Carpet color/pattern correct for 1974 Options

[jhynesrockmtn]

Hi, working away on a refresh of some items on my Bumblebee. One of the items I want to address is the cheap carpet kit it has that has not been installed very well to boot.

I am going to place an order for a kit. The question is which color. I want to go with the German Loop. There is a black, early charcoal and late charcoal.

Which color is the most appropriate for a Bumblebee with a black interior.

[r_towle]

Black

Check World Upholstrey

[Freezin 914]

Not sure on BB’s but late 74’s had Grey and Black

[Jett]

This is a stock BB carpet… I can get better pics but it is not straight black.

Try Autoatlanta as well.

[scallyk9]

This is a stock BB carpet… I can get better pics but it is not straight black.

Try Autoatlanta as well.

Very interesting! My LE Bumblebee built early in March of 1973 (-14854) still has the original carpet and it looks different, more of a "felt" than the loop type yours appears to be. The higher wear areas appear to be blacker as if the gray threads are looser than the black threads. Your car (-15807) may have gotten a later carpet type being produced almost a thousand cars after mine.

I have never seen an all black carpet on any LE I've seen. The color with a black interior has always been what I'd call charcoal, appearing as a kind of salt and pepper felt-like mix.

I've been trying to find a match for the original carpet in my LE for seven years and the closest I've come is what I found inside a restored vintage side car for a 1970's BMW motorcycle at a car show. I talked to the owner and then the restorer who had sourced that carpet in Germany and called the carpet "Haargarn".

[JeffBowlsby]

Great thread. The LEs did have two different black/grey color patterns. Early and late variations. I don’t have photos handy.

[87m491]

Mine looks just like this. At least it did until I started replacing it a few weeks back!

Not sure on BB’s but late 74’s had Grey and Black

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i.imgur.com-14731-1687461991.1.jpg)

[wonkipop]

my jan 74 car (not a SE) has the loop pile that @87m491 has except its brown.
but that is what the original german loop pile carpets looked like. with that mixed in white salt and pepper look and a tightish weave.

i've got a 73 color chart and fabrics and its pretty much the same as the 74 interior fabrics that mr b. has on his website. they either had needle pile carpets (which looks fuzzy) or that particular loop pile in 74 (at least early on in the 74s).

i've seen that more mottled look black carpet that @Freezin 914 has posted from his car on some 75 1.8s i have on file from L jet research. don't know if it was original to 75s or whether those cars on file are fitted with replacement carpets. but seems like carpet could have changed and maybe not at 75 model year start up? its got a different less tightly woven look. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[wonkipop]

This is a stock BB carpet… I can get better pics but it is not straight black.

Try Autoatlanta as well.

Very interesting! My LE Bumblebee built early in March of 1973 (-14854) still has the original carpet and it looks different, more of a "felt" than the loop type yours appears to be. The higher wear areas appear to be blacker as if the gray threads are looser than the black threads. Your car (-15807) may have gotten a later carpet type being produced almost a thousand cars after mine.

I have never seen an all black carpet on any LE I've seen. The color with a black interior has always been what I'd call charcoal, appearing as a kind of salt and pepper felt-like mix.

I've been trying to find a match for the original carpet in my LE for seven years and the closest I've come is what I found inside a restored vintage side car for a 1970's BMW motorcycle at a car show. I talked to the owner and then the restorer who had sourced that carpet in Germany and called the carpet "Haargarn".

very hard to get that precise carpet anywhere.
i know i got the last 7m of the raw roll of the 73/74 brown carpet in about 1993 - to make myself a set of rhd carpets. the aus distributor got it for me from porsche in germany. it was spot on and a dead match for the original left hand drive carpet i pulled out of the car. the roll was only about 900mm or 1000mm wide from memory so it was real tight fit to try and get all the pieces out of. i ended up once piece short so the car still has the original carpet piece on the lhs wheel well. that was back in 93 that particular raw carpet became NLA unobtanium.

i think @StarBear has had a bit of success at gradually assembling a full brown carpet set from various sources over the years to replace his faded brown carpets. the brown really faded and discoloured compared to the black. water and moisture in particular reacted with it. you might have luck searching various sources for NOS carpet pieces bit by bit - i reckon that is maybe the only way you could do it.

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

german loop is probably the closest a purpleish blue twist. Have seen though, some of the earlier limited editions with the charcoal loop, see if you have a plastic (with black screw on top) or a steel (with clip on metal top cap) expansion tank

Hi, working away on a refresh of some items on my Bumblebee. One of the items I want to address is the cheap carpet kit it has that has not been installed very well to boot.

I am going to place an order for a kit. The question is which color. I want to go with the German Loop. There is a black, early charcoal and late charcoal.

Which color is the most appropriate for a Bumblebee with a black interior.

[wonkipop]

@jhynesrockmtn

i took a scan back through the files i had on L jet 74 research from a couple of years back. they ran the same carpets in the 2 and the 1.8s.

the mottled type black loop carpet pops up in all the 05 and 06/74.






it may have replaced the earlier tighter weave black (charcoal) carpet for black interiors at bit earlier in 04. but all the examples of 04 i had on file were brown or beige interiors or did not have original carpets.

the 03/74 i had on file was the earlier style charcoal carpet.

so it must be sometime between 03 and 05/74 it flips over.
and its not necessarily plastic tank or metal expansion tank on fuel tank.
though the plastic tank happens in 05/74.
but i have a very original 05/74 on file that had the metal tank and the mottled carpet.
but its kind of all around the same time by the looks of it.

[Freezin 914]

My car is a 74 2.0, I will check and confirm build date.

