Is there a source for the perforated and also the solid seat vinyl in brown? It needs to match the materials used on a 1971 model year brown seat (not black or tan).

Thanks,

we have the brown smooth material, the carpeting (factory) , and some of the original factory interior parts. We had to do a thorough search when restoring the Motor Trend Import Car of the year, a 71 white with brown interior 914

I was visiting Michael Grishman at Autosport Northeast (Berwick, Maine) who has been selling used Porsche parts for years (formerly Foreign Intrigue), and noted that he had a set of tan and brown seats, as well as backpads (not sure about the door panels). Give him a call at 207-698-1000. Tell him that James mentioned seeing them on his visit (or maybe not, I still need to pay for a few items I picked up <grin>).

Thanks to George and Jasfsmith for your replies. I'm looking at a 914 that has an original brown interior but the drivers seat has tears and splits and needs to be re-done. Sounds like the brown perforated vinyl is not available as new material and I would need to find a complete, used brown seat. They are probably pretty rare in decent condition.

So tell me: what do you estimate are the percentages of 914s 70 through 74 that came with a brown interior? My estimate is 1 or 2% were brown, maybe 5% tan, and the rest black. What do you think?

Thanks,

Yea, try finding smooth light grain early light tan door panels....
still lookin'

Geez, Perry, I think hen's teeth are more common.

I have never seen perforated vinyl on a stock 914 seat. Are you sure you need perforated?

My apologies, I used the wrong terminology. I should have said "basket weave" vinyl, not "perforated". The baskete weave material only looks perforated, but it's not, correct?

A closer reading of Brett Johnson's book reveals that for '71 MY cars, while both solid and basket weave vinyl were listed as seat material choices in Porsche documentation, he believes that the factory only used solid vinyl in that MY.

I am looking at a '71 914 for sale that has a brown interior. The drivers seat needs recovering. It appears that the seats in this car are the solid vinyl.

Thanks,

Barry

All stock 71's that I have seen had smooth vinyl seats and door panels. Brown is rare however. Sounds like George at AA has what you need.

Barry,

The 1971 & 72 Porsche Materials Options pages below lists it as "Leatherette with Perforated Inserts" - so both perforated & basket weave terms are used, the latter to distinguish between the early pattern from the later "Brickweave" pattern (starting 75 I think).

Both the smooth & perforated types of vinyl changed in 75-76, according to Dr914 G.H.

Perforated looks like it might be just that - if only a tiny hole in the inset (from what I can tell on mine), but it's done in the texture &/or holes for air flow to keep the seat cooler.

FYI - 1971 & 72 Colors Charts with Porsche Nos. & 72 with VW Nos. & Samples for the smooth & basketweave/perforated inserts (pix are in that order):
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Tom, thanks for that info! Very valuable. Glad to know I was not totally off base by calling the basket weave vinyl "perforated".

What is interesting about that color chart for the 71 MY is that it appears to be saying that all 914 seats had inserts of either the basket weave or corduroy. There is no choice listed of "Material" and "Inlay" that states the entire seat would be solid vinyl. Or am I making an incorrect assumption?

I note that what we usually call "Tan" was actually called "Beige" by Porsche?

Finally, is it correct that cars with the optional Appearance Group always came with "Pile" carpet?

Was a particular color of carpet always associated with a particular interior color, or could the carpet be any of the 3 colors if ordered that way? That is, did cars with a brown interior always come with brown carpet?

Thanks,
Barry

Barry - you should look at the 71 fabric samples at this link below (ditto for other MY 914s you look at), since what they show as "perforated" insert is more of a textured smooth vinyl leatherette! http://members.rennlist.com/914_collectibl...aintFabrics.htm & http://members.rennlist.com/914_collectibles/zPF_71F5.jpg

There could be another page from the Porsche materials book that I posted above, with the choice of true smooth leatherette inserts, or it could be the look of the material as noted above leads everyone to think that it was "smooth" - rather than some other "pre-basketweave" perforated material, similar to the later change to brickweave in 75-76!?

The list called it "Beige", Dr914 George calls it "Caramel", this above link calls it "Cinnamon" in a sample interior, I & others have called it Tan, etc. I think they may have used different marketing names for it over the years, as well as folks calling it different to suit their tastes!

I've researched several sources for my early-73 914S/914-2.0 which indicates that pile carpet came with the App. Group, although you could have it as a separate option too I suppose (i.e.: without App. Grp.).

It's possible that someone could order a 914 with an "off-standard" combinations of interior colors, like brown seats/doors & tan carpet - as with any car maker & model car. The standard in most MYs for 914s seems to be a close color match, with some years having a "cross-over color" of carpet - such as my tan & brown speckled loop pile #503 for 73, which would go well with either Beige/Tan or Brown seats/doors, plus it is slightly less prone to show the daily dirt since it's not as light as the #504 pure tan pile carpet from 73.

But the pix of the tangerine 71 has both brown & tan in the carpet in different areas, so I don't know what to make of that. Maybe if you post that pic here, someone with a 71 might know what's up with it!?

Here's the Tan/Beige & Brown Speckled #503 Loop Pile Carpet in my 73 2L, & different from 1972 but same as in the 1974 Color Samples below - so it was available 73-74:

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You may want to ask George Hussey at AA if there was a materials &/or color change for the vinyl leatherette & perforated & for carpet types from 70-71 to the 72 & later 914s!??