Who's That Girl?, Yes, 914 Content Options

[Osnabruck914]

I have always wondered who this girl in this 914 promotional photo was (don't tell my wife (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)). I think I have seen her in other 914 ad photos, but she doesn't strike me as being "model" quality; so I'm wondering if the Pfennig-pinching Porsche execs just decided to use an off-the-shelf employee for the photoshoot. The car's plate indicates a Ludwigsburg registration, site of many of Porsche's administrative offices and parts warehouses at the time. Was she a clerk or secretary at Ludwigsburg or was she the wife or daughter of a big-wig? Who knows, it might even be her personally owned 914. If she is still around, I'd imagine she would be about 75 years of age now. It would really be interesting if she could tell her story....

Osnabruck914

[wonkipop]

i can see what you see in her.


but i reckon you would not want to go through a divorce with her.
she looks like she means business sitting there in the drivers seat.
"i'm having the car - you can have the cesna" would be the words out of her mouth. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Osnabruck914]

BTW, the aircraft in the photo was a German-registered Italian SIAI-Marchetti, manufactured in 1971. I guess that makes the car at least a '71 model year? Can anyone verify? According to on-line records, that plane was lost in a crash that occurred on 5 July 1980. It's registration number (D-EEPF) has since been reused on another aircraft that is flying today in Germany.

Osnabruck914

[wonkipop]

BTW, the aircraft in the photo was a German-registered Italian SIAI-Marchetti, manufactured in 1971. I guess that makes the car at least a '71 model year? Can anyone verify? According to on-line records, that plane was lost in a crash that occurred on 5 July 1980. It's registration number (D-EEPF) has since been reused on another aircraft that is flying today in Germany.

Osnabruck914

my guess is its a 73. and likely a 2.0, its got white headlight bucket fairings.
they went to black in 74 (but i am not certain they went to black at commencement of model year - a lot of 74 changes happen along the way through model year). fuchs wheels. fuchs arrived with the 73 cars. so at least a 73.
also appears to have chrome screen spray nozzles. black by 74.

if its a 73 then car would probably be early production to get publicity shots done in time for launch. might have been manufactured as early as august 1972.

black bumpers too rather than chrome was fairly typical of the euro trim cars.
my old mate back in the 90s had exactly this car right down to the color, saturn yellow metallic (or as it was known in USA - delphi green metallic). 73 2.0 euro spec (was one of the crayfords converted cars from UK). pretty sure the color did not arrive until model year 73.

[wonkipop]

jeff bowlsby has alternative version of same photo set up.



you get 2 women to admire. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[wonkipop]

there is a third variation of same set up. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
you get a nice view of your favourite girl.
from brian longs book. he even dates the photo. not sure how but he puts a date on it.
i guessed right. its a 73 according to him.

[Osnabruck914]

Great input and info, all! Now we are doing some great detective work! We've got the car identified, the plane identified, the date of the photoshoot (to the month and year) identified. Still need location of the airfield and the girls identity...

Osnabruck914

[wonkipop]

ludwigsburg may as well be a suburb of zuffenhausen / stuttgart.
next town along.

hard to know who exactly did the photoshoot.
it could have been erich strenger who handled the vast majority of the graphic design, promo material at porsche. but the photo really doesn't look to me like his eye at work. hard to know.

i think photoshoot was at Backnang-Heiningen Airport.
small grass airfield not far from ludwigsburg/zuffenhausen.
used for gliding i believe.

some google earth shots.
taking note that google earth uses wide angle panoramic cameras which tend to push depth of field right out and the 914 photoshoot looks to me like the photographer used telephoto lens to compress depth of field.
and street view does not extend into the little aerodrome.
the clue is the range of hills in the background. B-H airport is sited with a range of hills in the background and is still today in a rural setting.




i don't think strenger's eye is behind the view-finder.
we have some old prints of material he shot in the 60sl ying around the workshop.
i am not sure how much of the actual photography at the time was done by strenger or whether he farmed it out and concentrated more on layout and design of print material.
but it was definitely what you call conciously artful. often made use of a lot of compression in the photo and a very close foreground object.




but your theory regarding models is probably correct.
but i would not characterise it as penny pinching.
if strenger did oversee this work his models would have been carefully chosen depending on what was intended to be conveyed in the shot.
he sometimes used models with a classical beauty (glamour) - at other times he was looking for the unusual to convey a sense of the everyday.
he probably searched for local models. possibly from an agency, or off the street or even amongst social circles.

[wonkipop]

while i was scouting for your airport location i took a look around ludwigsburg.

the old VW-Porsche Vertriebsgesellschaft mbh building is still there.
still occupied by porsche (but not VW (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) )

back in the 70s from @JeffBowlsby website.




today.



its had a floor added at the top.
and the off form concrete has been painted white.
window glazing updated i think.
but its definitely the same building. and still there. and still porsche occupied. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[Osnabruck914]

I agree that the Backnang-Heiningen Airfield would make a lot of sense due to its proximity to the Porsche premises, but upon careful scrutiny of the area on G-Maps street views, the hills in the original photo I posted look quite a bit more substantial in height than those in the Backnang-Heiningen locale. Then again it could be an effect of the camera lenses used.

