

starts with 5 !!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
53 likely stands for particular variation of scirocco.

Yes, all Scirocco's are Type 53's. Second generation was 53B. The Corrado was 53C (although that's not reflected in VINs because they were onto the agreed conventions by the time the mk2 was released). All original Golfs/Rabbits are type 17.

I have '75 Scirocco #11186. VIN starts with 5352. No idea what the 2 represents.

is your '75 in decent condition?

[cholland_]

is your '75 in decent condition?

It's a little sideways right now. Give it a year or two or five.
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i.imgur.com-7029-1725650624.1.jpeg)

[930cabman]

is your '75 in decent condition?

It's a little sideways right now. Give it a year or two or five.
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i.imgur.com-7029-1725650624.1.jpeg)

Very cool
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sawzall-smiley.gif)
The tin worm got after her? Talk about few remaining, they simply aren't around at all. I had a '76 model back in the mid - late 1970's, one of my all time favorites.

[wonkipop]

funny how the factory made a mistake on the plate, yet the other numbers are all ok. (excuse the poor photography). This was a wrecked customer 914 that we are doing a GT conversion. Had to replace the complete left rear quarter panel rear panel and rear trunk floor. Had been "fixed" in the past but the quarter spliced and welded while still bent (and some insurance company years ago paid good money for this butchery!!!!)

that makes sense doc.

don 't forget windscreen Vin tags and door jamb vin stickers are US market only special provisions. but all the cars (german/euro market/us market) got the manufacturers plate in the front trunk.

so they probably fitted the windscreen tag and the vin sticker for the us cars at some separate station at the end of the production line.

- i should add that given all the 76 cars were US market only - and the manufacturer plate didn't really count for US regulatory requirements - those 76 cars never had the front trunk plate. only had the vin sticker and the windscreen tag.

here is a photo of the production line at karmann in the first half of 1974.
suspect its actually right at the start of the first sciroccos coming down the line as small volume test examples ironing out hitches.
its got to be sometime between early feb 74 and july 74.
there are still karmann ghias in the mix and production stopped in july.
and you can see right at the front is a red 914. you can recognize the top.
so all the cars are scrambled in there.
though i am not entirely sure the 5 is explained by the scirocco vin on a windscreen tag as those sciroccos at that stage are domestic market german cars. they don't start making us market cars until the next model year. euro cars dont have windscreen vin tags. so. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) maybe they were testing fitting the tags on the production line?
but its pretty scrambled at the karmann factory compared to the other larger VW plants and production lines. in a way karmann was a kind of anachronistic semi hand built car production facility at that time.






ps doc.
that green car with the 574 tag.
was it originally a 1.8?
according to info i have compiled it seemed like just about all they built between very late oct 73 and early feb 74 were 1.8 models.

[wonkipop]

is your '75 in decent condition?

It's a little sideways right now. Give it a year or two or five.
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i.imgur.com-7029-1725650624.1.jpeg)

what a beauty! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
we never got the mk1 or mk2 sciroccos in australia. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

but some guy over in western australia owned one of the surviving assessment cars that VW australia did bring out to test in australian conditions and work out if it was viable against japanese imports. they decided it was a non goer. the assessment cars were sold off. a mere handful. i think only one survives. its a real early car apparently.
i've never seen it - its on the other side of the country across the nullabor. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)