916 development question, for the historians with German roots Options

[larryM]

just got Gooding's 914 book (Enthusiast's Guide, 2016), which has some interesting historical stuff on the 916 & GT cars;

it prompts this question:
(which probably requires the knowledge of you few 914 folks with Germany roots or current contacts to those who worked at Zuffenhausen in the '69-71 time period)

When did the factory begin development of the 916 variant?

i.e., start on the design of the different body components & chassis improvements, and decide on the powertrain, etc??

and when were the first prototyped "new" components begun & finished for trial fit on the the prototype chassis?

(and where were they made? (?-Werks-1? - or ?)

Who was responsible for the decision to do the 11 finished cars for the Paris show (October 1971)?
(edit update: looking at http://916.dingianni.org/Info/, we see that 4 916s were finished & gone to new owners prior to that Paris Show date, so Gooding's statement is a bit misleading)

and who decided to kill 'em?

inquiring minds want to know

TIA

[larryM]

the 914 in general was "Piëch's baby" - so maybe he made ALL the decisions ?

more on the incidence of the 916 concept:

various sources say the 916 was a potential answer to the Ferrari Dino produced from 1968 (206 GT & 246 GT) to 1976. .... an attempt by Ferrari to offer a relatively low-cost sports car. .... as a direct competitor to the 911

Dino 1974 price - $13,895 - $14,510 - - (today Average Auction Sale: $284,000)
1971 Porsche 911 Price: $6,400 - $9,400 (Average Auction Sale: $73,214)
1970 Porsche 914/6 Original Price: $6,000

so if the Dino came to market in '68 as a competitor to the 911, the idea to market a 916 variant seems to have arisen shortly after?

- perhaps as soon as 1969 when the first 914s were rolling off the line and the GT racers were a work-in-progress?

somehow "low cost" got lost in the marketing vs production decisions -

it can be instructive here to re-read "Life & Death on the Corporate Battlefield" (1987)