Show us your 1974 LE - Limited Edition, CanAm / Creamcicle / Bumblebee / Options

[Michael N]

This past Friday (8-16-13), I was able to show the Bumblebee at the Legends of the Autobahn event in Carmel. The PCA organizer asked if we would like to place the Bumblebee in a special area of the event to display it. Of course we did. When we got to the event, I was surprised that the LE was placed in the center of the event next to an LeMan's R8 Audi. This event was huge and combined with clubs representing Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche.

There were definately cars that were much more worthy of a great display spot. I was surprised at how much love was given to the 914's at this event. On Tuesday a Creamcicle was also displayed at the Concours on the Ave in Carmel. I again, was surprised at how much love the Creamcicle received. I spent the day talking about 914's and sharing stories with great people.

http://bowlsby.net/914/CanAm/914LE.htm

There has been some discussion lately on how many LE's really exist. Have the ones that were once known about met the scrap yard?

Please post your LE pictures here:

Autobahn event:







Concours on the Ave, Betsy's car:

[Tom_T]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

Really cool Michael!! Don't sell your bee short, it showed well from those pix, and our 914s are finally getting the respect they deserved from the outset!

Although, I think the organizers missed the boat by not displaying both your & Betsy's car side-by-side to tell the whole LE story.

I think I would have asked them when they offered: "Oh - would you like to have the Cremescicle too? .... and maybe the 914-6 too?" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[JStroud]

That's awesome Michael, car looks amazing. Looks like a fun event, wish I could have made it. The shows in that area always bring nice cars.

Great job representing the 914. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/first.gif)

Jeff

[914-300Hemi]

Great looking car. Cheers (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[VegasRacer]

double bumble

[poorsche914]

Mine has a l-o-n-g way to go to be as nice as most of the 914s pictured on this site, but I drive it every day (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Rescued after nearly 20 years of "storage".

#4742914985 at a recent Cars & Coffee.


From the day I took ownership in May 2010:


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[Daiberl]

Day I bought it after 20 years in storage:


Today:

[JeffBowlsby]

Thanks for posting these Mike, what a great event and experience. Love the photos! It is fun to see the LE cars getting displayed and gaining visibility at importatn venues - you represent! More and more the LE cars are being entered in shows and winning awards. Very cool. I also dig the many true stories of new owners discovering these cars that have been masquerading as regular 914s – color changed by a previous owner, discovered in hiding, then being restored to their original livery. The above finds are great examples of that. Once an LE always an LE.

I have been maintaining the 914 LE Registry now for many years, developing it from what was begun by our own Dave Pateman. Its main purpose is to be a list of surviving 914 LE cars and the total number of surviving cars is regularly maintained which strives to be as accurate as possible. A limited amount of basic information about each car is also included for all to peruse – VINs, photos, COAs, and location etc, while respecting the privacy of each owner.

The LE Registry attempts to be a comprehensive list of every authenticated 914 LE car built and of LE car information in general for posterity, even when we have very little information on a particular vehicle or if it is known destroyed. Data on these cars with limited information or known destroyed, are indicated on the Registry, but not included in the ‘surviving LE car’ count. For some cars all we had was a VIN and nothing else and we didn’t have any real information that it was even an LE. Or we had a VIN and only limited other information, and do not know if it survives today. It is a big challenge if not impossible to maintain this information with a high level of accuracy without the help of their owners.

Moving forward, I have begun to contact known 914 LE owners to ask for additional information on their cars where there is an information void, to improve the quality the LE Registry. I have been slowly updating the 914 LE Registry, removing cars from the ‘surviving number’ count to only include 914 LE's that we have a reasonable minimum amount of data to keep them on the Registry. I still indicate all the important data on the cars so no data is lost, but have begun more carefully scrutinizing and reclassifying cars that we simply do not have sufficient data to include.in the numerical count of ‘survivors’.

The accuracy of the data on the 914 LE Registry is only as good as the information we receive as provided solely by 914 LE car owners. When any change in the status or ownership of a 914 LE car occurs please contact me to update the Registry.

Here is my pic of a 914 LE that went home to the faderland:

[MikeM]

Here is my LE...it's been "de-bumbled" so to speak...

[hot_shoe914]

Here is mine, in all it's ugliness on display at The Motortrend Car Show at the convention center in Memphis..

[rstover]

This is vin 4742915322 It was originally a North Carolina car that went to the state of Washington and then to Texas.. Have replace the original front spoiler with after market, replaced original engine with a rebuilt and just completed rebuild of front end and stripping and repainting front fender wells Thanks to all who have helped.

[sda4property@gmail.com]

Bad Bee.

[Mueller]

Nice cars....

I really need a set of those Mahle rims instead of my Phonedials for my faux Grasshopper!

[poorsche914]

See post #6 for "before" image. Here is my Creamsicle today...



(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[rjames]

Bad Bee.

That would make a great personalized license plate for an LE.

[toolguy]

Here is mine at a PCA time trial in Feb, 1977, after a high speed cone wiped out the real LE spoiler on one side. . seem to remember a new one was less than $50 back then. .

Notice the position of the side stripe. . this is how it was delivered by the dealer when new. . I've never seen another one like this. . Yep, it was a real LE. .

[JeffBowlsby]

Here is mine at a PCA time trial in Feb, 1977, after a high speed cone wiped out the real LE spoiler on one side. . seem to remember a new one was less than $50 back then. .

Notice the position of the side stripe. . this is how it was delivered by the dealer when new. . I've never seen another one like this. . Yep, it was a real LE. .

Any chance you might have the VIN for this LE Toolguy?

[toolguy]

No paperwork left that I know of. . I sold it in around 85 and that person sold it to a local man [San Diego} who had Patrick Motorsport convert it to a six and modify it. . Last time it was painted all black. . don't know where it is today. .

Jeff, Have you ever seen an LE with a Black side strip located on the rocker panel before??

[JeffBowlsby]

No paperwork left that I know of. . I sold it in around 85 and that person sold it to a local man [San Diego} who had Patrick Motorsport convert it to a six and modify it. . Last time it was painted all black. . don't know where it is today. .

Jeff, Have you ever seen an LE with a Black side strip located on the rocker panel before??

No. As I understand it, the factory shipped the cars to the USA without the vinyl stripes attached because the car was covered in Cosmoline for the overseas trip. Dealers then cleaned and prepped the car and theoretically would install the stripes. Sometimes they would not be installed wihter at delaer or customer preference. Would not be surprising to see the stripes, even black, installed this way by the lot boy doing the prep. That's why there is so much variety in how/if they were installed.

I think I will put your photo on my webpage under the "914 LE Can Am Racing Team" collection of LE photos.

[Michael N]

Here is mine at a PCA time trial in Feb, 1977, after a high speed cone wiped out the real LE spoiler on one side. . seem to remember a new one was less than $50 back then. .

Notice the position of the side stripe. . this is how it was delivered by the dealer when new. . I've never seen another one like this. . Yep, it was a real LE. .

Hey that could be my white /6 in the back ground. Scott Shepherd and his wife owned and raced it with the PCA in San Diego during the 70's. Any more pics from that day?