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]

i found this image in my file of stuff i collected over the years.
can't remember source, too long ago.
never bothered to look at it closely before.
assumed it was another shot of red 4 above.

took a second look and thought again - a shot of piech 8 in first form? - a very early prototype test car.

looked again, its not piech 8 unless it was heavily modded again after this.
running 4 bolt vw wheels and has flattened front wheel arches.
but it does seem to have wide twin headlight pop up panels.
bumper has no grilles.

[SirAndy]

i found this image in my file of stuff i collected over the years.
can't remember source, too long ago.
never bothered to look at it closely before.
assumed it was another shot of red 4 above.

took a second look and thought again - a shot of piech 8 in first form? - a very early prototype test car.

looked again, its not piech 8 unless it was heavily modded again after this.
running 4 bolt vw wheels and has flattened front wheel arches.
but it does seem to have wide twin headlight pop up panels.
bumper has no grilles.

Yes, that is 914.111 before it got the 908 treatment.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)

[wonkipop]

i found this image in my file of stuff i collected over the years.
can't remember source, too long ago.
never bothered to look at it closely before.
assumed it was another shot of red 4 above.

took a second look and thought again - a shot of piech 8 in first form? - a very early prototype test car.

looked again, its not piech 8 unless it was heavily modded again after this.
running 4 bolt vw wheels and has flattened front wheel arches.
but it does seem to have wide twin headlight pop up panels.
bumper has no grilles.

Yes, that is 914.111 before it got the 908 treatment.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)

found this story sir andy, you probably already read it.
mechanic who built 914.111 is still alive.

says he also built (handbuilt?) the first two 914/4 prototypes.

https://www.porscheclubnews.com/prod/clubs/...4_914clausecker

[bbrock]

i found this image in my file of stuff i collected over the years.
can't remember source, too long ago.
never bothered to look at it closely before.
assumed it was another shot of red 4 above.

took a second look and thought again - a shot of piech 8 in first form? - a very early prototype test car.

looked again, its not piech 8 unless it was heavily modded again after this.
running 4 bolt vw wheels and has flattened front wheel arches.
but it does seem to have wide twin headlight pop up panels.
bumper has no grilles.

Yes, that is 914.111 before it got the 908 treatment.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)

found this story sir andy, you probably already read it.
mechanic who built 914.111 is still alive.

says he also built (handbuilt?) the first two 914/4 prototypes.

https://www.porscheclubnews.com/prod/clubs/...4_914clausecker

That is a great article! Thanks for posting. You should cross post it over in the Garage as I think a lot of people would like to see it. Funny that they apparently found installing the pedal board as annoying as I do. Interesting modifications on the one shown in the article.

[wonkipop]

i found this image in my file of stuff i collected over the years.
can't remember source, too long ago.
never bothered to look at it closely before.
assumed it was another shot of red 4 above.

took a second look and thought again - a shot of piech 8 in first form? - a very early prototype test car.

looked again, its not piech 8 unless it was heavily modded again after this.
running 4 bolt vw wheels and has flattened front wheel arches.
but it does seem to have wide twin headlight pop up panels.
bumper has no grilles.

Yes, that is 914.111 before it got the 908 treatment.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)

found this story sir andy, you probably already read it.
mechanic who built 914.111 is still alive.

says he also built (handbuilt?) the first two 914/4 prototypes.

https://www.porscheclubnews.com/prod/clubs/...4_914clausecker

That is a great article! Thanks for posting. You should cross post it over in the Garage as I think a lot of people would like to see it. Funny that they apparently found installing the pedal board as annoying as I do. Interesting modifications on the one shown in the article.

no worries.

noticed the hacked up pedal board too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) something to do with hydraulic clutch? this car must have one? or humungous fuel lines coming into tunnel? i could finally understand the shift mechanism - pretty crazy. a cross bar in front of the passenger seat covered by a hump of carpet. looks like the shift lever is about 4=6 inches south of where it is in a normal 914. could never figure that out before because i knew that all 908s and 917s were rhd with shifter on the right.

i noticed 924 style headlight mechanism. one motor and an an axle to the other unit. done more expensive way on standard 914s with two motors.

we have never had the good fortune to have had this car brought to australia by the company, unlike lucky americans. its just photos and articles for me.

the company does bring out interesting cars from its collection for celebrations, but never 914s, i suppose because they were never officially sold here. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)