This
is a very easy component to cover. No 914/6 or 914 vehicle produced left either the
Porsche® Zuffenhausen
or Volkswagen® Wolfsburg factory with hood
(front trunk lid) ornamentation of any kind, including the Porsche crest. As
noted below, the Porsche 916 models incorporated the Porsche crest into rear
badging, but no 914 or 914/6 car, whether U.S., European or other specification,
was adorned with an exterior Porsche crest (other than hubcaps used on some
914/6 models).
...Okay,
perhaps one Porsche 914/6 production car left the factory at Zuffenhausen
with a front trunk lid crest. This famous car is, of course,
the vehicle pictured on Page 73 of the Porsche 914/6 factory
owner's
manual (reproduced at right). Why the marketing folks would
use a picture of a car with a front crest may never be
known.
That
all being said, it is not uncommon to see 914 and 914/6 vehicles sporting a
Porsche hood crest, but, in every case, this ornamentation was added by a dealership
or owner. Similar to the REAR REFLECTOR,
the hood crest is popular because it adds a nice finishing touch.
If you plan to add or replace a front crest to your 914, consider using period correct Porsche 911 badges for a nice, authentic
look. Position the badge correctly: centered with the front
bottom tip 80mm front the leading edge of the front trunk lid.
Current
eBay listings for Porsche Orange Bar Hood Crests (compare with item
pictured on this
page to ensure authenticity... be very thorough):
The
drawbacks to using period or model year correct Porsche 911
hood crests are scarcity, cost and item misrepresentation. From 1965-1974,
the 911 hood badge used an orange-colored enamel stripe instead of the translucent red inlay
with which most people are familiar. Genuine examples of these
badges are highly sought-after and commonly sell for
hundreds of dollars (contingent on condition). To further
complicate matters, the high price that these emblems
command has spawned numerous reproductions (some rather
good).
The best way to determine if an "orange
bar" crest is authentic is through examination of the
back. Lesser reproductions (available for about $60) state
"Made in Germany" and have more pronounced "dimpling" on the
back than even the later originals possessed. Higher quality reproductions have the
correct "901," "®" and
"AR" markings embossed on the back, but still have
more distinct "dimpling" in the metal than do the
originals, which were either smooth (as pictured at top
right), or, in later versions (1972-1974),
had very faint dimpling (example pictured at lower right).
Such reproductions are frequently misrepresented as factory
original or NOS, so it is important to be familiar with the
differences. Generally, if an early Porsche crest looks too
gaudy or pristine to be a late 1960s or early 1970s item, it
is not authentic.
P914
is currently offering an authentic factory Porsche
911 orange-bar hood crest for sale. Details are available in the SALES
section.
Late
in the 1974 model year, Porsche 911 hood
badge styling was changed to the better-known version with
the translucent red stripes. Except for the red enamel, the
initial version of this badge is identical to the orange-bar
badge it replaced. These "transition" hood crests
are found on late 1974 and early 1975 Porsche 911 models and
would therefore be period correct for the 1974-1975
Porsche 914 models. Such badges are uncommon, but still do
not rival prices commanded by the "orange bar"
crests (although they fetch quite a bit more than subsequent
Porsche badges).
Again, the most reliable method of determining authenticity
is through examination of the rear of the badge (dimpling,
incorrect markings, etc.).
During
the 1975 model year (and therefore period correct for the
1975-1976 Porsche 914 models), Porsche 911 hood badges
continued to be produced with
the translucent red stripe, but with the full
part number, 901 559 210 20, embossed on the back.
Apparently the supplier was also changed, as the upper
marking changed from a diagonal "AR" design in a
circle to what appears to be a crossed "REU"
design in a circle. All rear dimpling once again vanished as
well. Later badges underwent additional changes such as the
elimination of the "circle R," introduction of
translucent black stripes and eventually a different
"PORSCHE" script style, but those changes took
place after the end of 914 production in 1976 (and remember,
this is a Porsche 914 site, although this page is a bit
off-track). The "red
bar" emblems are more common and there there are also more
reproductions available (generally not misrepresented).
The
1972 Porsche
916 model vehicles incorporated the
Porsche crest into the (quite busy) rear badging in two styles:
the
block "PORSCHE" script formerly used on the
back of the 356 during its last four years of production
placed to the left of a "916" emblem (similar
styling to the "914" rear badge) followed by a
small crest emblem, or
the
911 orange bar hood crest between the "916"
emblem and the 356 block "PORSCHE" script.
