doing a bit of resto-moding mr b?

-----

@Big Len has his can flipped around to do the hose clean up - but has retained the performance update of 74.

@JeffBowlsby

mr. b, it just occurred to me that this engine is really worth chasing down for details.
hidden behind that heater blower hose is probably the last missing paint stamp number on engine tin for 74 1.8s.

a factory euro GT had gauges.
i'm betting the stamp on there is 609.
given we got the number for a euro 74 1.8 without gauges and it was 608.

is this too far back in time to contact the owner on the can am register you run?

you made the post i have quoted back on page 2 of the thread with a photo of the engine. i have read elsewhere there is some contention that some euro GTs may have been fitted with 1.8 engines.

@JeffBowlsby

i just picked up on this small detail change to 74 models looking at material i had about the plastic expansion tank change in 74.

you may know about it and if so i won't bother looking further if the change is known about.

75 1.8s (and 2.0s as well) had a first stage black plastic corrugated hose out of the air blower box in the front trunk.

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i thought 74 1.8s all had corrugated cardboard hoses throughout the blower ducting in the front trunk. example - my 01/74.

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but now i am seeing the change to the black plastic hose happens later in the 74 model year.

06/74

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05/74

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04/74

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03/74 (late march)

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02/74 (cardboard)

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from the material i had conveniently at hand from L jet research.

MINOR CHANGES AND UPDATES THRU 74 MODEL YEAR.

compiled from review of data gathered for EC-A/B 1.8 research dec 2021-aug 2022.


UPDATE 1. Front Trunk Headlight Motor Shield.
Changes from Black Plastic to Grey and back to Black.
Black late 09/73 - 12/73.
Grey 01/74 - 04/74.
Black 05/74 - 7/74. approx to month.

UPDATE 2. Ventilation Blower Ducting - Front Trunk.
Changes from Corrugated Natural Color Cardboard to Flexible Ribbed Black Plastic.
Cardboard late 09/73 - 02/73
Black Plastic 03/74-07/74

UPDATE 3. Fuel Tank Expansion Chamber.
Changes from Metal Construction to Plastic Unit.
Metal late 09/73 - mid 05/74
Plastic mid 05/74-07/74
(refer page 4 of this thread - examples of 05/74 2.0L cars included to refine date).

UPDATE 4. Rear Trunk Insulation Pad.
Changes from Semi Rigid Moulded Pad to Light Weight Foam Filled Pillow.
Rigid Pad late 09/73 - 12/73
Foam Pillow 01/74-07/74

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UPDATE 1. Headlight Motor Shields/Covers. (HLC)

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UPDATE 2. Ventilation Blower Ducting. (BT)

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UPDATE 3. Fuel Tank Expansion Chamber. (ET)

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UPDATE 4. Rear Trunk Insulation Pad.

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TRIVIA. Tool Kit Contents.
4 examples, reasonably trustworthy, retained original tool kits.
Question of Screwdriver Handle - White or Black?
Both varieties seem to be evenly distributed on limited data compiled
(few sales listings document toolkit - only cars with evident originality were included).
At least three cars under production at Karmann received the tool kit simultaneously.
(VW beetle cabriolet, VW Karmann Ghia and 914)

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This data may already be known and compiled elsewhere.
either on this website or in sources such as Restorers Guide to Authenticity (Johnson).
Dates might continue to be refined with further data.

LAST BIT OF TRIVIA.

VIN LABEL COLOR MATCHED TO 74 COLOR RANGE.

extracted from 45+ examples on file from ECA/B research.
multiple examples of each color across extent of 74 MY production
(apart from black and alaska blue metallic, 1 example of each only).
vin labels exhibit 100% consistency to particular colors.
(not to say exceptions won't be out there somewhere?).

thanks to mr. b's website for color range cards i marked up.

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@wonkipop One correction for your table: my car (VIN 9760) had a port of entry at Portsmouth, VA. Bought it near home in Richmond, VA where I grew up, the day after graduating UVA. Moved to NJ about 2weeks later; been here ever since.
Have also added for the record the pics below of my original air blower hoses, rear trunk pad, and tool kit with tire bar.

