1975 Door DOT/VIN Sticker - Was CA different? Options

[DaveB]

The DOT sticker I have on my door doesn't look like what I see on other 1975 914's. The PPS said my car was Equipped for California. This is what the current sticker looks like:



Was this done just for California?

Thanks,

DaveB

[JeffBowlsby]

Late 74 is also the moment in time that the front trunk chassis plates replacing the rear trunk stamped numbers, and the plastic fuel expansion tanks showed up.

[wonkipop]

Late 74 is also the moment in time that the front trunk chassis plates replacing the rear trunk stamped numbers, and the plastic fuel expansion tanks showed up.

thats interesting too.
front trunk riveted plate replacing stamped trunk numbers is karmann adopting VW practice. VW had been putting the body/production number on that small riveted plate across its entire range since 1970 (except for 914s). even karmann built beetle convertibles and ghias had the rivetted plate since 1970.

you are right that when it changes in 74 its because porsche now controlled the marketing. but i think its in a back to front way. the car was finally recognized as pure VW manufacture. ie no more 914/6s or shared platform across two distinct car companies. which could have been why the riveted plate had been left off since 1970. porsche did not want that recognizable vw plate on its 914/6s? instead wanted the fancy karmann plate which some earlier karmann built 911 bodies had. and back when vw and porsche started the project i think they all assumed the 6 would be a lot more successful than it ended up being. it would have been an early protocol. its a wonder they did not bring the riveted plates in for 73.

EDIT
ps
i did find something about that riveted plate on other VWs when i was looking for those wacky numbered 75 914 karmann plates that @MCShack had spotted.

its got to do with how VW were making their mainstay cars. beetles, buses and type 3s.
those cars had floor pans and separate bodies. i think the floor pans had their own production number as did the bodies. VW introduced a protocol that meant when the two came together halfway down the production line already highly assembled as distinct halves of the car, the whole thing received the production plate at that moment and it was riveted on. easier to do on the moving production? dunno. i'm not sure how true that account was. its kind of not so relevant to uni body cars like the ghias, or 412s or 914s. or even sciroccos. but they introduced it and did it across their range. the 914 was the last car to go over to it.