No Porsche®
914 or Porsche 914/6 vehicles left their respective factories with a rear
reflector. Remember, the 914 was marketed as a "VW Porsche"
everywhere except in North America (where it was simply a
"Porsche"), so putting a big reflector on the back with the
Porsche script emblazoned across it would have been contrary to the intent
of the manufacturers. This, however, has not prevented 914 owners
from adorning the rear of their cars with "PORSCHE" reflectors,
either through (sometimes illegal) aftermarket products or modification of
911 reflectors. Results vary.
Current
eBay listings for Porsche 914 Rear Reflectors (compare with items on this
page to ensure suitability - if any are listed, they are often cut-down
911 reflectors):
Of
course, the rear reflector was a popular option on the 911, so there were
rear reflectors illegally manufactured for the 914 for a period of time
prior to Porsche successfully suing for trademark infringement. These
mid-seventies after-market reflectors, installed both by dealers and
individuals, are fairly difficult to find in good, undamaged or unmolested
condition. They are uniformly-colored red reflectors with black
"PORSCHE" script and a full black border. They are also the same
dimension top-to-bottom as the tail light lens and are backed by polyurethane
spacers to protrude to the level of the tail lights for a smooth look.
Installation requires drilling four holes in the back of the car and a
remote trunk lid release (solenoid or cable or both), although some have
chosen to drill a big hole in the reflector itself to access the factory trunk
release button ((not recommended).
Apparently
one or more company or companies has again begun production of "Porsche
914-specific" rear reflector panels. We at P914 have no familiarity
with these new panels, and so cannot currently provide any information as
to fit, appearance or mounting (or legality) of these aftermarket items.
The
other, more common reflector found on the Porsche 914 is a Porsche
911 rear reflector that has been cut down on both sides to fit between the
914 tail lights. While I expect that the quality of the factory reflector
(made by Bosch) is superior to the after-market 914 items, the 911 reflectors are
slightly narrower top-to-bottom than the 914 tail lights, and the spacing
in the back is not adequate to raise the reflector to the level of the
tail light lenses, so the overall appearance is not smooth. Also, the
resulting cut-down reflector will include portions of an insert on each side
creating a rather unfinished appearance. Mounting a cut-down 911 reflector on a 914 requires drilling
six holes
and installing a remote trunk lid release.