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More 1.8L minutia:
1. What/when determines the location of the HO Recall sticker? The pics on Jeff Bowlsby's site shows two colors at two different locations (see below). According to Jeff's details, this recall applied to ALL 914s, not just the 1.8s, in 1977 shortly after the model was discontinued.
2. Also, any clue as to who might make reproductions? Mine had the recall done, but never any sticker. My other other is to reproduce one myself (as I did with the tuneup sticker) off the red image.

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Read the HO recall papers posted on my site.

Got it! Thanks, Jeff. EDIT: The one on the red car is in the correct location ("... next to the vehicle identification plate"); the one on the yellow car is not.

thanks for posting those up steve.
the old black screwdriver hey!

i keep my lever bar with the jack in the rear trunk.
won't fit in that dumb plastic bag.

i'll fix up your entry to say Virginia. have i got that right for VA. gotta try and remember all those USA state abbreviations, you guys have so many states.
its a lot easier here.

ps steve

the screwdrivers are kind of .

a car identical to mine. phoenix red. black interior. steelies week 2 jan 74 had the black.
two weeks later mine is built. phoenix red. brown interior. steelies. week 4 jan 74 had the white.
like VW had two different suppliers for the screwdrivers and just mixed them up?

Either that or Hans was left handed (black bin) and Johannes was right handed (white bin). It seems to happen......

Ok, here's my try at the minutia of the HO Recall Sticker. Kept it "aged" instead of nice new white. As I note, minutia. EDIT: Actual size 53mm (2.09") high, 38 mm (1.5") wide based on proportional measurements compared to the VIN plate in the red image on Jeff's website and measured to my VIN plate.
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don't think mine ever got taken in for recall. no sticker. still had cloth lines on it when i got it in 89 and was leaking from every orifice.

come to think of it even the 4 new injectors and new fuel lines that went in then were cloth braided. that was from West Suburban Imports - a VW dealer in chicago in maywood. so much for getting the details right 12 years down the track.

i found the receipt in my papers here. 4 new fuel injectors cost $280.00 back then.
$70.00 each! in real terms they have gone down in price these days.
i think i managed to get the recent replacements, genuine items NOS from a guy in arizona for $60.00 each.

a relay was replaced too. $87.55
part # 033 251 4120. must look that up.

points were $4.00. oil filter $6.60.
all the fuel line clamps cost $15.00

funny looking back at what things cost.
for all our complaining, parts were fairly expensive back then.
labor was cheapish. looks like it was $45.00 per unit. (hour?).


edit
looked up 0 332 514 120. the old L jet dual relay! explains why i have the newer plastic one, like Van B has under the battery tray instead of the original metal one. another thing that was needed to make the car go back in 89. i wouldn't have even noticed or known what it was back then. big ticket item. more expensive than the injectors!

@wonkipop For your data to correct the information you have on my 914 regarding the headlight motor covers, rear trunk pad and blower motor tubing. 4/74 production date. I saw you posted non-original rigid pad with what I think is a question mark? Unless it's for a different VIN. I have grey headlight motor covers, black plastic corrugated tubing for the blower motor and the lightweight foam pad for the rear trunk pad. I know my 914 never had the recall performed due to no sticker placed in the specific location next to the build plate in the front trunk.

Next thing to figure out is how to determine the Dist./Dealer numbers for tyhe sticker.

hey thanks L Jet. i'll include the info in your section of spread sheet.

and yes, those details i squeezed in across your entry in the spreadsheet were for a different car which i marked up with a vin #. it was one i found in between your car and next entry.

as it is you have the last car in our data with the grey head light motor covers.
nice handy bit of data to have.

out of interest does your car still have its orig tool kit.
if so what is the screwdriver. white or black.

thats a job for you mr. b

or steve. i'm over my files for a while.

I'm lucky - I have my work order sheet from the dealer; its numbers are listed on the masthead!
BTW: revised the actual dimensions (did the wrong ratio comparison from the red car photo).

