Hey guys, I'm taking on a photography project and am looking for original owners of totally original cars.

When I bought the Frog the gentleman had owned it since new, and had tons of stories. We've all met people like this and bought their cars.

If possible, I'd like to meet and talk to them.... and possibly prepare an article for publication on them, their car and their life with it.

I really want to hear these stories, and I have no doubt that I'm not the only one who would.


I'm not really expecting a huge response, but I wanted to put the word out there.

If you find a gem, or know of some guy sitting on something, BEFORE you wash it and bring it home let me know and maybe we can capture a piece of the cars history on tape and in photographs.

Or maybe you know someone, or even someone here is the original owner of a perfect 914 or 911? Lets hear about it!



What kind of car......... I want to be clear that not just any old car will work for this project. They must be 100% original. No restorations. They must be the original owner, not purchased in 1985. I'm talking drove it off the dealership floor.
The car can be weathered and showing its age, maybe even looking past its prime. But if you are like me you can look at an old worn car and see the beauty of its originality shining from under all that dirt and rust then you know what i'm talking about. Above all the owner must love their vehicle enough to never want to sell or be rid of it. Maybe they drove it around the world!

I'm ready to travel within California and Arizona, beyond that I'll have to wait for a magazine to show enough interest to help out. I will also offer my word that owners privacy will be respected and any and all "secrets" will not be divulged, particularly when relating to the whereabouts of rare or desireable vehicles.


Comments and suggestions are welcome, just please dont jump on my project.



Thanks in Advance.

Seems like a good time to post about my other project.

I will pay by paypal $0.25 for each good condition 4x6 prints of people with their new cars taken before 1985. I have a small collection I've been building from swapmeets and I'd be really into expanding the vehicles types in it.

You know the type of photo right? Guy with long hair, moustache and bell bottoms standing next to his shiny 240Z.

If you see a pile of these at the next swapmeet or garage sale for nothing grab them for me huh?

The guy that lives next to us (we're in Texas) is an original owner of his 914 (it's his daily driver too!). He's not a computer internet kind of guy though...

I'm just sorry that I've only had my car for 22 years; it'd be awesome to be able to participate.

I hope it doesn't sound petty outlining it like that. At this point I have to focus my energy if I want to get something published. In the future maybe a website could happen to allow everyone to participate.

Cars are a big part of our culture and to capture even a minute bit of that would be cool for me to do. Perhaps there's a way to include us all, I just dont know how yet.

If you have an old photo of you with it when you bought it I'd love to add it to my collection! And then if I make it texas I could come say hi.

Not petty at all! You have to have a goal or else you end up with thousands of pictures with no meaning to them!

Besides the HUGE role that cars play in our daily lives; their impact on our society just boggles the mind! Freedom and movement for the masses; pretty powerful stuff; world altering stuff in fact!

I can't remember any pictures taken from when I first got the car - I was just too darn busy driving the wheels off of him! 307,000 miles so far (he's my daily ride) and still counting. He's got a Concours on Saturday and an autocross on Sunday!

You're always welcome to stop by though!!! Us Texans can be a very hospitable lot.

Good luck on the project, you've got an incredible idea!

I don't think my 914 story is what you are looking for... but here goes:

My Dad bought my 74 914 2.0 in 1976 from Lompoc CA near Vandenburg AFB. I was 6 years old. It was originally delivered to Oklahoma City, OK and likely came to CA via an Air Force person. My Dad was a WWII vet from being a navigator on a B-24.

My folks were split up, so as a kid, every Saturday I'd wait out by the curb and wait for my Dad to come. Sometimes it was the Jeep (49 CJ3?), sometimes it was the RV, sometimes it was his Ford Ranchero, but when it was the 914 - the joy, the pride, the special feeling of a cool car, and being with my Dad.... it was good times when I needed good times. The car was also built for just two. My Dad was my best friend when I was growing up.

We drove it all over the central coast, Santa Barbara, even a trip to Sacramento once. The original Blankput 8-track went out, so there's a Pioneer 8-track in it now. I fell in love with the sound of the horn, the sound the doors make when they close, the way the engine sounds, and everything about it. I've been reading the same Haynes manual for 22 years!

The car started having FI problems in the mid 80's and sat. In HS my Dad let me take it hoping I could fix it, but I couldn't. I pushed it all over town. The love for it is very deep. While it was running, girls would ask for a ride, but the car wouldn't start unless they got up off the seat! I got stranded all over Santa Maria. Eventually, the issues were too much for me to handle so.....

I started bringing dates back to my Mom's garage where we could make out in the non-op 914. I liked it. I know every dent, every scratch, every nick of the windshield, and every detail of the car since 1976.

I finally gave up and returned my 914 to my Dad. It sat barely covered for 10 years on our family farm.

When my Dad died in 1997, my sister called me and said that all the cars (my Dad never traded in a car) were going to the wrecker. I said NO to the 914- that's mine. She was right when she said it would take more money to fix than it was worth. True to everyone on this earth except me.

With my then fiance, now wife and her folks, we loaded up the 914 on a Uhaul and brought it to San Jose. It has become a symbol of my Dad and the best part of my childhood.

