Looking at a 75 2.0 in my local area, rather shocking color combination. Exterior is Malaga Red, decent color that I can live with but interior is... White (or is it Wheat)? How many 914s came with the white vinyl door panels/seats? Seats in this one were recovered in black with a red insert up the middle.

Saw a Malaga Red/White 74 1.8 for sale on this forum a few years ago in my searches, maybe its just me but the white seems a bit shocking. Is the white considered rare or desirable, seems like black interior with the red is a better match.

white was rare, and if it’s original which it probably is( is there a COA, or the original bill of sale and window sticker?) then yes it is desirable.
i would not recommend changing it if it is original and in good condition. post some pictures!

I have an Alaska blue with white and yes very striking

I would love pics! Sounds like a great combination!

Hope to pic the car up today so will have better pictures. Doesn't appear to have ever been hit and its been stored inside for majority of its life. Has Mahle gasbuners and the original D jectronic.

I like the white interior on 914s regardless of the exterior color.
I had a 1975 with metallic copper exterior and white interior. I purchased the car from the second owner whom I have known for over 30 years. He purchased the car from the first owner in 1977. The car was super original and the white interior was original from factory. Never redone. The seats were leather, and the door panels were white basket weave. Carpets were a very light of white color. I believe Porsche called the interior color "Linen".
I would keep the white interior. I think it gives the 914 interior a lighter airier feel.
Good luck with the car and keep us posted on what you do to it.
Bill.

Keep the white. I had a 75 factory white/white car that was very attractive. I’ll look for a picture later today and post it.

my first 914 was that color combination and I loved it! Very clean with the white bone interior and the wheat gold carpeting. Encourages one to keep it clean as the least bit of dirt shows. We currently have one in our shop that we are reconditioning, redoing the white interior etc.
It was one of three vinyl colors available in 75-76. White, buckskin, and black. These along with the plaids were exciting new colors for the last two years of the 914

My first 914 (a ‘75) was that same color combo. Seats, back pad and door panels were white. Carpet was kind of a wheat color. It was a great color combo.

Your car screams the 80s........ Just for starters I would back date your bumpers, lose the warts and antenna. Replace the fiberglass rockers, radio and the mirror. Get rid of anything white in your interior. Take off the rear Porsche reflector, polish out your rims. That’s just for starters........

Stock is boring.......

My '75 is Ancona Blue with white interior. We're putting all back together now but, I can't wait until it's finished.

Updates and progress, picked the car up today and got a good chance for a quick once over. Its in the super competent hands of the 40+ yr experience semi retired VW/Porsche mechanic who is my drag racing buddy that does all the heavy lifting on my 11 second drag bug.

Overall car is super solid and was well cared for by someone for a long time. All 5 gasburners are there and no doubt the interior was WHITE. Original vinyl seat upholstery is tired and a little faded, door panels are as white as they can be almost too white, maybe re-dyed at one point, and vinyl on the center arm rest/console and behind the seats is as white as a set of shoes you can wear after Easter. Previous owner purchased replacement vinyl for behind the seat in black and tore a few sections of the wheat/oatmeal colored carpet out so I'm due for a carpet kit.

The body on the car is super straight, doesn't appear to have ever been hit on any of the corners, Engine S/N is GC001208 which looks to line up to original 2.0 (Vin tag on door jamb says 10/74 production date). 1 respray in a very close to original color. Its been sitting for 8 yrs with the previous owner (inside thankfully) and for the last 2 yrs of the previous owners time. I have have to sort/organize the paperwork I got with the car but best I can tell I am owner #4, owner #3 basically left it sitting in his garage since 2014 and never got the car to start/run. Couple of vacuum hoses are off on the engine and the double relay under the passenger seat was removed and jumpered which my buddy will fix.

Worst thing I can say about the car is appears some water got in (with the top off?) and pooled up/sat in the aft most part of the floorpan at the back edge behind the driver/passenger seat, its almost like someone cut a line with a fine sawzall blade. Fortunately my buddy is a sheet metal/welding whiz and has done hundreds of sets of VW floorpans and all kinds of custom sheet metal fab and he says easily fixable, he can either custom bend a tiny 1" x 12" repair panel or if restoration design makes one that would be easier.

A few pics of todays adventure are attached, and a few questions if you please..

1) Since it needs a new carpet kit anyway, should I go for original wheat/oatmeal and stick with the white interior theme or just go with black which would work with the white interior theme BUT would show much less dirt over the long term?
2) Does restoration design make a repair panel for the aft-most section of the pan behind the driver/passenger seat or should my buddy just make one on his sheet metal tools

There was a guy in Wenatchee that had a ‘75 with that combination. Haven’t talked to him for quite awhile. His name is Steve. Any chance it’s the same car?

RD sells the rear half of the floor pan. Nice piece that I used all of. You could use just the amount you need.