Also would be interested in new carpets that would match…. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

[jhynesrockmtn]

german loop is probably the closest a purpleish blue twist. Have seen though, some of the earlier limited editions with the charcoal loop, see if you have a plastic (with black screw on top) or a steel (with clip on metal top cap) expansion tank

Hi, working away on a refresh of some items on my Bumblebee. One of the items I want to address is the cheap carpet kit it has that has not been installed very well to boot.

I am going to place an order for a kit. The question is which color. I want to go with the German Loop. There is a black, early charcoal and late charcoal.

Which color is the most appropriate for a Bumblebee with a black interior.

My car is a 2/74 date and metal expansion tank.

[wonkipop]

digging through my L jet files a bit closer it looks like member @L-Jet914 with a build date of 04/74 might have the later mottled black carpet. its a little hard to identify clearly in the one photo i have on file from the research. if he sees this post he might be able to respond. his car is very original.

i'll sweep through again and see what i have from 02.
01s are definitely the earlier style of denser weave salt and pepper in all the examples i have on file. whether black (charcoal) brown or beige.

[wonkipop]

here are some more for you @jhynesrockmtn

i had all the vin stickers for research info and you can catch a glimpse of the carpet usually. i'm only pulling out the ones i feel to be reasonably trustworthy cars that seemed very original.

03 seemed to still have the earlier style carpet.



and another 05 to show the clear difference of the later.




and i had this example of an 02/74. highly original 1.8 held in mr, h's AA collection.
(think these photos are from mr. b's website). earlier style carpet (charcoal salt and pepper). somewhere i have another 02 example but can't find it to pull it up in files.



i guess depending on what L-Jet914 says its maybe 04/74 it changes.
dunno exactly when in 04.
all my examples are 1.8s but i don't believe there is any difference.
the carpets were universal to the cars as were the interior materials.

[JeffBowlsby]

A quick review of the 914 LE archives indicates that the the carpet change from charcoal to what I call ‘salt & pepper’ occurred in the 9th week of 1974 (as referenced to the Karmann plate). The records do not pinpoint the change to a specific VIN, as like most 914 changes, the two carpet colors are intermingled after introduction, indicating they were gradually introduced during that 9th week. Applies to the grey and tan carpet colors.

[wonkipop]

A quick review of the 914 LE archives indicates that the the carpet change from charcoal to what I call ‘salt & pepper’ occurred in the 9th week of 1974 (as referenced to the Karmann plate). The records do not pinpoint the change to a specific VIN, as like most 914 changes, the two carpet colors are intermingled after introduction, indicating they were gradually introduced during that 9th week. Applies to the grey and tan carpet colors.

yes mr b. that makes a lot of sense. march 1974.
would make sense in relation to a lady called Gunhild Lijequist.
VW started production of Golfs (Rabbits) in march 74.
Karmann had already started small scale production of Sciroccos 6 months earlier in oct 73 (with supply to domestic market) before really firing up the production line for the 75 Scirocco in around aug 74. karmann was gearing up for the scirocco and winding down on the 914.

https://www.news24.com/life/motoring/news/w...sign-20200826-3

this woman was the designer responsible for the fabulous tartan pattern seats that the 75 914s got. but she didn't design it for the 914. she was responsible for the upper range and sporty model water cooled interiors to make them a bit different. she started with the scirocco and went on to do the GTI interior. golf ball shifter. later GTI golfs got a similar tartan option as the earlier scirrocco.

i recall there was another thread here a few weeks back asking about the tartan interiors in late 914s and where the idea came from. this is where they came from.

she is probably responsible for the change in the carpet as well. i think all that was happening with the 914s was they were receiving supply of the same updated materials that were being introduced with the introduction of the new water cooled VWs. in particular the material palette that went with the upper range sporty models.

[wonkipop]

as an aside @JeffBowlsby and not off topic when it comes to the SE.


information on gunhild is thin on the ground.
there was a bit of a flurry around her when the Golf celebrated some kind of anniversary a while back (might have been the 40th) and there is bound to be some more next year when it turns 50. she died last year.

always intrigued by board on the wall behind her in this photo. its either the golf cabriolet or the 914. think its the golf. image does not have enough res.



bits and pieces i have found on her seem to suggest she was very involved in the look of all the special edition beetles of the 70s. ie the Jeans Beetle with its denim look seats and side stripes. there were numerous other special edition beetles.

don't know for sure, but i reckon it would be a fair bet she played some part in the color scheme and look of the 914 SE. can't say for sure. you would need access to the VW archives. (apparently despite the wild colors associated with her, ie tartan seats, her favorite color combo was black and white or as it is described in german, monochrome and this was how she liked to dress. i'm sure there is a little lost in the translation of literature from german and what is meant is "two color". there is something monocrhome about the LEs, ie two color and the creamsicles are especially unique in that regard, its a wild combo, red and white.).

a bit of a co-incidence with this picture of her a few years back.



she probably even played a hand in the interiors of the original 914s.
she started work at VW in 1964. so she was around to have input into the cars.
its always an interesting question as to what VW's design input was when it came to the 914. there must have been some interplay between porsche and VW. and the color/material palette of the 4s is VW and not porsche right from the start. all VW colors.

[jhynesrockmtn]

So, in summary @wonkipop , @JeffBowlsby and others, thank you. Looks like early charcoal german loop would work?

The while I'm in there list on this car just keeps growing :-)

[Jett]

So, in summary @wonkipop , @JeffBowlsby and others, thank you. Looks like early charcoal german loop would work?

The while I'm in there list on this car just keeps growing :-)

Lol yeah, like taking the tar sound dreading out and then fixing the inevitable little bit of rust that is always there.