I have images of a couple of the foil-faced paper paint code labels on my Plates-Labels-Marking webpage and I just found another one on a 2/73 car here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...A%3AIT&rd=1

Until now, the earliest car I have seen them on is a late 1974 car, this new find bumps it up a year. The label is found on the drivers door jamb and none of the four 1974 cars I have owned had any sign of ever having them. Any idea when the factory began to use these, and why or under what circumstances they used them? The paint code is also indicated on the Karmann plate on these cars. Maybe this was a production line thing before the plates were affixed? Anyone know?

Also, this ebay cars' label is odd to me too...Is not saturngelb translated as Saturn Yellow and not Delphi Green? L99A does = Delphi....

Jeff, I don't know much about these stickers, but it seems obvious to me that the colour of the eBay car is not saturn yellow. In addition - "DIAMANT Zweischicht" translates to "diamant double coat", which is a metallic paint.
Saturn yellow was no metallic paint, but delphi green.
And to be honest, the eBay car looks very delphi green to me.

I'd say this is the documentation of a failure from Karmann or VW-Porsche

Gustl

Very, very interesting - I'd like to know the story behind these! I've never seen one before

L99A is saturngelb and is Saturn Yellow Metallic and is Delphi Green Metallic.
They had several different names for several different colors. I was never sure why they called it Saturn Yellow Metallic when it was nowhere close to Saturn Yellow. Besides, Delphi Green sounds much better and it does have a green hue to it.

How many of these decal were for non-metallic colors? So far I have only seen them on metallic paint cars.

I've no idea why they needed these decals since the color code is on the Karmann badge. The decal is more noticable though. Still, they rarely last long.

I have photos of non-metallic L13K-Sunflower Yellow, L80E Light Ivory on my Plates/Lables webpage. I thought it might have been for special order paint, I doubt someone would order special Light Ivory...

Jeff,

The first time I remember the paper sticker was in the 74-76 models only. Some of them were taken directly from the VW line door stickers.

I've NEVER seen on on a 70-72 car. Quite frankly, never seen one on a pre-74 car until now. Not that it matters, but I'd sure like to know why they were on any 914's. What's the point?

This color name confusion is not unique to 914s. On my 1974 412 wagon the brochures call L20A "Chrome Yellow", while the sticker in the front trunk says "Marino Yellow".