When I first got it home, it had major rust, DOA rust under the battery. This was repaired through major surgery (and money). I realized I needed to learn more about 914s to keep it going, so my wife and I bought an AX car to build and learn. We have. We've also parted out a few cars over the years. The problem was that the AX car took all my time, money and energy. I also bought a 993 too! I kept putting it off because I didn't want to mess up my Dad's car. I knew I needed to learn more, but I also know that I need to restore this car as much as I can myself.

I sold the AX car about 3 years ago to go to grad school. As I get closer to finishing, I have begun taking the car apart. I have 100% confidence now to do it right.. and about 50% of the money (but we'll will find a way).

As I take this 100% stock car (except for the Pioneer 8-track) down to the frame, I'm thinking about what I'm going to build it up to be. I'm thinking a slightly modified 2.0 with FI, more chrome here an there, a couple B-24s hidden around, and perhaps a longer version of this story.

Now I tell my 3.5 year old daughter stories where a 914 always comes in to save the day.

Strangely enough, 914s have always been a good omen for us. On our way to look at our first house, we saw 5 914s on the way there including one across the street.

We found out a year later that we bought the house Jeff Bowlsby (914 LE / harness / etc) lived in when he was a kid and it was new.

My love for 914s runs deep, but not deeper than family, etc. However, my 914 will be art when its done, and yes it will be driven too.

Here's the details -
1974 2.0 Olympic Blue - 2.0 Fuchs - appearance package except black bumpers.

Your post makes me want to start trying to find old pictures. They are in the family somewhere.

Take Care !
Rob

What a fantastic story!

This is the real soul of people and their cars.

Even though I cant drive around and meet everyone and their car it doesn't mean that you cant write it and post it right here.

In fact, I wish you would. The stories are what bring these nuts and bolts to life.







oh yea, Find some old pics of your car please and post them with your story!

I don't have a good story, but I am always envious of those, "my old man bought it new" stories. One of my friends has a 57 MGA his dad bought new. He lost his father early but, he has some of the same kind of memories. Like how the highlight of his day would be when his dad let him start the car to warm it up.

Hmm. My baby is my 1972 VW Squareback and I grew up with (and it seems, "in") that car. My parents traded in the VW Transporter (I still remember the colors...blue bottom, white top) for a brand-spankin'-new, fuel injected, disc brakes and luggage rack family wagon (in Bright Orange, a nice '70s color). Took us all over California and the mountains. She's now my car.

Unfortunately, she's not stock Truth be told, none of my cars ever are nor will be. Bored and stroked 2007cc powerplant, 5-speed custom geared performance transaxle, and full-length rag top. No pictures of her in stock dress with me as they are all in the photo albums at my mother's house.

My neighbor had a blue and white baywindow that I puked in the back of on the way up to Lake arrowhead, when I was about 11. I dont know why but 10 years later I drove by her house and was touched to see that blue and white van still sitting there. I should have bought it from her. She sold it for 400 bucks I think.


There was an article years ago about a squareback called "independence", it told the story of the lady who bought the car when she left her man and drove it all over the damn place. Only parts of the story were true but i still think about that car the way it looked before it was restored.. sitting on the street in the hills south of Ventura Blvd.


I'll see if I cant write something this week to continue whats above.
I gots some cool stories.

I have a friend I know from our Pool that is an original owner of an all original 914-4

It is a 1.7 and I always thought he was a weenie because everything is completely stock... (only chicks drive stock cars) Hell I couldnt even leave the f150 alone, just had to f*ck with it... now its broken too... LOL

Anyway, I can get his info to you if you want.

totally, I'd be keen to speak with him. Does he have any pictures of it from the 70's maybe?


Went to Monterey this weekend and it was a freakin' classic car show on the 101. In total I saw about 30 or more Porsche 356's and early 911's, one orange 914-6, and a gaggle or two of 40' Ford hotrods and one swarm of buzzing Model T garage racers. Wow, is all I could say when I'd come on up on them.

Ever heard 15 race prepped Model T's go by?


On the way down I stopped in SLO and spoke with a couple with an all original 1966 Mercedes 250S. Late 20's, she's pregnant, the car was bought by her grandfather and sat non op for many years after he passed away. Her man, Jason, dragged it out of storage and got it running without her knowing, then picked her up in it on their wedding day. A good one to begin with I think.

If you have time call Brad Mayeur at 309-694-1797. He owns 914LTD in IL. I believe he is the original owner of his 74 914. His car is all stock from what I can remember. Brad is a great guy and I am sure he can give you a good story.

the dealer I work at has a "brand new" 70something beetle (whatever the last year they produced them in germany was) never been titled, never sold, COMPLETELY original except the tires, some seals and the vinyl convertable top which all succumbed to dry rot. 26 orig miles IIRC (not 26K, just 26)

Thanks for the reference. I've seen Brad's name here and there.


26miles? now thats cool.

I'll look closer when I take my break

I have a fiat 124 spider I bought new in 1978. Not pristine, but original. Regular daily driver off and on over the years. Somewhere around 65k miles, I think.
Been to the NC barrier islands, South Padre, where I was stopped and searched
to see if I was smuggling aliens in the trunk..., etc.

Click to view attachment


patrick

My sister had one of those.
fun car, we used to zip over the surface streets between Valencia and Northridge when she worked at the mall.

Valley Girl, Valley Girl.

Thanks Rob Way for that story. I think my son is feeling the same as you did wheh I pick him up from school. He calls know and ask if I can bring the Porsche.

so I was wrong, 39.5 miles