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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ When Was Last 914 Produced?

Posted by: nihil44 Nov 21 2021, 04:10 PM

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I have a '76 and want to buy one of George's ( dr914@autoatlanta.com ) door jamb VIN stickers but I don't know the month of manufacture to specify.

According to the Karmann chassis plate the approximate date is as follows

Decoding the number is as follows using the number of my project car. The number on the Karmann chassis plate is 5049014

50 4 9 014

50 being the 50th week in the year (mid June '76. I believe Karmann used week 1 of the '76 production as the first week of June '75)

4 being 4th day of the week (Thurs)

9 being Karmann factory in Osnabruck

014 being 14th car made on that day

That would be 14th car made on Thurs 10th or 17th June '76 - depending which week in June '75 Karmann chose to be week 1 of '76 production.

My VIN is 4762904085. According to the VIN database on 914world, the last VIN was 4762924100 which would make my car 15th from the end of production.

There are several sources which state that 914 production ceased early in '76. I am unable to find solid evidence of the month of the last 914 produced.

I would appreciate some help in this inquiry

Assuming my decoding of the Karmann plate is correct and the date for my car is Thurs 10th or 17thJune 1976 and mine was the 14th car on that day and there were only 15 cars to go until production finished, then they probably finished those last 15 cars by Friday the following day.

I have often mused over Hans and Fritz walking out he gate of the Osnabruck Karmann plant late on that Friday afternoon on their way to the local tavern. As they downed a coulple of steins of the inkeeper's finest, did they lament the passing of the 914 with affection or did they celebrate the end of a bastard little car with an evil front air box and rear trunk torsion springs whose sole purpose was to relieve a few fingers from the hand of anyone foolish enough to approach their territory?

Did Hans and Fritz ever contemplate that, 45 years later from their efforts, they would have spawned a community of crazies who actually like these little cars?

But, When was that day???

Posted by: nihil44 Nov 21 2021, 04:12 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=7418

Posted by: FRUNKenstein Nov 21 2021, 04:33 PM

popcorn[1].gif popcorn[1].gif popcorn[1].gif

Posted by: wonkipop Nov 21 2021, 05:40 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=14058 .

hows it going in brisbane?

the first two numbers mean the week of the calendar year.
so its probably 50th week of 75. ie sometime two weeks before xmas 75.

there was something i read about all the bodies for 76 MY cars were made in 75 calendar year.
they shut down the body production line sometime in 75 to switch the karmann plant over to making vw sirrocos. probably xmas by the sound of your karmann number?

the cars were then completed from there on and sold until they ran out of stock as 76 MY cars.
in the USA the 912E kicked in to cover the gap until the 924s arrived.

Posted by: SirAndy Nov 21 2021, 05:50 PM

QUOTE(wonkipop @ Nov 21 2021, 03:40 PM) *

76 MY cars were made in 75 calendar year

That is correct ...

http://www.914world.com/specs/productionnumbers.php

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Posted by: SirAndy Nov 21 2021, 05:53 PM

Always worth reposting:
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Posted by: JeffBowlsby Nov 21 2021, 09:01 PM

With a Vin only 15 from the last, your car may have been made on the last day of production.

Posted by: 73-914 Nov 21 2021, 09:43 PM

works out to Thursday December 11

Posted by: SKL1 Nov 21 2021, 10:16 PM

Interesting investigation!

I suppose if I had that car, I'd even keep the big bumpers! smile.gif

Posted by: wonkipop Nov 22 2021, 03:12 AM

QUOTE(JeffBowlsby @ Nov 21 2021, 09:01 PM) *

With a Vin only 15 from the last, your car may have been made on the last day of production.


yep, i reckon you are right mr. b.
its an all over red rover day car?

they wound it up on a thursday and had a party on friday?

Posted by: nihil44 Nov 22 2021, 05:00 AM

Thanks for all the replies.

I conclude that 12/75 is the build month that is to go on the sticker.

Can’t help but think of Hans and Fritz celebrating the end of production.

Posted by: DRPHIL914 Nov 22 2021, 06:52 AM


so cool to have a car that was possibly built on the last day of production!
this makes me wonder what was the last day of production for the '75 cars, before the '76s got stamped? according to my COA my '75 production was 09(sept)15,1975.
had to be one of the last 75's built. i wonder what day they switched over from the 75 to 76? My car was ordered by the buyer a few months earlier special order Appearance group and L99k paint, and was delivered to the dealership on Oct 15 according to the paperwork passed down from the original owner.

