I kinda lucked into a really solid black 914 with a lot of potential last Saturday. I found it on Craigslist and I went in hot. I was the first guy there, had the cash, and made the buy. I think I bought it VERY reasonably and I couldn't be happier. It came with all the manuals, paperwork, original window sticker, and complete history of the car. I am the third owner, the guy I bought it from owned it for 24 years. The more I dig around the car, the more I can see how truly solid it is, as far as the chassis. I have been playing around with my yellow '73 1.7 for almost two years, familiarizing myself with 914s and of course, falling in love with them in general. This is a much better candidate, almost TOO good to make into a street GT as I had envisioned for Speedy. The yellow car will get sold eventually, and the /6 engine I'm building will now go into Blackie. I'm stoked! They are still out there.
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Congratulation again sir Lawrence for the good buy! A blessed Christmas gift and New Year! see you soon at the cars and coffee!

Looks great.

Oh, and it has the weird black vinyl on the windshield frame too.

Good buy,

These days the craigslist ads go quick as we search through out the country. Found a set of pedrini for 150 last month. 15x7 15x8 Fuchs for under a grand. Now if I can just get that 1959 karmann ghia convertible I would be set. The hunt continues.

Nice find. You can't keep both and hack up the 1.7? I had plans for modding my 2.0, but any changes I make will be very subtle and reversible. The values are going up too fast.

Nice score. Even nicer that you have documented paper work......

Kind of a shame to cut up an early, documented '73 2.0 IMO. That was the car that replaced the 914-6. Once you convert, the documentation becomes moot. I liked your original plan of converting the yellow car. What a great resurrection story that would be.

Nice! More photos!

> Oh, and it has the weird black vinyl on the windshield frame too.

I like that vinyl - especially on a black car.

-Steve

Super find and one of the best colors IMHO.

Congratulations! That's a nice looking car!

Hey!! Wow!!!! That's fantastic.

Congrats, Lawrence!!!!

So, is the buying price a secret? Inquiring minds want to know.

Speedy will feel sad.....

Sweet & it looks like tight & true hood, headlights & panel joints from the pic! Those are the toughest to get true, square & level on 914s.

What's the VIN last 6 digits on it? I'm guessing < 2000, since it was the first 1000 or 2000 that had that trial set-up of vinyl on the windscreen frame. Probably an Aug or Sept build date from the VIN & Chassis no. too!

Mine is ....1954 & still has traces of it in the crevices of the windscreen frame, but was removed by the OO before I got it in Dec. 75.

Does it also have the chrome window cranks & interior door handles like most of the early 73s?

Nice find, but I'd suggest keeping the 73 2L as original as possible, & use the 1.7 as your /6 build car, since a .

IMHO the 73-74 2L's will be worth a lot more as time & early 911/912 values creep over to the 914s, behind the LEs & factory 914-6s, & everybody likes the better power & TQ of the 73-74 2Ls from day one.

Cheers!
Tom
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Lawrence,
Did this car come from the OC or somewhere in LA? Not sure how I missed this one....

Great find!

Can you take some pictures around the car of this? I have been curious of doing this on mine but never sure on it....

Also, epic buy! Congrats!

73 2.0? Good choice sir. The best - like mine: 73 2.0!

Car looks good and with that scenery... well... it looks fantastic.

Menno

Nice score! The vinyl around the windshield frame is pretty rare and only on the early 1973s. There is a thread about the early 1973 cars that have the vinyl around the windshield frame and some other oddities In this link and This link

Lots of IF's here, but....

IF the car has the original FI engine
And
IF the car has never been hit
And
If the car is very original

You would be making a huge mistake.
That car will be worth more than any car you will build.

Smart money would keep that car as is; or, flip it for some nice profit and get a better modification candidate.

Awesome find!

Chassis #1012 of 1973.

This car doesn't look like it was ever hit, although it has a '74 rear bumper(??)

I haven't peeled the rocker covers off yet. We had it on a lift over at Steve's house, and it looks good underneath.

As to whether I will convert this one, I am thinking long and hard about it. It is too nice of a car to hack up.

Preserve and drive this one while you hack up speedy.

Beautiful car. They may have added the '74 rear bumper tits just for the added protection.

Congratulations! Awesome buy.

