I'm a new 914 owner and a new member to 914 World. I have a question. I am restoring a 1971 914/4 with a paint code of L80e (Light Ivory). When I'm ready to repaint is there any harm in painting the car a different color, or should it be repainted the original color. The car is completly dissassembled, so the trunks, interior, wheel wells and engine compartment will be painted. Does anyone have an thought.

It really all depends on what you want from it. If you want a factory restoration, go with the original color. If you desire another color and want to go custom, do so. I would assume if you go the "original" route with the factory color it would be worth more should you decide to resell, but if it is just for your personal enjoyment, knock yourself out.

I guess I'll probably go with the original color. The way these things rust, all of them that have been wrecked and all the ones that have been cut up and customized there can't be that many cars left. I'll probably go with a bone stock resto.

they grow on trees on the west coast beautiful rust-free nectar of the gods...


seriously, do what you like best, don't feel swayed by what you think the survivors will "approve " of... one on the road is a winner.

and

Thanks for the advice and the welcome. Bye-the-bye, LOVE your avatar!!!!

It is your car, do what you want to do with it. If everyone conformed to the original mold, these cars would all pretty much be the same. They are meant to be enjoyed and driven (or to hold down your jackstands from flying away)!

That said though, if you are looking for resale...factory paint is the way to go. A well done color change is not a bad thing if it is something you like.

I agree you should make it the color you want. My car was orange and was repainted as you see in my avatar. What I do not like is that in places the orange is visible. There are places around the windshield and in the front trunk. The color contrast is terrible and I really hate it. One day I may do a proper repaint. Paint will chip and the old color will be seen. The white may not be as bad as the orange I see. Unless you remove all the old paint, evidence of it having been a white car will be seen.

Mine was white. But a white Alien would do...

Click to view attachment

Very, very nice. All of the car pics posted by everyone are beautiful. Hopefully I will get my car to that level someday.

Make it what you want. If value were the criteria than you should have bought some shares of Apple stock instead of a car. These cars are not rare and will never be valuable enough to warrant not having as much fun as possible with your restoration and upkeep. If it were one of the 916s...but it isn't.

According to a P-car book I have, the production #'s for the 356's and the 914's over their product runs respectively are with 10k of each other and look what prices for those little tubs (356)have done lately
I'm not sure I agree with your statement about not being valuable enough (the key here is YET). And its funny this thread gets posted, I'm grapling with the same issue. Mine is going to be a bare metal resto and although I love its yellow color, I've been thinking about riviera blue (later 993 RS color). I'm torn with the idea of building a cool car or a stock "pure" restoration/preservation. I don't "need" a hot rod or track car, the 993 is enough in that regard for now. But I've been given advise for both ways. Do what I want, and the other side, you depreciate the vehicle by whatever dollar value it would take to make the change to factory correct again..........what to do, what to do?

Well...your car is never going to be a pure preservation, as it's already stripped to the bone. I forget the famous Healey restorer, but he's always changing colors and getting top dollar...more than lesser restorers get with original colors. If I had a "survivor"...a real original car that was still alive, I'd never touch it other than to clean it up, make it functional, etc. All I'm saying is that if you see the car in the sense of it's worth on the market, there are many better places to put your money. Cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed and for me...color is a big[i] part of that. I restored a 1971 Europa Twin Cam that was burgundy. I did it in Jaguar BRG and it was stunning. I never would have enjoyed gazing at it, watching the hood as I drove down the road, taking pictures of her, waxing her...had I painted her the original regency red.

Well I agree, i wouldn't touch a true survivor either. I have a candidate for what could be a restoration back to original thereby preserving the model. Considering these cars rot to the ground and many have ended up as race cars, or fertilizer its only a matter of time before they become "rare". The question is when. If they were mass produced in VW bug #'s I may agree with no collectible value (unless it was a first or last unit made situation), but there were only something like 100k of the 914 made in total, to be sure there are a lot less of them still alive.

And these days, you put your money safer were? Real estate? The bank at 2%, gold, stocks............crap shoot no matter where it goes. Lets be a part of bumping up 914 values They are gold, start pushing it !

Well...I'm 56. A 914 is never gonna be worth big bucks in my lifetime, so I'm gonna enjoy the hell out of them. I will agree that in the "under $10,000" range, these are one of the cars to have if you're speculating. Almost as good as the real estate deals still out there.

Well I'm hoping your not thinking of dying in the next few years I don't think its going to take as long as you imply to get value out of these cars (have you seen what the guys your age are spending on '70's American crap!? these days). The dollar is in the crapper again (and sinking), stocks? eh, no way to calculate risk there anymore. RE is still coming down and bank savings rates suck (with any saftey attached to them).
Take a somewhat limited production run car that's now turning 35 +/- years old, and a market climate that's ripe with sideline money scared to go into "normal" investments, cars are where the money goes, otherwise why do Mustangs sell for 100k?

All in do time my friend.
What it may come down to is whether or not the car is tastefully "restored" (color and features aside) or if its been modified past the original factory intent.

Nicely modified cars go for as much or more than some "properly restored" ones depending on the car of course. For me, most cars are made for driving and enjoying. I'd never drive a D Jaguar anywhere, and in it's original state it wouldn't be that much fun. I'd have a reproduction one with modern suspension, tires, brakes, etc. Same with an original Cobra. I just don't out a 914 in that category and don't think it ever will be...may be wrong.

Sure, my car will appreciate, but not enough to keep me from enjoying it for what it is...a great driving car...better than new because of modifications to the operating systems. Once you've done that you might as well paint it the color you want if that matters to you.