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Posted by: johannes Apr 8 2009, 01:57 PM

This is an official Porsche press information I came across.
They provide a few pictures that I will post.

Press-Information 07/04/2009


VW-Porsche Sales Company established Forty Years Ago

VW-Porsche 914 Celebrates Anniversary

Stuttgart. Everything remained very quiet when today’s Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG established VW-Porsche-Vertriebsgesellschaft mbh, the VW-Porsche Sales Company, together with Volkswagenwerk AG, as it was called at the time, in April 1969.
Holding stock capital of DM 5 million, the new company launched the strategy of success for two sports cars still carefully held back from the public pending their final presentation: the VW-Porsche 914 and 914/6.

The establishment of the VW-Porsche Sales Company marked the beginning of a true story of success – and the fortunate end of a dramatic development. Back in the mid-60s VW was looking for a successor to its then rather outdated Type 34 sports coupe, better known as the “Karmann Ghia”. At the same time Porsche was striving to expand its position in the market with a sports car in the promising segment beneath the 911.

Facing this challenge Ferry Porsche and VW’s CEO Heinrich Nordhoff agreed in spring 1966 on a joint venture destined to benefit both parties: Porsche was given the assignment by Volkswagen to develop a low-cost mid-engined sports car intended to enter the market as a Volkswagen with four cylinders and as a Porsche with a six-cylinder boxer engine.

With the development process continuing at a good pace, the Board of Management of VW was suddenly confronted with a tragic change: Heinrich Nordhoff died unexpectedly in 1968 and Kurt Lotz was appointed the new Chief Executive Officer. Lotz rescinded the contract agreed verbally and insisted on Volkswagen receiving the sole and exclusive sales rights for the car being developed by Porsche. After long and tough struggles bringing the 914 to the brink of failure more than once, the two companies agreed in a compromise to call the new car the “VW-Porsche” and to market this new model through a joint sales network.

The VW-Porsche 914 was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show on 11 September 1969 as the first mid-engined sports car built in Germany in series production. The combination of the two brand names Volkswagen and Porsche nevertheless turned out to be an image problem for the new model series commonly referred to by the press as the “Volksporsche” or “People’s Porsche”. This was a particular disadvantage for the 914/6 powered by the two-litre flat-six carried over from the 911 T 2.0. For despite its outstanding performance, the 914/6 was hardly accepted by most of Porsche’s existing customers.

The four-cylinder VW-Porsche 914, on the other hand, became a genuine success in the market, accounting for a production volume of 115,631 units until the series ceased production in spring 1976, and thus becoming the best-selling sports car of its time.

Most of the cars built were exported to the United States, where the 914 was marketed as a genuine, fully-fledged Porsche without the VW prefix.

Today the VW-Porsche 914 is acknowledged as a popular classic supported by numerous 914 clubs the world over. Particularly the 914/6 built only 3,338 times is one of the most sought-after collector cars from Porsche.

The Porsche Museum is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 914 model series with a rare special exhibit on display from 9 April – 10 May 2009: the Porsche 914/8 with its 300-bhp eight-cylinder racing engine once owned by Ferry Porsche himself. With only two of these cars ever being built, one was presented to Ferry Porsche in 1969 as a special gift for his 60th birthday.

GO


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Posted by: johannes Apr 8 2009, 02:10 PM

More pictures


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Posted by: johannes Apr 8 2009, 02:11 PM

Even more ...


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Posted by: johannes Apr 8 2009, 02:13 PM

want some more ?


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Posted by: SirAndy Apr 8 2009, 02:19 PM

And i have the picture to prove it!

IAA in Franfurt, September '69.
Andy

PS: I wonder if anyone out there still has the TV footage?




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Posted by: 1970 Neun vierzehn Apr 8 2009, 02:44 PM

I really enjoy this archival stuff. Thanks Johannes and Andy for your posts.

