Note the h/l cover shape, front bumper, door mirror. I'm glad the factory changed them to what we've got.

I'm glad they added wheels and tires. Is that thing floating on air?

Early Maglev technology

must be a pic of the other 8 cylinder car that had the dual headlites plus the round mirror.

that is actually 914111 before it was converted over to the 908 engine and given to Dr. Ferdinand Piech ...

i've seen a few pre-908 pictures of that car ...
Andy

That looks like 914111, Ferdinand's flat eight engined car.

btw. you got a high-res version of that pic? or more of them?

Andy

What is not apparent in this 2nd generation photo that I've posted is the fact that this car is fitted w/4 bolt pattern wheels. Another picture shows the car in even lower light conditions. I'd post that as well, 'cept its clarity is compromised by the low light conditions, the film ASA of the era, the camera equipment and the fact that the car is in motion.

If I can "shop" the other picture to where it's presentable, I'll post it as well.

you can really tell the pic I posted is a prototype car as look at the inner wheel where its black and hammered.

nope, those are 5-lug steelies ...

i turned up the contrast a bit and you can clearly see the 5-lug pattern ...
Andy

closeup ... 5-lug steelies for sure ...

where are the fogs?

no fogs on 914111, it's got a solid bumper (which used to be body color and is now chromed) ...
Andy

Do you have negatives for these photos, or what type of item are you working from?

Crap, I love them head light covers. I wish they would have kept them on our cars. Add chrome bumpers and rims and you have a winner! Me likes.

Huh... So Ahndy can only see things in photos when they are blurry... Explains a lot actually

so the story goes, Dr. Piech wasn't into the car at all right? He drove it once or something like that....

I wish they'd put a 908 in mine......

Didn't that car go to Ferry Porsche (not Piech) on his 60th? Ludvigsen says that Ferry Porsche drove his 908 powered 914 almost 10000 km before the German liscensing people decided it was too loud for the street.

The Silver car was Ferry's 60th bday present. The red car was a test mule with the 908 300HP motor and was scary fast.

Piech got one too, one had MFI and one had webers.

here is a pic from that test article that was done on the car recently

here's another photo from the same shooting at "Schloss Langenburg" in Germany

The Piech car got the full-tilt boogie 908 race motor. MFI and everything, making 300 HP. The "birthday present" car had a de-tuned 908 motor with Webers. Unknown power output, but that is probably something that can be found out. (We know of someone who has a copy of the original owner's manual for that car!!!)

Geoff, was that pic of the silver car from the Factory museum from my factory visit, or someone else's? I remember the cars being set up like that when I was there...

--DD

I "think" its your pic but I don't have anyway to look. I just copied it for my files....got tons of pics of stuff from 11 years now in my HD's....

AFAIK about 260 HP

Gustl

Click to view attachment

Don't say that! - I was thinking how like my car the prototype looked.

(and I am shopping for a door mirror currently, and one of those is (was) top of my list)

Carl

Click to view attachmentNote what is most certainly the Piech 914/8 in the background, on the right, in the first picture.... in the second picture, note the fuel filler in the cowl area on the passenger side and round mirror on the door(like the Piech car and the prototype 914 in the photo opening this thread), but it has no widened or radiused wheel well openings, final configuration headlights and wheel cover w/trim rings for 4 bolt wheels. (That hubcap & aluminum trim ring configuration is how my 914/4 was delivered). Another pre-production prototype, no doubt.

interesting photos - many thanks for sharing

as i said in my earlier post, you can't tell if that's a 4-lug or 5-lug car. many early /6 cars had the 5-lug steel wheels with hubcaps that look just like the ones in your picture.

one would have to remove the hubcap to be sure ...
Andy

Carl,
That is an interesting bumper, give us more info.

Dave

Neun vierzehn,

That second picture is of a prototype that I am not familiar with. It has the production style 914 bumpers and rubber bumper trim, the prototype windshield trim and round exterior mirror, and the early 914111 whel arches before they were rolled. Throw in a white vinyl interior (914111 is black, Piech car is fabric) and it's one of the other protos.