Phil

Posted by: davep Nov 22 2021, 04:55 PM

QUOTE(nihil44 @ Nov 21 2021, 05:10 PM) *

I have a '76 and want to buy one of George's ( dr914@autoatlanta.com ) door jamb VIN stickers but I don't know the month of manufacture to specify.

This is similar except for VIN to what you want.




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Posted by: KELTY360 Nov 22 2021, 05:39 PM

What is the difference between a '75 and '76 2.0L?

Posted by: SirAndy Nov 22 2021, 05:56 PM

QUOTE(KELTY360 @ Nov 22 2021, 03:39 PM) *

What is the difference between a '75 and '76 2.0L?

The BUBs are even BUBier on the '76 ...
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Posted by: Gatornapper Nov 22 2021, 06:53 PM

My '76 has 10/75 on the door plate. Couple months before last.

4762902176

Interesting that the number 76 appears in my VIN twice........but of no significance whatsoever..........

GN

Posted by: nihil44 Nov 22 2021, 10:16 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=1244

I would be interested what number you have on your Karmann chassis plate. Your VIN is 37 from the end of production and it would be interesting to decode your Karmann number to determine on what day it was built


Thanks again for all the contributions

David

Posted by: Gatornapper Nov 23 2021, 06:41 AM

Pretty sure there is no difference. All '76's were made in '75 with no changes I think other than perhaps where they were made.

GN

QUOTE(KELTY360 @ Nov 22 2021, 06:39 PM) *

What is the difference between a '75 and '76 2.0L?


Posted by: davep Nov 23 2021, 07:38 AM

QUOTE(nihil44 @ Nov 22 2021, 11:16 PM) *

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=1244
I would be interested what number you have on your Karmann chassis plate. Your VIN is 37 from the end of production and it would be interesting to decode your Karmann number to determine on what day it was built
Thanks again for all the contributions

Not my car, I am just a researcher. I am listed here:
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That was 40 years ago now. The owner also posted this:
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week 50, day 4, fourth body finished that day. Note that finished means the body was welded up in the body shop, not even painted when that chassis # was stamped on the early cars. After painting the body tag (above) and the paint tag would be riveted to the chassis. The VIN would not be assigned until it was on the final assembly line. So while the Karmann body # is a guide to when the bodies were welded up and painted, the number is not well synchronized with the VIN and the order of completed cars.
This thread shows the evolution of the front panel behind the bumper, with the late 1976 cars getting a different panel:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=198600

Can you post your paint code plate please.

Posted by: nihil44 Nov 23 2021, 08:18 PM

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@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=1244

I didn’t realise you were the David Pateman the presenter of the Karmann plate decoder and historian/researcher.

My Karmann plate was just about totalled by the soda blaster despite my best efforts to mask it off and request to him to avoid the area of the plate.

The body colour on the plate is L 31 M – Scarlet (Mars) Red according to Dr B Johnson’s 914 Restorer’s Guide to Authenticity. I have repainted the car L 20 E – Signal Orange

It is interesting to note in his book he has the VIN’s for the 76 MY as
476 29 00001 – 476 29 04075, yet my 76 has the Vin 476 29 04085. The information in the book came from the Automotion and Stoddard catalogs. Perhaps the fact checking lacked a little rigor.

My car was purchased from Otto’s in Venice California in Oct ’95 without an engine and was exported to Australia.

Posted by: wonkipop Nov 23 2021, 08:55 PM

QUOTE(nihil44 @ Nov 23 2021, 08:18 PM) *

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@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=1244

I didn’t realise you were the David Pateman the presenter of the Karmann plate decoder and historian/researcher.

My Karmann plate was just about totalled by the soda blaster despite my best efforts to mask it off and request to him to avoid the area of the plate.

The body colour on the plate is L 31 M – Scarlet (Mars) Red according to Dr B Johnson’s 914 Restorer’s Guide to Authenticity. I have repainted the car L 20 E – Signal Orange

It is interesting to note in his book he has the VIN’s for the 76 MY as
476 29 00001 – 476 29 04075, yet my 76 has the Vin 476 29 04085. The information in the book came from the Automotion and Stoddard catalogs. Perhaps the fact checking lacked a little rigor.