Posted by: 6freak Apr 8 2009, 03:07 PM

..good work fella`s ...But if the first car in the pix has euro LP would it have euro lenses??? ...second look makes me wonder if they are ..Im thinking yes ...slight color change ...maybe just the way the light hits it ...anywho good work

Posted by: Gustl Apr 8 2009, 03:13 PM

really cool stuff + wonderful pictures

many thanks for sharing

Posted by: Gustl Apr 8 2009, 03:14 PM

hey Andi, everybody who owns the DGVWPB has this picture

Gustl

Posted by: McMark Apr 8 2009, 03:21 PM

Super cool!

Posted by: jsayre914 Apr 8 2009, 03:37 PM

Wow fourty years...

porsche should issue commerative jackstands

Posted by: jc914 Apr 8 2009, 05:14 PM

Posted by: carr914 Apr 8 2009, 05:19 PM

Posted by: markb Apr 8 2009, 05:21 PM

Thanks! I really needed that.

Posted by: lotus_65 Apr 8 2009, 05:51 PM

great images, nice text.

hilarious comment about the jack stands.

thanks!

Posted by: rick 918-S Apr 8 2009, 07:09 PM

Posted by: bandjoey Apr 8 2009, 10:28 PM

FRONT HOOD PORSCHE CREST! Look at the B&W pix with the engineer types hanging out...SOMETHIN' ON THE HOOD!
HAPPY B'DAY 914. Sept 11.

Let's schedule a nationwide party in say, Kansas...somewhere in the middle of the country. Someone at Porsche could pay the bill for publicity for the new mid engine VW/Porsche coming out soon. Anyone Listening, Porsche???

Posted by: Gustl Apr 9 2009, 05:43 AM

cool down ... that's the silver 914-8 from Ferry Porsche
the photo was taken in Zell am See / Austira (where the Porsche family lived), just at the time when they gave Ferry the present
I've been at exactly this place in 2003
it still belongs to the Porsche family

Gustl

Posted by: 6freak Apr 9 2009, 07:44 AM

all do respect sir! But that is nothing more then a very new 914-6 ..the 914-8 had double headlight buckets and no fog lights

Posted by: KELTY360 Apr 9 2009, 08:34 AM

Doesn't look like just a new 914-6. The top looks to be body color and fixed in place. Maybe steel? Also, check out the oval shaped bumper/valence cutout. Definitely not a normal production car.

But in the immortal words of Artie Gibson......velly interesting.

Posted by: jmill Apr 9 2009, 09:04 AM

Only 1 of the 2 8's had double headlights. The red one to be exact. That there is the silver 8.

Posted by: johannes Apr 9 2009, 09:22 AM

This is 914006 the Silver 914-8 . This one has fixed Targa and metal sunroof

See at the bottom of this page http://www.914world.com/specs/prototypes.php

Posted by: 6freak Apr 9 2009, 10:13 AM

Then i stand corrected ..my bad .....O and look at the Gas door on the front hood ....what ovel thingy on the front valance..I see it now ..must be an oil cooler

Posted by: Gustl Apr 9 2009, 10:13 AM

as you can see, the car's license plate is a well known
as you can see, the car has got a steel roof
as you can see (if you have good eyes), the steel roof includes a steel sun roof
as you can see, there's a built-in gas cap on the front hood

and - as you can see, this is at the Schüttgut in Zell am See, where the factory guys handed over the car as a birthday gift to Ferry Porsche (with his right hand on the open driver's side door)

so ... believe me, this is Ferry's silver 914-8

the other one is red/orange

both cars are displayed at the new Porsche Museum for about a month

Gustl

Posted by: 6freak Apr 9 2009, 10:19 AM

Damn!! i thought i had something there.Like I said i stand corrected ..Im gonna shut up now ...lol

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 9 2009, 12:20 PM

They made two, you know.

Gustl is correct, that car in the picture is 914006, the second of the factory 914-8 cars ...
http://www.914world.com/specs/prototypes.php

Andy

Posted by: johannes Apr 9 2009, 12:32 PM

Bis repetita placent ...

