extreme cool find in Germany, unfortunately not by me :-) Options

[1970 Neun vierzehn]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/drooley.gif)

Gorgeous pics! Thanks for posting those, Wolfie. That 2nd photo is "poster" material, beautiful car against a backdrop of a weather-beaten door. Nice stuff!

Paul

[alpha434]

Did somebody mention already?

The two-toned bumpers were for lap counting. In old racing, where laps where counted by people and not computers, if they missed a car, or if they counted your lap for someone else... well... Your team was SOL.

The counters were often positioned at the straightaway, and would get a good look at the cars head-on before they take turn one. That's why having a "memorable" front bumper was so important.

[Eric_Shea]

16's?

And... is that Pete's valance? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[1970 Neun vierzehn]

Wolfie,
The race #s are different, but the sponser stickers appear to be the same. Is this Gerd's GT?

[euro911]

I don't understand why 914's are labled ugly by so many people.
I can remember I was 13 when these cars came out and when I first saw one I fell in love with them the way they looked.
When I got mine 7 years later I never had so much fun driving a car.
I even still have it today

To be honest, I wasn't especially impressed with the looks of 914s when they first hit the market (I was a sophmore in High School in 1970).

I was really digging 356s and 911s at the time. Funny thing though, I saw the beauty in Bugs and Karman Ghias (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

I think 'we' eventually develop an appreciation of, and see the true beauty in a lot of 'things' as we get older (and more refined (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) )

That is a beautiful car ...

[cassidy_bolger]

I wish somebody like an art student or a designer would do an analysis of the 914's styling to explain why it's NOT ugly. Kinda like those features Motor Trend does on certain new cars where they point out every little design element and explain why it works.

The recent interest in "mid century modern" architecture, furniture and design are related to the renewed interest in the design of the 914, I think. Low, horizontal, minimal, subtle, delicate, refined, no adornedment or ornamentation. These can all describe an early "ranch" house, modern furniture (think bent wood or steel frames), anything out of the Bauhuas or Ulm schools - including the Bosch radio by you know who (Gugelot). Things that are stripped down the their bare minimum functional necessity, but done so to see what kind of beauty can be achieved in that simplicity and efficiency. Sounds like a Porsche thing to do!

Overall, the 914 has great proportions and stance, but a few odd and uncommon details that keep it from being understood by the masses. The big issue to resolve, as I see it, was the tallness of the roof reconciled with trying to keep the thing low and flat (like all the late 60's concept cars with mid-engines). To do this without curves climbing up the hood and down the trunk as in a 356 or 901, they covered the roof and pillar in black vinyl to try to make it "go away" - become a separate element and not read as part of the body. That is why they tried vinyl on the A pillars in 1973, to complete that idea.

Overall, that idea kind of worked, but our continued debates here about what to do with sail panel and roof finishes tells us it was not the perfect solution! But, take a look at a 914 with body color sail panels and one with vinyl - the vinyl one always looks longer and lower. So it did work to some degree.

The turn signal humps allowed for a nice line in profile that doesn't dive awkwardly down to the front bumper. Look at that line some day. It is quite nice as is rises slightly to give the wheel openings some muscle and importance - but just a little. And that damn rear trunk lid is so thin that is scares me to touch it, but does it's job in reinforcing the low and lean appreance from the side and rear views.

That's what I see, anway. And it looks good from my house.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

[Gustl]

Wolfie,
The race #s are different, but the sponser stickers appear to be the same. Is this Gerd's GT?

I'd say you're correct

[1970 Neun vierzehn]

I wish somebody like an art student or a designer would do an analysis of the 914's styling to explain why it's NOT ugly. Kinda like those features Motor Trend does on certain new cars where they point out every little design element and explain why it works.

The recent interest in "mid century modern" architecture, furniture and design are related to the renewed interest in the design of the 914, I think. Low, horizontal, minimal, subtle, delicate, refined, no adornedment or ornamentation. These can all describe an early "ranch" house, modern furniture (think bent wood or steel frames), anything out of the Bauhuas or Ulm schools - including the Bosch radio by you know who (Gugelot). Things that are stripped down the their bare minimum functional necessity, but done so to see what kind of beauty can be achieved in that simplicity and efficiency. Sounds like a Porsche thing to do!

Overall, the 914 has great proportions and stance, but a few odd and uncommon details that keep it from being understood by the masses. The big issue to resolve, as I see it, was the tallness of the roof reconciled with trying to keep the thing low and flat (like all the late 60's concept cars with mid-engines). To do this without curves climbing up the hood and down the trunk as in a 356 or 901, they covered the roof and pillar in black vinyl to try to make it "go away" - become a separate element and not read as part of the body. That is why they tried vinyl on the A pillars in 1973, to complete that idea.

Overall, that idea kind of worked, but our continued debates here about what to do with sail panel and roof finishes tells us it was not the perfect solution! But, take a look at a 914 with body color sail panels and one with vinyl - the vinyl one always looks longer and lower. So it did work to some degree.

The turn signal humps allowed for a nice line in profile that doesn't dive awkwardly down to the front bumper. Look at that line some day. It is quite nice as is rises slightly to give the wheel openings some muscle and importance - but just a little. And that damn rear trunk lid is so thin that is scares me to touch it, but does it's job in reinforcing the low and lean appreance from the side and rear views.

That's what I see, anway. And it looks good from my house.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

Cassidy,


Wow, very well stated. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap56.gif) That post deserves its own "thread".

Paul

[cassidy_bolger]

Cassidy,


Wow, very well stated. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap56.gif) That post deserves its own "thread".

Paul

Thanks Paul! I must confess that I spend a lot of time around the water cooler explaining car design to my fellow architects. They usually listen politely but think I am bit odd...... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif)

[highways]

They are gorgeous cars. Very Bauhaus indeed. Simple lines with elegant and non exagerated curves add up to race car simplicity. I just don't see them as boxy. They have the right curves for me. Not alot of extraneous trim either. I'm thinking that the reason they got the ugly reputation was because of the abused and neglected iron oxide lawn ornament factor.

I recognize all sorts of different modern cars imitating the 914 style. And none do it as well as the original.

[euro911]

... well, maybe the main reason they became lawn ornaments was due to simplicity of doing valve adjustments every 3000 miles (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)