Osnabruck914

[wonkipop]

I agree that the Backnang-Heiningen Airfield would make a lot of sense due to its proximity to the Porsche premises, but upon careful scrutiny of the area on G-Maps street views, the hills in the original photo I posted look quite a bit more substantial in height than those in the Backnang-Heiningen locale. Then again it could be an effect of the camera lenses used.

Osnabruck914

getting closer on your location for the photoshoot @Osnabruck914

porsche used the same location 1 year later (late 73) to take publicity shots for the new 74 MY G series 911. its a more panoramic shot showing the distant and close landscape. they appear to be further up the hill and the airfield is fully visible.
the earlier 914 shots appear to have been taken down at the bottom somewhere and using a more compressive telephoto lens.

you can see the distinctive profile of the hills in the background that i have outlined in red.




they could be at a place called the Wasserkuppe.
its a very famous historic spot where german gliding occurred between WW1 and WW2.
but i am not sure. would have to study more photos. with added difficulty a lot can change in a landscape in half a century. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[Osnabruck914]

Good research Wonkipop. I snooped around the Wasserkuppe on G-Maps and I see what you mean. It certainly could have been there, looking at the surrounding countryside on streetviews.

Osnabruck914

[euro911]

Frau Blücher? ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)


https://youtu.be/ZAYVIY1izho?si=cWhFNGpSXkTf4yc7

[wonkipop]

Good research Wonkipop. I snooped around the Wasserkuppe on G-Maps and I see what you mean. It certainly could have been there, looking at the surrounding countryside on streetviews.

Osnabruck914

found it for you mate.
both shots taken at Flugplatz Hahnweide.
south west of stuttgart (zuffenhausen) and ludwigsburg.
home of the stuttgart areo/gliding club.





view from middle of runway looking towards "the hills" and there they are.



i reckon the 914 photo was taken around about here.
in one of the variations of the photos you can see the edge of a building with a steep gabled roof that must have once been down around about middle of runway.
long gone. replaced with a flat roof building sometime along the way.



view down at the lower end of runway.



there is even a webcam there.
has the kind of lens compression that is in 914 photo.



there are some film clips on you tube of the old timer airshow they hold there annually i believe. those clips have the kind of lens compression in 914 photo.
the person who filmed was using a telephoto camera to zoom in on the old aircraft as they landed. looked identical to 914 photos.

took me about 5 minutes to find the info this morning.
just googled stuttgart gliding club.
switched to images.
bam. photo appeared that matched the 914 photos.
5 minutes more looking had a webcam on it.
then i went into google earth with the name of the air field from the stuttgart gliding club website.

makes sense. close to stuttgart/ludwigsburg. probably someone at porsche was a member of the club and liked to do a bit of gliding.

--------

i think your girl is going to be a fair bit harder to find.
i doubt i have the search skills for that........... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[wonkipop]

Frau Blücher? ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)


https://youtu.be/ZAYVIY1izho?si=cWhFNGpSXkTf4yc7

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[SirAndy]

both shots taken at Flugplatz Hahnweide

@wonkipop
Actually, the first picture in this thread was taken at the Nabern/Teck Airport which is just SSE from Hahnweide and closer to the mountains in the background.

https://www.wolfhirth.de/flugplatz/

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nabern%2F...SoASAFQAw%3D%3D

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[SirAndy]

Even the building on the left is still there, as is the dirt road on the left.
The mountains is the background match exactly and are in the correct distance.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

PS: Oh, and the street sign is still there too!

[SirAndy]

Even the building on the left is still there, as is the dirt road on the left.
The mountains is the background match exactly and are in the correct distance.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

PS: Oh, and the street sign is still there too!

Corner of the building and street-sign with its shadow.

[Osnabruck914]

I must say, both your theories and pics are convincing. Now I'm really kornfused.

Osnabruck914

[SirAndy]

I must say, both your theories and pics are convincing. Now I'm really kornfused.

Osnabruck914

The picture with the 911s is further from the mountains and has an extra wooden area in between the air field and the mountains.
The Hahnweide Flugplatz matches that location exactly.

The picture with the 914 is closer to the mountains without any additional wooden area behind the air field.
The Nabern Flugplatz matches that location exactly.

And both are very close to each other, just about 2 miles apart.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)




One more, in the picture with the 911s you can clearly see "Burg Teck" (Castle Teck) on top of the right mountain which also points to the Hahnweide Flugplatz for that picture.

The 914 picture shows the mountains from a slightly different angle since it was taken 2 miles apart and closer and the castle is just out of view to the right on top of the hill.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)