Found a fellow 914 at a local hot spot last night with a 1969? Are these rare? He seemed to be pretty sure it was worth a lot. I begged to differ and I hope I am right

Quite a few of the '70 model year were built in '69.

It would have to have a very, very, very early VIN to be anything special and worth more than your standard '70 914.

What did you figure out was the first "production" vin number?
Was it 10?

The member VINs seem to indicate about 1000 cars were built in '69... all 1970 models.

My next goal is to find a 3/70 build date car.

A 69 production year should have some items that were changed during mid year 70. They would have different interior door handles, the end of the pedal board near the center tunnel is longer, The center arm rest & tray is different also. They don't have divider in it. Also the targa latches in the targa bar have a chrome base to them, not black. The backing plate behind the front brakes is different. The seat belts will also have a 1969 date on them and if you pull the interior trim they should be dated stamped with white ink on the back side. Here are some pictures below showing the differences. So does that car have more value to it? I would say a little since to be period correct it would need the items I listed which are not all that common. All of these photos are from 4702900819 with a 12/69 build date.

Just as a comparison, the first 500 240Z cars are considered desirable but only when they meet certain criteria. First they must be a "preservation" or correct Restoration. If not, the cars are considered a good starting point for restoration because of the added first 500 mystique. The cars really don't command that much price difference.

Any added value is basically an agreement between buyer and seller. Otherwise, it's just an early 240Z.

I was told by one racer that he wanted a 69 for historic racing since that was the latest year that could be used in the class he was racing. So a 69 in almost any condition vas valuable to him.

As with anything, the final value/price is set by the buyer...

I've wonder why the ZeitHaus Museum displays this 914 as a 1969?

Click to view attachment

Because the first 1,000 or so 914-4 for the '70 model year were built in 1969.

Yes but that one has the later style steel rims on it.

69 has always been of great value to me, regardless of what others think....

So? It had those wheels for a long time, i've seen older pictures of that car with the same wheels.

They're obviously not original to the car. What does that have to do with the build date?

Hmmmm I like that look. Color match bumpers and sail .

1969 is likely the year the 70 914 was introduced. I'm a genius!

Also in some countries, at least in the past, vehicles are registered based on year of manufacture, not the "model year" which is largely a artificial construct to get people about getting something from "the future".

Okay, interesting. Just read a post from Jeff Bowlsby that states this car is 4702900001. Would that make it the first production 914, or is it a prototype?

According to DGVWPB this is the first production 914-4, and *not* one of the prototype cars.

The inside rearview mirror is the later 'fat' style as well. Maybe it had a new windshield at some point.