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

[r_towle]

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.

That has got to be one of the cleanest body tags I have ever seen, with no corrosion after 50 years, just amazing.

[sixnotfour]

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.

That has got to be one of the cleanest body tags I have ever seen, with no corrosion after 50 years, just amazing.

plus the fact it should have never been allowed into the US.. from Day One..

[sixnotfour]

The window and trunkTags perfect..Door Jam oppostitte condition??

[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.

That has got to be one of the cleanest body tags I have ever seen, with no corrosion after 50 years, just amazing.

plus the fact it should have never been allowed into the US.. from Day One..

the DOT in the USA went off the Vin sticker. that was all.
the whole vin sticker thing was very particular and its what us registration authorities used.
i forget the thing about the windscreen tag in detail, but its not the one the authorities referred to at the time. more a convenience thing for cops and parking inspectors etc.
typical USA levels of bureaucracy stuff.

no one in the USA even looked at the manufacturer plate in the front trunk.
or the vin number on the front wheel well.

here in australia rego authoriities won't even look at vin sticker, windscreen tag or body chassis number on wheel well. only interested in manufacturer plate on front headlight bucket.

so technically - that errant 914 was perfectly legal in the USA.
had the correct vin sticker.

[sixnotfour]

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.

That has got to be one of the cleanest body tags I have ever seen, with no corrosion after 50 years, just amazing.

plus the fact it should have never been allowed into the US.. from Day One..

the DOT in the USA went off the Vin sticker. that was all.
the whole vin sticker thing was very particular and its what us registration authorities used.
i forget the thing about the windscreen tag in detail, but its not the one the authorities referred to at the time. more a convenience thing for cops and parking inspectors etc.
typical USA levels of bureaucracy stuff.

no one in the USA even looked at the manufacturer plate in the front trunk.
or the vin number on the front wheel well.

here in australia rego authoriities won't even look at vin sticker, windscreen tag or body chassis number on wheel well. only interested in manufacturer plate on front headlight bucket.

so technically - that errant 914 was perfectly legal in the USA.
had the correct vin sticker.

Ya No first one they look at in the USA...

[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.

That has got to be one of the cleanest body tags I have ever seen, with no corrosion after 50 years, just amazing.

plus the fact it should have never been allowed into the US.. from Day One..

the DOT in the USA went off the Vin sticker. that was all.
the whole vin sticker thing was very particular and its what us registration authorities used.
i forget the thing about the windscreen tag in detail, but its not the one the authorities referred to at the time. more a convenience thing for cops and parking inspectors etc.
typical USA levels of bureaucracy stuff.

no one in the USA even looked at the manufacturer plate in the front trunk.
or the vin number on the front wheel well.

here in australia rego authoriities won't even look at vin sticker, windscreen tag or body chassis number on wheel well. only interested in manufacturer plate on front headlight bucket.

so technically - that errant 914 was perfectly legal in the USA.
had the correct vin sticker.

Ya No first one they look at in the USA...

yeah the vin sticker is highly specialised to the USA.
right down to location and method of making it.
tamper proof. must be label. etc. and info on it.
i have it on file somewhere - as an historical document - when it was filed as US national legislation. think DOT came up with it in 1969.

at same time i came across the windsreen tag regs or history of them.
the windscreen tag is not specifically a DOT requirement.
i believe its some kind of state laws that were not uniform across USA and were to do with dealing with car theft.

so its a funny kind of tiered set of regs.
the DOT vin sticker is the one that mattered when the cars were new.
it was the one the feds used to authorize the cars first registration.

so that might explain how this particular car did get on the road in the first place without that windscreen tag causing a problem. my guess is the authorities only looked at the Vin sticker, which was correct and probably merely glanced at windscreen tag and did not notice. (i bet the dealer had picked it up though. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) probably had their fingers crossed). they probably checked the Vin sticker against the engraved chassis number on the wheel well in front trunk. both would have been regarded as "tamper proof" - while the other two the windscreen tag and the manufacturer's plates since they were rivetted on had less statutory status.

the DOT regs back in 1969 got the rest of the world moving on standardizing vin labelling or vin number sequencing at least in global terms.

[cholland_]

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 mean, it was made in the Karmann factory in the 70s... it's going to have some rust. Truth is, it's had a hard life with 227,000 miles between the PNW and Ontario, with at least a couple terrible previous owners and is still way less work than any unrestored 914 that you could find.

This will look totally stock, but have some mechanical upgrades, including a 2.0L cross flow engine running on dual sidedraft Dellortos.