I'll be no help there as mine definitely does not have that sticker. I'm curious enough though I may look through the years of records and see if there is a service receipt though.

@Van B
@jeffbowlsby
@wonkipop
@Big Len

If you'd like me to send you a pair of stickers (one for trial, one for use), just let me know, as well as "aged" (slightly mottled tan/beige background) or "better" (slightly mottled cream/light tan background). I've printed them on standard Avery peel-back shipping labels, and cut to size.

i ran across the ad for your car @Van B while i was snooping around for plastic fuel tank examples. thats an amazingly good car you picked up. i saw the photo of the pile of records!

def never done to mine. looked back through all the records i have and that i got in 89.

i think i know why. if the recall was done in 77 that was after the first owners left DC and moved to the mid west. capital porsche audi would have sent a recall notice to their old address and been unable to contact them. service records after 76 show the owners took the car to an independent import shop. car's annual miles dropped dramatically from 77 on. no miles from 86-89. so the sticker is not a legit part of my car history.
i'd be reasonably certain that the original factory installed injectors and fuel lines back to the tunnel were what i had removed in 89 to get the car going again. though we left the plastic fuel lines in the engine bay. back then they were still juicy and flexible.

however i would offer those stickers to folks doing restorations @StarBear .
def a worthwhile asset for perfectionists out there. have noticed that a few of the 1.8s on the files i collected for ECA/B research had the sticker.

That sounds fun. Probably the better version for me please. I’m looking forward to installing the first gift you sent me last year when I finally get around to refinishing the engine tins!

Yeah, it came with a life story for sure… and it was on the brink of going south when I got it. The rust in the engine bay wells was 100% caused by the piles of acorns in each well. Getting the FI sorted saved me an engine rebuild too. Prior to that, the car gave the same feeling that the engine was tired and low on compression… the compression was actually from spark plugs that wouldn’t seat if you recall lol!

@StarBear is doing a re-issue of those stickers to do the one with the two hoses. wait for that one - correct for EC-B.
he has got it all covered when he does that and can offer a full service to the classic L jet owner.

i have hoovered up all the 74 2.0L off BAT and have just started to go through them looking to see if data closes up on some of those changes.

snagged a reasonably original restored 2.0 that looks pretty trustworthy.
plastic expansion tank dated a tiny bit earlier to build date monday 27 may 74.
narrows down change by one day.

also pulled up a first day of production 74 2.0.
vin # -00046.
K = 3319553
= mon 13 aug 73. looks like the date they fired up production after summer break.

also found a very high vin number 2.0, have to check it out yet, but might be close to end.

after i go through it all will see if the data closes up on any of progressive changes.

Found the original tool kit. The black bar is currently stored under the driver seat where my father left it in case he had to use it as a self defense item which is what he told me lol. White screw driver. I will always wonder why Porsche added the center cap removal tool when the center caps on the 914's did not have the two little holes in them to remove them like the 911s did.

great - another white screw driver.

the hub cap puller is there because its just a standard VW tool kit across all models.
the k g and the 412 still had hub cabs. most beetles and things as well. not sure about the beetle cabs, a lot of them seemed to get the star steelie similar to 914. never the less standard army rations when it came to tool kit so hence the hub cap puller.

i used to know a girl kept an tomahawk axe under the front seat of her car for the same reason your dad kept the black bar there. she knew how to use it too, her grandfather trained her in the "weaponisation". you don't want to know where she intended to aim it.

You seem so enthused to see another white screw driver. The worker at the factory, today you get a black screw driver. Oh next car in line you get a white screw driver haha.

Count me in on this! Will send PM with address. Thanks!

i've happened to notice that all the repro tool kits that various vendors have are black screwdriver jobs.

and a few years back looking into various threads on websites, here and elsewhere all the images were of black as well.

so i almost began to doubt mine, even though its been there since 89 and i had no reason to believe it was not the one that came with the car. car had everything else, all books, docs etc.

so its great to see it was just a reach in and grab a bag out of the bin job on the assembly line. and white was in there and legit.

here is another HO recall sticker from the files for you @StarBear .

interesting - this dealer used some kind of sticky tape with typed details pasted on top of recall sticker. not all handwritten.