Ken

yes. and the car to the left is 914006, ferry porsche's silver 914-8 ...
Andy

PS: got any more pictures???

well, the 4-lug steel wheel is definitely different to the 5-lug steel wheel!

4-lug has 8 "open sections" in the outer ring
5-lug has 10 of them

sorry for my bad pics, but I guess they should explain the difference

those rims, hub caps and beauty rings sure look like the same ones that were on my 69 Fastback. Bettca $20 they just dipped into the parts bins for 'em.

What is the rim offset for the years? I can't find it in my literature All I found was that prior to'74 a VW rim was used and from '74 on a different, non-VW offset was used.

Front trunk of "pre-production prototype" shows much "carpet" over/behind luggage area. I've seen 914s depicted with this covering over top of gas tank, m/c,
etc, but have not ever seen it firsthand. Not real clear in this photo is the fuel filler on the cowl, just in front of passenger side windshield base.

Second pic shows white(tan, saddle?) interior w/featureless carpet area. Nothing in these pics can point to whether car is a /4 or /6.

the second pic of the interior is too blurry for me to see if its a six steering column.

see if you can see the ignition key on the dash to the left of the column.

Looks like a 7,000 rpm tach.

Geoff,
Zooming in on the original shows nothing.......it's too dark. Working with the contrast and resolution tools reveal nothing either. Treading lightly, being ever mindful of SirAndy, I maintain that the lug bolt covers shown in the b/w photo are for 4 bolt pattern wheels. Those covers always have the raised center, that when used on VWs, have the VW logo stamped on them. When utilized on 914s, they were featureless in the center. Additionally, the four bolt pattern wheel covers fit OVER the raised circular portion of the steel wheel, whereas the five bolt pattern lug covers fit WITHIN the raised area of the wheel, as Gustls photo depicts.

Thats probably quite true....

on the front trunk carpeting, it was standard on the 916? I have only seen this blue one in person at a gas station in Seattle a few years ago.

rear trunk pic

Looking at the original picture of the b/w pre-production car, the last number on the tach is 7, so I'm very certain that that car is/was a very early 4. The outside fuel filler never made production, I wonder if any 914s other than the /8s and some GTs had that feature.

actually, only the red /8 (914111) had the fuel filler on the cowl.

Click to view attachment


the silver /8 (914006) had a fuel filler door in the hood.

Click to view attachment


there was at least one other prototype with the same feature (a red 914/6, VIN unknown), see pic below ...

Click to view attachment


this car also had the front trunk carpet. also note the "flat" portion on the fender with a VIN decal attached

Click to view attachment


i have a few more pictures of that same car, the first one above shows it with 5-lug steel wheels and hubcaps, i have one more where it has 5-lug fuchs and 3 more where it has 5-lug gas burners.
the car also has the prototype trunk hinges and a prop-rod (like 914114) to hold up the rear hood.
it also has the prototype front fender/cowl/lower windshield corner, prototype chrome trim (doors and targa bar), no seam sealer, small rear trunk lock, the more square prototype tailllights and rear bumper.

Andy

in other words - you have the two early sales brochures

Gustl

Andy

Looks like the same car as shown on page 60 of DGVWPB. Has a Wolfsburg crest on the front.

- also has the bright interior and the round ext. mirror

and don't forget the cowl fuel filler. also note, the fuel filler is far more to the side than on 914111 ...

a few things i never noticed,

it looks like the silver 914/8 (914006) had factory front and rear swaybars !

and look how they routed the shift-rod! to the right and under the pass. seat!

tranny is moved back a few inches, axles go in an angle forward ...

see the factory drawing on page 86/87 in DGVWPB ...
Andy

So are these 3 cars.......really just 2 reconfigured prototypes.......or just 1 car, the Piech /8