I have been going through a lot of old photos in the last week, and ran across this photo my dad took of a brand new 1974 911 and 914. The dealer back then was Rexroat Porsche-Audi, on 23rd Avenue in East Moline. You can just see the tail end of a VW either parked or passing by on the frontage road. And is that a Chevelle station wagon passing by on the four-lane?
One needs to remind the younger folk that the car does not appear orange because of the color shifts in the old Kodacolor print, or because the white balance is off. The car really was that color, and the other one really was that avocado green.
70s colours were garish I saw a purple corolla yesterday all original and it took me back I recall when those colours were common to all makes.
My ’76 Scout is currently a faded purple, courtesy of the previous owner. That’s pretty bad, but it’s covering up an even more hideous color offered in 1975 called “Gold Poly”, which is essentially a corporate gold metalflake. The horror.
Yes. All the `European’ crap nowadays is grey, black, grey, silver, light grey, bluish grey, grey, brownish grey, …. Grey is sophistication. Aesthetes will cringe at bright, light colours. Its `simply not done’. All of them are proper English gentlemen with perfect sense of what’s `not cricket’. The ignorant oafs! Having never actually seen extravagant display of wealth by really, really, rich, cultured people, the fools believe that richer content must accompany duller appearance, in order to avoid being labeled nouveau-riches in their own foolish community. For more on this phenomenon, a good (humorous) source is: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SlidingScaleOfShinyVersusGritty
The nice thing about Porsche is that if you pay enough (gotta love insanely priced Porsche options) they’ll squirt one’s new 911 pretty much any color. Even the “standard” colors in the Porsche configurator have some pretty cool stuff. I like the fact that one can get a new 911 in metallic brown.
http://cc.porsche.com/icc_pcna/ccCall.do?userID=US&lang=us&PARAM=parameter_internet_us&hookURL=http%3A//www.porsche.com/usa/modelstart/all/default.ashx%3Fmodelrange%3D911&ORDERTYPE=991110&screen=1280×800&vLevel=2
Also, Audi does this stuff too.
http://www.joelfeder.com/2010/07/09/up-for-grabs-jack-baruths-porsche-lime-green-audi-s5/
Heh heh. That lime green Audi S5 sure gets a mention whenever the topic of car colours is brought up. Hats off to Porsche though. If only the economy makers could stop aping the grey luxury makes and imitate Porsche!
1974…the Malaise era…I remember all too well.
I really wouldn’t want a 1974 Anything, except possibly to resell.
Here’s why:
Emissions standards in those final days (1973-1974) – before catalytic converters appeared in 1975 – necessitated a cob-job of components…most of which required a spaghetti-bowl of vacuum lines to operate. Once the converters appeared, the cob-jobbing disappeared for a few years, then as the standards got stricter, it gradually came back until cleaner-burning electronic fuel injection took the place of carbs in the 80’s.
I guarantee you, the identical car in 1975 or ’76 trim would be easier to live with, all other things being equal.
I think that the widely known exception is Mopars with the infernal Lean Burn which came out in 1976. I would take a 74-75 with all of the vacuum lines any day over a Lean Burn.
I’m not one to normally defend early emissions controls but.. Lean Burn was pretty advanced for it’s time. The issue was with sticking an early form of the modern ECU in a high heat, high vibration environment.. “Hey guys, let’s hang it off the air cleaner housing! That’ll do it.”
My favorite era of this gorgeous car! Well before the onset of the late 80s bloat.
If you come across a 74 GTO, SD 455 Trans Am, W30 Hurst Olds, Laguna 454, Dart Sport or Duster drop me a line! I’ll gladly take them off your hands, “cob-job” emissions or not.
I wouldn’t mind having a ’73 or ’74 Ventura “GTO” myself, I’d drop in a OHC Pontiac Six. Four speed only, please.
Sean, MarcKyle, you got it!
Brooks & Dunn had a hit song called “Red Dirt Road” nine years ago that mentioned a “shackled-up GTO”…possible only with the Ventura-based X-body that used rear leafs instead of the 4-link coils that came with the ’66-’67 depicted in the video…
…if you could find one, that is….
I’d be happy with a ’74 BMW 2002 with a 4-speed manual gearbox and its tough M10 2.0 liter four.
Nix to that 911, from the factory it had the 2.7 liter flat 6 that was infamous for blowing up early and often. Of course most examples probably have a fuel-injected 3.0 or 3.2 liter engine from a later SC or Carrera swapped in by now.
Knowing how Porschephiles are, I’d expect there would be a few ‘brand new’ condition 911’s around, probably more for pre-74 years though. Same for muscle cars, the correct-date-stamp crowd.
Ahh, 1974, one year outta high school and ready to rock. Give me Iggy And The Stooges and a Mazda RX-4 coupe!! Turn it up to 12 and pedal to the metal, baby!
Looking for Rexroat Porsche Audi license plate frames. Let me know if you happen to fi d one.
My 1974 911 was sold by Rexroat Porsche-Audi in East Moline.
I’m looking for a license plate …or whatever that may have a connection with this dealer
Hello I have a 1991 964 turbo which I’m trying to trace the service history between 1991 and 2001. Unfortunately the service book was missing but I managed to get dealer (Rexroat) details from Porsche USA. As Rexroat is now out of business I shall be grateful of any info about the dealer?
many thanks.