They also sell the lower part of the inner firewall. I did not need that, since 98% of my floor rust was in the pan.

Looks like the original owner as far as I can tell was Louis Marquadt then Ken Cummings

My Alaska blue. I’m tempted to swap out the headlight surrounds.

Yeah, not the same car. I do have a pic of the one I mentioned. Gives a nice idea of how the color combination works.

Click to view attachment

I don't know what price you paid; however, it appears you got a very solid car!


Typically, the term "gas burner" is only used on the 5 lug wheels...not the 4 lug

The rust behind the seat may be caused by water leaking past the back window. Pull the window and reseal it. it's not a major task.

Ordered the CofA from Porsche today. I almost hate getting them anymore since even if you give them the Eng and trans serial # they won't confirm/deny but at least it confirms all the original options on the car.

Call me crazy, but I'm leaning towards buying a black carpet kit. Beige carpet show dirt easier and down the road black carpet works with either a white interior (see link of car below that sold, white interior but he went with black carpet) or a black interior. I got 2 sets of the black vinyl to recover bulkhead behind the seats, door panels could always be spray dyed to black.... Am I crazy for going with black carpet? Tan carpet and white seats/door panels/vinyl is no doubt unique but many comment its a bit too miami vice for them.

Does anyone know of a decent fitted slip on seat cover company/brand? Looking for a simple cover to just slip over the existing seats for the moment. Thanks for all the info and tips from everyone!

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=190308

Curious as to why the red in the frunk looks so different from the red in the trunk....frunk looks like Scarlet Red, trunk like Malaga....... L30C?

Are you sure the Malaga isn't a re-spray over Scarlet Red? Is the color on the door stamp L30C?

GN

Hmmm, where is the door stamp or sticker? I had just looked at the color chart and that looked to be the closest color for 1975. Looks more burgundy than the scarlet red from what I can tell.

Your left front door jamb has both the paint code number - Malaga is L30C, Scarlet Red is L31M, and your body number

Yes, the paint on the exterior and trunk looks like oxidized Malaga Red, but the paint in the frunk looks like Scarlet Red.

My car was originally Malaga Red and repainted in Scarlet Red - why? No idea, wish they hadn't done that - I hear Malaga Red is more rare and a bit more valuable.

GN

Someone resprayed the front trunk with wrong color, probably trying to cover up some surface rust.

Confirmed L30C Malaga red on the drivers door jamb sticker, if one of the pics of the Frunk look a bit off on color compared to the trunk it was the lighting. Both are definitely original paint.

I wish someone on the World site has a pink with white interior 914. Not sure how many were made but they did exist as I have a spare transmission out of one. (junkyard find )
Total chick car like those 55 Pink Tbirds.

Cool. That explains it.......

Made it over to my buddies today, a few more pics.

Interesting, I thought the door panels were awfully white, on the backside you can see they were sprayed/dyed a slightly brighter white. Perhaps the faded in the sun.

Pretty sure the white over time yellowed. the bright white dye was an attempt to "restore" it back. As mine was painted black. Id wager L30 with white option. Very nice.
If you make it down here I'd wonder how well we could cut and buff it.

Been a while since I have made a progress update. Got the CofA from Porsche and it originally came with a black interior, not white! Was relieved to see that since I was leaning towards switching over to black or at least partial black anyway!

My ace/whiz 45+ yr experience VW/Porsche mechanic has addressed all the stereotype 914 issues on the car:
Replaced battery tray and support plus cleaned up the area underneath it
Replaced aft most section of floor pan with a Resto Design piece, rear window had leaked at some point and it looked like someone had cut through the rear pan just as it curved up into the rear bulkhead with a hacksaw in a few places. POR 15d entire pan afterwards
4 rebuilt calipers, new master cylinder, new pads, all new brake lines
Changed the fan belt
Rewelded trunk hinge bracket
Went thru all the lights and electrical, even the blower fan works great
New seat covers and door panel material from 914rubber.com
New black carpet kit from Autobahn
Polished/buffed the paint, looks MUCH better!

1 Before pic then some after

Just a few more progress pics....

After 10 yrs, engine fired right up and has great compression, all the D jet stuff in good working order. Cleaned out fuel tank, replaced all fuel lines (rubber and metal), new fuel filter, etc..

The correct sheetmetal for that area is readily available and not that expensive.

Looks like your "experienced" mechanic simply covered the rust hole under the battery tray as that home made replacement is leaving a rather large cavity under the back part.

I’d agree with Andy. That area is structural. Of course we can’t see in the pic what’s under there, but if you just replaced the battery shelf because it was rusted out, I’m betting that area that’s covered has some serious rust in it.

Didn't take any progress pictures during the repair of this area but I can assure you he didn't just cover a rusted area with thin sheet metal. It was repaired to full strength then covered.