My car was purchased from Otto’s in Venice California in Oct ’95 without an engine and was exported to Australia.



great story nihil44.

and that car would have been good value back in 95?
no one was really looking at 75/76s.
all chasing 73/74 2.0L or small bumper cars to build into one.

did you export it in 95 or pick it up here.
the signficance of the vin # may not even have occurred to anyone back then.

its kind of nice that a last day car is in aus.

a guy i knew back in the 90s had a red big bumper car, think it was a 75. it was 2.0
nicely converted to rhd, very well done.
he had it for a few years back then and then sold it.
i think it went to QLD. might even still be there?
haven't seen him or the car since.

beerchug.gif

Posted by: Dave_Darling Nov 23 2021, 08:57 PM

QUOTE(KELTY360 @ Nov 22 2021, 03:39 PM) *

What is the difference between a '75 and '76 2.0L?


IIRC, the badges on the rear were changed to stickers. I don't remember any other differences from Brett Johnson's book.

I have also read that they tended to throw every available part at each car by that point because they knew production was at an end. So the 76es tended to be a bit more option-heavy than the 75s. Not sure how true that is.

--DD

Posted by: SirAndy Nov 23 2021, 10:03 PM

QUOTE(Dave_Darling @ Nov 23 2021, 06:57 PM) *

QUOTE(KELTY360 @ Nov 22 2021, 03:39 PM) *

What is the difference between a '75 and '76 2.0L?

I don't remember any other differences from Brett Johnson's book

The '76 has two extra tiny "tits" on the bumpers ...
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Posted by: jagalyn Nov 23 2021, 10:08 PM

QUOTE(SirAndy @ Nov 23 2021, 10:03 PM) *

The '76 has two extra tiny "tits" on the bumpers ...
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Only on 76’s delivered to California and Maryland. 76’s delivered to all the other states were without.

Posted by: StarBear Nov 24 2021, 01:09 PM

Another riddle for all you Batmen: Here's my 1974 plate. According to the sequence, they produced it:
+ 48th week (late November; the 4 is offset to the left and is hard to read.
+ 3rd day (November 28, 1973)
+ 9 Karmann factory
+ 578th unit made that day??
Seems like quite a long day!
Could/did they really spit that many out in one day? piratenanner.gif
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Posted by: jagalyn Nov 24 2021, 01:50 PM

QUOTE(StarBear @ Nov 24 2021, 01:09 PM) *

Another riddle for all you Batmen: Here's my 1974 plate. According to the sequence, they produced it:
+ 48th week (late November; the 4 is offset to the left and is hard to read.
+ 3rd day (November 28, 1973)
+ 9 Karmann factory
+ 578th unit made that day??
Seems like quite a long day!
Could/did they really spit that many out in one day? piratenanner.gif
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Your car was the 78th chassis made that day. If the 5 was a 6, it would have been the 178th. That’s a lot of cars.

Posted by: StarBear Nov 24 2021, 02:06 PM

QUOTE(jagalyn @ Nov 24 2021, 02:50 PM) *

QUOTE(StarBear @ Nov 24 2021, 01:09 PM) *

Another riddle for all you Batmen: Here's my 1974 plate. According to the sequence, they produced it:
+ 48th week (late November; the 4 is offset to the left and is hard to read.
+ 3rd day (November 28, 1973)
+ 9 Karmann factory
+ 578th unit made that day??
Seems like quite a long day!
Could/did they really spit that many out in one day? piratenanner.gif
Attached Image


Your car was the 78th chassis made that day. If the 5 was a 6, it would have been the 178th. That’s a lot of cars.

Great! Thanks. Now I remember some posting about the 5 meaning a 0 and a 6 meaning a 1. Makes more sense at 78.

Posted by: type47fan Nov 24 2021, 07:53 PM

QUOTE(Dave_Darling @ Nov 23 2021, 06:57 PM) *

QUOTE(KELTY360 @ Nov 22 2021, 03:39 PM) *

What is the difference between a '75 and '76 2.0L?


IIRC, the badges on the rear were changed to stickers. I don't remember any other differences from Brett Johnson's book.

I have also read that they tended to throw every available part at each car by that point because they knew production was at an end. So the 76es tended to be a bit more option-heavy than the 75s. Not sure how true that is.

--DD


Another difference is, I believe, that the rectangular aluminum data plate that was riveted to the passenger side headlight bucket in MY70-MY74 was moved to the gas tank bulkhead for MY75 (sheet metal change to accommodate the BRB bumper snubbers) and eliminated altogether for MY76.

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Posted by: davep Nov 25 2021, 07:56 AM

The manufacturer badges were deleted on the 911 & 912E in 1976 as well. They almost appear to have been removed, but were actually never installed. They returned in 1977.


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