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Thanks. Interesting. Most seem to be affixed to the wheel well in that spot. The recall instructions on Jeff’s website are confusing - “next to vehicle ID plate” (down by headlight) yet also “on wheel well”.

vehicle I D plate is the one on the headlight bucket.

as an aside i have seen a non USA, UK delivered 73 914 and can recall all the differences with the cars. that plate down by the headlight bucket is the one on non USA cars and was used by authorities to identify cars for registration. no vin sticker like usa cars. non usa cars also still had the chassis no. stamped on top of wheel arch.
but the I D plate is the affixed plate.

so if jeff has the accurate factory instructions the correct place is in fact down on the headlight bucket not on the wheel arch.

some more esoteric trivia for you guys.
@Van B @JeffBowlsby @StarBear @L-Jet914
purely as a result of trawling back through all the images collected for various 74 1.8s - but now with some added 74 914 2.0 stuff.

OWNERS MANUALS.

we knew from earlier emissions warranty materials provided by Van B and L-Jet that there was an X/73 (oct 73) em w that was the first version for 1.8s and then XI/73 (Nov/73) a second version was introduced. i have that one (jan 74 car) and L-Jet (april.74) has it. and there was a VIII/73 (aug 73) version first and this was for the first batch of 2.0L cars made in late 73 before 1.8s came into production.

now i am able to look at the owners manual with it in the satchel.

seems to get interesting.
all these manuals are trustworthy as coming with the cars originally.
sales images showed open pages with correct chassis details and original dealer service stamps.

1. OWNERS MANUAL + EMISSIONS WARRANTY. 08/73 914 2.0 Vin -03827

as previously worked out the emissions warranty only applies to 2.0 L car variant.
this image shows there was also a full owners manual - cover marked only 914.
different to some later manuals after 1.8 start production.
seems to be a first batch of o mans + em w that are specifically only for 2.0L -
further evidence only 2.0 L was in production from 08/74 to late 10/74.
at least for USA.
satchel is burgundy. can't determine interior color. maybe dark blue from sliver visible in image.

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2. OM + EM W. 12/73 914 1.8 Vin -10487

second version of owners manual and emissions warranty.
(or could be third ems and ? on the om as identifying pages with edition details not available).
cover now has 914 2.0 1.8 printed on it. same with em w.
burgundy satchel. can't determine interior color. maybe light grey from sliver visible.

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3. O M + EM W 12/73 914 1.8 Vin -10723

starts to get interesting compared to 10487 (less than 300 cars later).

first version of owners manual (at least for cover - or is a second version).
same cover as earlier 2.0 L cars - nothing printed there except 914.
emissions warranty is either second or third version. has 2.0 1.8 printed on it.
satchel is burgundy with a grey color interior.

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4. O M + EM W 01/74 914 1.8 Vin -12472

this is the car that is virtually identical to mine, phoenix red etc that is built 2 weeks earlier.
no emissions warranty images.
owners manual has cover with only 914 written on it.
satchel is burgundy with light grey interior.

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5. O M + EM W 01/74 914 1.8 Vin -13361

this is my car. two weeks after example 4.
i have the owners manual with 914 2.0 1.8 on the cover.
additionally i know the details of the edition.
4652.23 10M XI/73 Edition 74.
translates as the November Revision.
the emissions warranty also has 2.0 1.8 on the cover.
4654.23 12 400 XI/73 Edition 74
translates as November Revision.
from previous research we all worked out this is probably the third version of the emissions warranty.
whether its a second or third version of owners manual?
satchel is burgundy with dark blue interior.