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 9 2009, 01:27 PM

Btw. Anyone noticed the other 914-6 in the back of the first picture?

Another pic from the same day:


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Posted by: MDG Apr 9 2009, 01:42 PM

Funny to see that 40 years later, from back in the days before the concept of 'Joint Venture' was ever heard of, let alone understood.

If it was taking place now the masses would be drooling in anticipation . . .

Posted by: Gustl Apr 9 2009, 03:42 PM

sure - the one with Mahle Gasburners on it

Posted by: Gustl Apr 9 2009, 03:46 PM

and here's a third photo from the same day
it seems that it was taken from upstairs



you can see the small cobblestone path ahead of the car?
this leads you to the family chappel

Posted by: 7TPorsh Apr 9 2009, 04:27 PM

Is it me or does the orange car's front wheel arch look too round?

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 9 2009, 04:30 PM

It has a custom flare job front/rear ...
Andy

Posted by: 7TPorsh Apr 9 2009, 04:35 PM

Doesn't look flared...

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 9 2009, 04:39 PM

Trust me, it is flared front/rear ...
Andy

Posted by: 7TPorsh Apr 9 2009, 04:43 PM

ooooooo! look at that!

Posted by: MDG Apr 9 2009, 05:22 PM

looks like it has a Durant mirror?

Posted by: 1970 Neun vierzehn Apr 9 2009, 08:53 PM

The two /8s, languishing, almost forgotten, years ago in the Porsche storage garage.


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Posted by: carr914 Apr 10 2009, 06:50 AM

Looks like the Factory mirror on my 1969 911S
T.C.

Posted by: MDG Apr 10 2009, 07:35 AM

I think so T.C.
I never noticed that on this car before. Also, it's in the 911 spot on the body to the front of the vent window unlike the production flag style which is mounted at the rear of the vent. They probably moved it forward so you could actually see something in that little circle.

Depending on when this proto was completed, they may not have had the flag type mirrors done yet

Posted by: 6freak Apr 10 2009, 07:53 AM

It appears that neither of the 8`s had any lettering ....like on the engine lid or the back of the car

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 10 2009, 12:00 PM

The Euro cars never had any lettering on the engine lid.
Andy

Posted by: 6freak Apr 10 2009, 12:13 PM

Right on !! I learn something everyday from this site...some good some bad ..hey check out how small the rear bumper pad looks on the red car ..

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 10 2009, 12:49 PM

You're gonna learn even more today!


The early prototype cars had completely different bumpers.

914-111, the red 914-8 car still has them.
914-114, Sam's yellow prototype car used to have them but was converted to production bumpers around 1969/70 ...

Andy


As you can see, that bumper looks nothing like the production bumpers:




And here's a pic of Sam's car when it still had the early prototype bumper:

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 10 2009, 12:55 PM

Btw. we can play this game all day long.

The (early) prototype cars were nothing like the later production cars.

While they resemble a production 914 in their overall shape, all the sheetmetal was handmade and handwelded (With the exception of only a few panels) and most of the parts used are nothing like the production parts either.

The list of things that are different from the production is very, very long ...
If you're really interested in those cars, do a search here. Many of those differences have been discussed at length already.

Andy

Posted by: 6freak Apr 10 2009, 03:12 PM

nope you scared me away...

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Apr 10 2009, 05:29 PM

I've stood there...

This picture just made me notice something on this car I never paid attention to/saw before: the taillights.

Are they French spec? They don't look like it. Almost look red/red/amber. Thoughts? Were these changed to straight Euros later on?

Pete

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 10 2009, 06:07 PM

Nope, they're still different. Red | Red | Amber
Andy


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Posted by: horizontally-opposed Apr 11 2009, 12:56 AM

TRIP!!!!!!

Also digging on the jackpoint on Piech's car...

Thanks for the pics!

Posted by: SirAndy Apr 11 2009, 01:06 AM

I'm surprised you noticed. There's more to that story ...
Andy