You have an early '73 and a real 2.0. Some would call it an "S"... I've always been in the do whatever you want camp, but if it were me, I'd restore it as is. These days, you'll get more out of it..... As steel flared cars become more common, straight stock 2.0s are becoming rarer, and you have have the best of the best years for the 2.0 (LE aside)...

Great find!

Nice find. Do what you want to it. You only live once. If the next guy wants to take it back to a 4 cylinder, let him do it.

Excellent advice.

HEY, that looks like my 914!
But, a little nicer and more original
Black on Black is the best

Do a search on here for a topic called something like "The first 1000...." or something like that - there actually 2 topics which discuss the quirks of the early 73 cars, including the A-pillar/windscreen frame vinyl "experiment" on the Appearance Group cars. It was started by another member up in Central CA with an early orange 73-2L, who since has sold his 914.

IIRC there are some pix & links to other early 73 cars posts on here.

Unless yours was an early production 73 - or you really really like that look - I wouldn't advise doing it to any other 914s outside of the first 2000-ish VINs of the 73 MY & produced in Aug-Sept 72. JMHO...

PS - I read the next post down from yours & there were 2 links on the subject, but if you search through some of Mike/orange914 from Ceres CA's topics, he had another prior topic or two on the early 73's before the one linked. I had a half-zymers moment trying to remember his name/screen name above.
Thanx Zimms!

Safe & Happy New Years All!
Tom
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504 had vinyl and is the back of the fabled Limo.....

Of course he should do what he really wants folks, since it's his car & he's writing the checks & doing the manual labor - but I doubt that there would be any contrarians supporting him converting a factory 6 to a Subie or something!

We're all here to offer help to fellow members, & that's what we on the "recco to preserve" this early 73-2L side are doing.

The point is in ANY type of classic/vintage/collectible car arena - is that you don't mess with the rarer, more collectible car for an outlaw conversion, etc. Clearly, when he's got 2 914's & one is the least powerful & least collectible CA 73 1.7L .... then that's the car you resto-mod, & save the nicer & more collectible 73-74 2L (& an early "914S" as RobW noted).

Larry, I saw this one on CL too & wondered about the rear bumper, which may just have been the convenient replacement to a rusty or minor bump damage, since they bend so easily. However, it's well worthwhile to verify that there is no rear end damage & that the Chassis no. stamped in the trunk is there & matches the one in the door.

You may also see that they had to drill the mounting holes for the 2.0 badge in the trunk's rear wall, since they were still using up the 72 parts with the early 73's.

That's also why there are some/many/most early 73s with the chrome base window crank handles & chrome int. door handles - they were still picking from the parts bins with leftover 72 parts in there (later 73s went to the all black plastic types).

Also Larry, note that a 73-74 2.0 (74 LE's being a sub-set of these) in proper tune actually outperformed a factory six in the low end due to a flatter-wider torque curve which peaked a couple 1000 rpm lower than on the 2.0-6's, so it pulled better around town, then lost out to the -6's at higher revs where their HP & TQ peaked.

You could take it to Bill Brewster down by you, to get him to tweak that 2L-4 & employ some of the old school tricks to get them to perform even better than the factory manuals suggest - especially now that they're smog exempt .... wink, wink - nod, nod .... as the Python's bit went!

Then there's Ron at FAT Performance up here in Orange if you want a hot 2.0 build; & AASE up in Fullerton is another 914-meister, as is my guy Hans in HB - but he's not taking any more old aircooled, except long time customers (40 years this past summer for me); & some racers like Der Buggy in GG/Westminster to build/tweak 2.0/T-IVs. It all depends on what you want to do to tweak the 2.0 motor, &/or if it ever needs a rebuild.

If this is a clean, solid, rust-free(-ish) & mostly original `73-2L, then do what you really want, but think hard because you have the perfect donor for a 6-conversion example, which may also have a few donor parts for the 2L as the 1.7 gets modded for the Resto-mod/6.

PS - Food for thought at the Hagerty link below .... & this is before the rising early 911/912 SWB/LWB price effect has kicked in - not #3 & #4 values in particular - not factory -6 prices, but certainly nothing to sneeze at!

https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools...Porsche-914-2.0

Cheers!
Tom
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What a great find and awesome color combo.
Everyone forgot to ask 'original paint' ??
Is the paint code # L041 Black on the door tag??
Enjoy and drive it.
Tom

Very nice find, congrats.

Yes, it is an original black '73 2.0 in black. Kind of hard to find, but it was there in plain sight. The more I clean it and familiarize myself with this car, the more I like it.