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there is some pretty mixed up stuff going on.
a bit like the tool kit with random white or black screw drivers.

it looks to me like things get a bit scrambled from late oct to early/mid jan 74 where they might be mixing up different versions of the owners manual with emissions warranties.
they definitely have two different versions of the satchel floating around.
there appears to be an earlier satchel that is burgundy exterior with burgundy interior flaps and light grey interior backing and a later version which has burgundy exterior and full dark blue interior (flaps and backing). looks like later version kicks in some time during jan 74?

some of the differences make you think that maybe dealers asssembled these manual/warranty packs with whatever they had in the boxes at the time and were not necessarily keeping up or getting the right combos? things got a bit hectic oct to dec 73?

be interesting to see what you guys have.
given @Van B has a 12/73 car and @StarBear has an 11/73.
@L-Jet914 has the 04/74.


as a side note - what i picked up from BAT is if they show an owners manual image but don't have additional images of dealer details/stamp page its not the manual/warranties that came with the car. often don't have satchels either.

presently looking very closely at some 12/73 cars sold more recently as 2.0 L cars.
got my doubts they were real. think some 1.8s met a fate as 2.0L fluff ups decades ago.
interesting. any 2.0L between late oct 73 and end of jan 74 ought to be very closely looked at by potential buyers. esp if the premium is being applied to the price?

Here are mine. Emissions booklet is an original but not to mine; not sure what happened to mine or if I ever got one.
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Just checked my cover and it looks just like Steve’s. I don’t have the tech spec book though.

@StarBear and @Van B .

thanks for checking those.
you both have the same OM as me. the XI/73.

i did a bit of snooping on ebay image search and discovered the X/73 OM (october) in detail.
914 only on front cover.
covered inclusion of the 1.8 with a slipped in loose sheet spec/performance chart.
by the time they do the XI/73 version which we all have that spec sheet for the 1.8 is included in the OM itself.

example i found def came with a 1.8.
model no. is marked in the back of the OM. 473534.
thanks to jeff's brilliant website i could translate this as 1974 49 states appearance group 1.8 in 2 seconds flat.
its Vin -10827 puts it in right around @Van B 's car. approx 10 Dec 1973.

so
october 73 they issued this X/73 OM with just 914 on cover along with an X/73 EM W that had 2.0,1.8 on the cover (Van B example of emission warranty frunk can version?). they did a print run of 2000 of these X/73 OM. that would be about a months worth of cars if you said they did around 100 a day at most on production line.

print run makes sense in terms of then going to the XI/73 OM in november.

a few dealers probably still had these october ones lying around suitable for 1.8s and were providing them with the cars into 1974 calendar year - esp if they were not turning over a lot of cars. explains the phoenix red car 2 weeks before mine with the 914 only cover. its likely got this X/73 OM which is legit for a 1.8 early on.

so.
there is an earlier version of this OM which must be dated VIII/73 and its for 2.0 L only from august - oct 73. it is the other 914 only cover OM.


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the slipped in spec sheet for the 1.8 which had just started production.
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spec sheet is incorporated into the body of the OM we have (XI/73 version).
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i realise this is esoteric.
but what i like about it is it shows that VW and Porsche were really scrambling to get those 1.8s into production and into the showrooms in time.
quite a turbulent period for them.
i think they did a good job confronting emissions laws without losing too much performance from such tiny engines.



i reckon there is only three versions of the OM for 74 MY.
VIII/73
X/73
XI/73.
i have not stumbled on anything after XI/73.


EDIT 01/AUGUST/23.

found earliest edition of the first owners manual for only the 2.0 L cars being produced in 1973 from aug to late oct. its dated V!/73. july. its the same as the german market edition date that i noted from a while back on next page of this thread. comes from a very original condition 2.0 L car recently for sale on BAT and is very trustworthy. a lot of documentation was published with the car. emission warranty dated X/73. car vin 4742907141 10/74. week 44 production plate. from very late in that run of 2.0 L cars just before production of 1.8 starts in late oct 73 and the factory appears to switch over to producing only 1.8s for at least 2-3 months from nov 73 to end of jan 74.

