I have a 73 with the lighter color Tan interior. Its completely in need of replacement. I see carpet kits, door panels and seat kits from a few internet stores.
Looking for YOUR experienced opinion of Quality vs Price and good service??
Price matters, but not as much as fit and finish! I want to keep the factory color as close as possible. I can do some R&R, cut fit glue, etc. The more complete I can buy the better.
Thanks in advance for your comments!!
First take a look at 914rubber.com .
Seat kits, carpet, etc.
They only seem to have black for the earlier model...
Price seems fair, but I want to keep the Tan color
914rubber.com is as close as you will get to color. You will need to do the full interior regardless of where you buy as the factory light tan is NLA. But 914rubber.com will be really close and unnoticeable with a full replacement.
Check world upholstery.com
I can tell you now that no one has anything close to original tan carpeting, at least as far as I know. You might be able to match the color but not the original texture. I happen to own an original tan interior in near mint condition & have been trying to replicate it in my six. I took the seats, seat back, door panels & center box/pad out of another 74 like mine & put them in my six, but had to "settle" on the tan carpet kit AA sells for that car. Tan, otherwise known as cinnamon, is pretty much unobtanium.
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Thanks everyone! I'll look at these places and get the best match I can!
Somebody somewhere makes a tan carpet kit ...
One of the problems I see is the name of the color. I've seen it called Tan, Beige, Light Brown, Oatmeal, and now Cinnamon.
Seems like you'd have to get a sample swatch before ordering to make sure the color you expect is the color you get.
Also, and I may be wrong about this, but it seems like the square weave cars of '75-'76 had interiors with more of a golden brown color, like this one:
... not to be confused with the Brown or Dark Brown interior
Ok folks, having been thru this name & color & materials sources morass for my own 73 914's resto, the facts are:
That in the day Porsche called the interior color "Beige" in both 72 & 74 (& I assume 73) according to the factory sales documents which can be found on Jeff Bowlsby's website. PCNA's current COA staff seem to put whatever they want on the COA's - including trying to erroneously call my #31 interior "Black" (which is actuially #11 in Porsche code) - instead of the correct "Beige" So they really don't know & eventually corrected my COA on the 3rd try! IIRC "Cinnamon" wasn't used until a slightly more swirly brown in beige/tan from the 75-76 MYs, but I never researched that myself - so check Jeff's website.
These area all NLA now, so what Rick said above is correct - you have to redo the whole interior to get a good match - either with a kit by yourself if you're skilled enough, or someplace like Autos International (AI) or World Upholstery (WU) in SoCal, or get the materials & a local shop (see below).
Next - they had 2 loop carpet colors in the tan range (not counting the brown in the 3rd pic of Dave's) - one was an all tan/beige loop as shown in Dave K's lighter one in the 1st of the pix above which they called "Tan", & the other was a flecked or oatmeal-ish tan/beige + brown blend which they called "Dark Tan" in the 2nd pic & what I have in mine, & both of which are NLA except a few bits at Auto Atlanta & maybe a few others.
Now for materials - AI & WU have a decent match for the Beige smooth leatherette vinyl & used to have it in the needed basketweave - but no longer carry the basketweave needed for the seat inserts & door panels.
So fo a perfect match on both I had to go with Lakewell.com in Europe for those & got the material which I'll have AI do my interior with at the appropriate time in my resto. Mark W./Mikey914/914Rubber didn't have any vinyl at that time last year when I finally sourced mine from Lakewell, so I cannot speak to the match.
So I'd suggest that you ask for samples from Lakewell, 914Rubber, AI & WU & any other suppliers suggested of both the smooth & basketweave (not brickweave used in 75-76) & pick the best price & match for those with both types.
Lakewell also had a dead on match for the "Dark Tan" - if that's what you have - but they lost that supply/supplier last I checked, & I'm still checking back occasionally to see if they found it again. AI & WU etc. here in the USA still sell something they call "Cinnamon" etc., but the brown flecks are way too reddish to match the 914 original look.
Lakewell still has the lighter "Tan" in both correct 914 carpet kits & roll stock & it's the good German made material which will last much longer (AI & WU etc. also carry a German made tan), & the added cost will be saved over what I've heard is about 1-2 year life on the less expensive loop pile offered here in the US as "domestic" (per other 914s who tried it then replaced).
So my go-to would be Lakewell, but Mark & the others may have found the same sources, if you want to check those too.
So your 73 interior would be #31 "Biege" with either corduroy or basketweave seat inserts (all door panels are basketweave) - & either the "Tan" or "Dark Tan" loop pile carpet (unless it's a 1.7 with the "Tan" perlon carpet - also NLA).
Hope this helps & Good Luck!
Tom
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The top car is definitely a 6 and an available 1970 color combination.
I owned a 6 with those colors.
I now own that color interior and need material to repair / recover.
For some reason the factory provided two different light tan interior colors in 1970.
The other choice is a bit darker but the same combination of smooth and basket weave
panels.
What are the codes and color names of the two tans ? anyone ?
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