I did a driver's door handle and a new Dansk muffler.

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Pull the seats, backpad and carpet. Clean everything. Makes a good weekend project and the car will feel clean and smell good.

Maybe it's just been a while but those rear bumper tits look like they are set a little wider to me than stock. So wonder if they just added them to the stock 73 bumper . Either way who cares man. Great find & that would be a car I would not do a conversion on personally. Nice stock 2.0 cars that are original are so few & far between. While I love conversions in all forms. I still love nice stock cars & wouldn't screw with an original. Enjoy that one . Considering taking mine out for a drive today. Just to damn cold out & no heater .

Do nothing but clean and maintain this 73 2.0L, keep it as original as possible. Hack into a lesser quality 914 if you must. Original, high quality 914s are almost all gone.

Congrats, she's a beaut!

Congrats! Good looking car! I say you keep this one just as it is and drive the heck out of it!

I'm flipping parts off of my other car onto this black car; the nicer bumpers, smalls, etc. The car was arrow straight beneath the rear bumper. Perfect. This is the case throughout the whole car. Even though there are some dings and small dents on the outer body, (nothing big) I have a feeling that the structure of this car is solid.

Why don't my license light work now? All I did was unplug them, switch bumpers, and re-plug them in.

What is the breakdown of the build numbers on the Karmann plate, so I can figure out the actual build date?

I've gone over the rear trunk, and I don't see any number stampings. Trunk looks solid, some surface rust, but no numbers.

Here you go......
http://bowlsby.net/914/CanAm/914LEAuthentication.htm

I have to agree with this......original 914's that aren't rusty or haven't been modified are a rare find in today's world. Please keep it 'as-is'.

Nice find !

Taking apart a good running car is . I'll bet you'll be less excited about a 6 after doing it than before. I have a 6 and I'd love to have your black car - as is.

Hey Lawrence, congrats on the new car! She's a real beauty.

The lack of a chassis number stamping in the rear trunk is a concern. It should be there, in the lower right corner of the trunk (see image below). The lack of a stamping *suggests* some work was done back there. These cars are so prone to rust intrusion along the back edge of the trunk, it wouldn't be a surprise if that portion was replaced.

Larry -

I see you got the chassis no. decoder from Jeff, but I agree with Dave that the lack of a trunk floor chassis no. most probably would indicate some rear end rust &/or accident work, & possibly 10+ years ago before folks really worried as much about matching numbers.

That 74 rear bumper substitution is also a clue to this type of work having been done.

I'd suggest a closer look for the chassis no. stamping, cuz the location on the trunk floor varied a bit on cars/MYs - & the paint can easily fill in a shallow stamping, even on a factory paint job.

If it's now there, recontact the PO(s) to see if they had any work done on the rear, & what / when if they know.

IMHO it's not a deal killer if it had been done for either accident &/or rust, so long as it can be documented what/when it was done, & that it wasn't a larger full rear 1/2 clip &/or other more extensive work done.

I would look for a nice 71-73 tit-less rear bumper, & it looks to need new top pads F & R too (Mikey914/914Rubber, AA, NOS) to get those up to snuff over time.

Whatever was done to the rear - if the chassis no. is indeed gone - should be documented if at all possible, & to the extent possible.

If it was an accident repair, then send in an info request form to DMV to see if it has a salvage or rebuilt title or something, as well as to try to get the info. on all of the POs, as well as getting a COA on the car. PCNA will want pix of your GA # on the engine to confirm an original factory 2L, & send them the transaxle # too since it might be one of the few with it written on the Kardex.

Cheers!
Tom
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On Dave Pittman's chart that Jeff shows, IIRC there is one where the 95 = Karmann Plant in Osnabruck (not just 9), but 96 & 97 were used to denote 100th or 200th car built in the day. I think it was in some PCA docs.


Tom
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Put the 6 in it and I'll buy your 2.0

The trunk has some surface rust in that corner, but the number is there. I replaced the rear bumper with a nice "tit-less" one that I had on Speedy. Front bumper changed/upgraded today too. I replaced the front lower valance and fixed the fogs. The engine needs a few things addressed, and the heat exchangers are shot. The new muffler helped to identify the exhaust leak in a different area. It will be fun to work on trying to tighten up new pipes to old heads. Nevertheless, I'm driving it to cars n' coffee tomorrow.