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@StarBear and @Van B .

if i wanted to read too much into this X/73 OM,
and do the naughty thing of taking a leap off the data - i'd think this.

the 1.8 was originally scheduled for production introduction at the end of Nov/start of Dec 73?

VW wanted the lions share of initial EC engine production (from Aug 73) for the mass market 412. but it was a dud. thats known. sales went over the cliff and it was on the way out.

I think what happened is VW slowed production of the 412 and the engine became available for the 914 a little earlier in late Oct?

alternatively - bosch were initially projecting less supply of the new L Jet, but were able to ramp up production beyond initial estimates.

explains a few things.

like 3-4 weeks of 1.8s with frunk charcoal cans.
what looks like a bit of a hasty lash up interim owners manual which is a short run reprint of the 2.0 manual? --- with an insert.

i am starting to think that the changeover from frunk charcoal can set up to engine bay charcoal can set up was scheduled for the start of 1.8 production and was maybe intended to be a more orderly update with the new variant of the small engine.

but instead they used up stocks of what was intended to be 2.0 L body panel pressings, fuel tanks etc in the initial early run of 1.8s that had been brought forward.

just a thought?

@JeffBowlsby .

don't know if you have one of these mr. b.
customer i d card still in owners manual.
for your files if interesting.
found it searching for 74 o m material last night.



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I wonder what the “2 M” and “10 M” before the Roman numerals represent.

a thousand. M is roman numeral for 1000.

don't worry i am dumb too. davep pointed that one out to me.

2M = 2000 print run.

I know my owner's manual portfolio/satchel is burgundy with dark blue interior.

yep

but they are all over the place - given what we think of as german precision and consistency. they don't use the M on the emissions warranty. only on the owners manual.

for instance the emissions warranty i have says 12 400 rather than 12.4 M?

I believe it depended a lot on the person doing the typesetting (probably at the printer) more than any convention on how to do it.

dunno.
think its some kind of porsche convention.
seemed to be same with 911s too.
they definitely flip to conventional numerals in 75 MY. both 914s and 911s.
but not straight away.
the first 75 914 OM had roman. VI/74.
then there is one in december that is 12/74.

VW always used modern numerals as far as i can tell for their OMs (at least from 70 anyway).

i haven't got a 911 emissions warranty as a result of my rabbit hole excursions into the birth of L jet. but i might look for one. just to see if its the same as 914 ones.

i'm inclined to think the emissions warranties for 914s (at least later ones - say 73 on) are VW managed decisions and might explain modern numerals. but that owners manuals were a Porsche managed decision and conformed to porsche conventions?

the 914 OMs share the design, typo, layout with the 911s. probably done by erich strenger in his porsche graphics department? who knows?
they are very nicely done by someone with a real eye for design and have beautiful and striking covers thats for sure.

@StarBear @Van B @JeffBowlsby

there is a similar pattern of owners manual versions going on with the european models in 74.

found an original print run german owners manual on ebay.



1. original german owners manual.
date is VI/73. June 1973.
earlier date than any USA o m that i have found, they are all VIII/73.
they were setting these up for printing right at end of 73 MY.
as per USA this early one has 914 only on cover.
if consistent with USA that means only 2.0L cars were being produced for ROW at start of 74 model year production.

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2. reprint issue of german owners manual.
date is X/73. october 1973.
this is same month as first versions of om for USA cars inclusive of the 1.8 model.
the cover matches the USA ones of that time as now has 1.8/2.0 on cover.
whether its entirely trustworthy since its a reprint is hard to know.
i'm guessing it would be a faithful repro of the original issue.

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indication is that euro 1.8 with carb engine also was held up until late october 1973 alongside the USA L jet 1.8s? but not entirely conclusive.


---------

bonus for @Van B .
stumbled across german 74 1.8 technical supplement similar to the one @JeffBowlsby has for the USA L jets.
full spec comparison between the L jet and the dual carb euro engine.
nice peppy little motor in the euro cars.
pretty much had the same grunt as later 75/76 USA 2.0 L cars.
could way outperform USA L jets on steep alpine roads thats for sure.

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