OEM Black Door Handles Options

[pfreiburger]

I am now quite certain that the factory did install some black door handles. I came to this determination in a roundabout (and expensive) way, starting when my inner hammer mechanic escaped and broke the driver door handle.

As no black ones exist, I picked up a new chrome (Sierra Madre) handle and was surprised to find that my old lock cylinder (after removing the black paint) would not fit the chrome handle. The length was fine, but it fit so tight it could not be turned. At all. Measuring the ID of the handle bores confirmed that the black handle was larger, even with paint on it. The used chrome-handle lock cylinder I bought on line later fit and turned in the new chrome handle just fine. And that used chrome handle cylinder definitely had more clearance when inserted in the old black handle. Measuring the cap ends of the lock cylinder confirmed it – the cylinder from the black handle was larger in diameter.

Dissimilar sized handle components are almost certainly no customizer job, and damn sure no hot rod job. The only conclusion I can draw is that Porsche had a supplier make a run of black handles, and for whatever reason some components were made a little different. This fits with what I found when I scraped some black paint from the broken handle: no evidence of chrome ever being applied to the casting. Lastly, there are factory pictures (albeit poor ones) of black A pillar cars that look like they have black handles also.

Am I missing another explanation?

[wonkipop]

the 67 prototype car ran a space saver spare under the drivers seat.
(as would the final production car be intended to have).

unless i am mistaken the first use of a space saver spare was in the 917 of 1969.
in part to comply with le mans regulations.

the tech for that particular design of foldable space saver spare was invented and formally patented in 1968 by B F Goodrich.



porsche were straight on to this before anyone else. they must have been directly connected to the jugular at Goodrich.

it ended up in production 911s first of any road car?
had not VW cancelled the project it would have been line ball which car came out with it first. VW EA266 in production form, the replacement 914 or the 911 as was the case.

you can see a few other little 914 touches in the interior of the 67 prototype.
gear lever boot. asymmetrical door cards and handles. big storage bin on passenger side, flat card on drivers side (opposite to 914 but the same kind of thinking). also its clear the front end was a central diagonally splayed steering shaft to probably a 911/914 porsche steering rack. would have had fantastic steering feel for an economy car.