In Search of …, Does the Grasshopper exist? Options

[Part Pricer]

First off, let me state my position. After some research, I have become extremely skeptical that the 914 Limited Edition Grasshopper ever really existed. Believe me, I would like its existence to be true, but I’ve uncovered no evidence that it is anything other than a 914 myth. Yes, many have recollections of witnessing a Grasshopper, but nobody can provide irrefutable proof.

Here are some of the items that may indicate the existence of the elusive Grasshopper. (Many of them lifted from Jeff’s site. Thanks Jeff, we’ll get to the bottom of this.) However, most of them are apocryphal.

…there may be a Porsche 914 advertisement, displaying all three 914 Porsche Limited Edition car color schemes, or possibly a 914 Limited Edition Grasshopper poster.

This may be perhaps the greatest manufactured memory in popular 914 culture. There are a lot of people that will tell you that they “kinda remember that”, but no one is able to present a copy of the ad or poster. I have had the opportunity to have an in-person discussion with Prescott Kelly regarding the items in question. Prescott is one of the leading authorities and collectors of Porsche memorabilia. He has no recollection of any advertisement showing all three or just a white and green car.

The IAA was followed in October 1973 by the Paris Salon where the company Karmann showed two particularly striking 914s. From these emerged the custom version 914 GT which was marketed in the USA as a limited edition. The striking paintwork was black with yellow bumpers, sills, side stripes, wheels, lower rear panel closure and front spoiler. An alternative version combined light ivory with green or orange.

This is taken directly from the Porsche website. This is the closest we have to actual confirmation that the Grasshopper even existed. I’ve contacted people at Porsche, PCNA, and even Osnabrück. No one has been able to confirm the production of a green/white LE.

Rich Bontempi, the highly-regarded Northern California 914 enthusiast with 30 years of 914 experience, only recalls seeing two.

Rich, I know you are here. Can you provide any specifics on these cars?

The 700 Tips book specifies that the green accent paint color on the Grasshopper cars is Lime Green (6710 or 226)

I don’t have this book, so I am unsure of the context in which this phrase is presented. I’ve tried to contact AA with no luck. Is George stating that he knows for a fact that there are Grasshoppers?

Without further evidence, I’m ready to chalk up the Grasshopper as 914 mythology. Kind of like our own little urban legend. However, I am willing to be swayed from my position. Things that would help to change my mind include:

• A car
• A copy of the advertisement(s)
• A COA showing an LE with a unique color code
• A green Mahle wheel (if there was a Grasshopper, there has to be one of these around somewhere)

Does anyone have some tangible evidence?

[JeffBowlsby]

Nice thread Paul...I come back from a weekend away..to one of my favorite subjects... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I have been pondering 'Grasshoppers' recently...I sometimes wish we had called them 'Limesicles...in the theme of the 'Creamsicles'...but whatever...

The most convincing evidence we have for the existence of the Grasshopper is that clear description on the Porsche.com website. Its the P-Factories official website and I would think that it would be accurate. EWE and the other books...I cannot be certain of where they get their information and I have found other faults in each of them. Some of them may just be repeating drivel from other erroneous sources, so to me they are not completely irrefutable.

DaveP, I would love to see a copy of the PA newsletter proclaiming the 1000 offering, I haven't seen that before. Can you please scan that and email it to me or post it here? There are other sources that indicate 1500 total, but I too think that 1000 is the accurate total for the LE cars. Your newsletter would be a great authentication point.

The other compelling evidence is the preponderance of qualified 914-Guru-level people who say they have seen one or more. Its hard to dispute the collective clout of the Most Knowledgable Ones among us.

Its certainly possible that the Grasshoppers could have been fabricated...but why only White/Green imposters? Why have several cars that everyone seems to remember from several distant parts of the country only been white/green? If they were fabricated, why was not some other color combo used? Black/Gold, Black/Green? White/Gold? Its always only been White/Green...but I am with y'all in wanting proof...

There are other reasons I just thought of that a dishonest dealer would not have fabricated them...to do it right, they would have cost too much. A 914 LE car came fully decked-out with goodies...optional goodies that cost lots of money...availabel as a package from teh factory at a special low price when bought as an LE car. ALL 1974 USA 914s came with Targa bar vinyl. So for a dealer to have made the conversion, they would have had to have a white, fully-loaded 914 car, then stripped and repainted the Targa bar, added the VOA stripes, front valence and any other 'missing' LE items. And then sold the cars at a loss. And any dealer that did it would have had to only make them as white/greeen cars. Seems unlikely to me. I dont think there were many Factory Grasshoppers made, but I think there were some...

I remain hopeful that there were in fact a few authentic Grasshopper cars...for the above two reasons...in support of the factory webpage and the collective testimony of reputable people. But irrefutable proof could only be in the form of a bonafide COA with a verifiable color code. Even a found car would not be sufficent by itself, as it could have been fabricated, but it would be quick work to get the COA as proof with a found car. I have tried to verify the color code independently but do not have access to factory books that might indicate the correct code. U1V9 and U2V9 were the Bumblebee and Creamsicle codes...I speculate that Grasshopper cars might be U3V9 but have not found supporting documentation. Anyone?

My website details the saga of the side stripes. But to summarize, the 914 LE cars were the ONLY 914 to receive factory-applied side stripes. Volkswagen of America created and packaged negative side stripes in Yellow, Orange, Green, Gold, and Black. I own both the yellow and green VOA stripes. They are on 3M vinyl (an American company) and were packaged in the USA. The 3M yellow in VOA packaging is not the same color as the Sunflower Yellow on my original Bumblebee stripes. In short I believe that the factory made up 1000 sets of side stripes and then installed them at Osnabruek and that VOA made up some aftermarket stripes and sold them through dealers as 'accesories'. The factory-mounted LE side stripes and the VOA side stripes are not the same...and I doubt Karmann would have bought stripes from an American company.