Karmann built 911 and 912 bodies

[gulf908]

Hi

I am writing an article for a local magazine on 3 local RHD 914s here in Australia
I have been reading Lewandowski's book 50 Years 914 which refers to Karmann supplying trimmed shells to Porsche who completed the 914-6s with their own mechanicals

Does anyone know if the early 911s,or 356s for that matter, that Karmann built and sent to Porsche were trimmed and painted shells or just primered shells ?
Excellent + book BTW - more twists and turns than a plate of Tony's spaghetti bolognaise !

thanks
Dennis

[davep]

I am not sure when Porsche brought body building and paint in house, but Reutter delivered trimmed bodies to the Porsche assembly line well after 911 production started. I am not sure if Karmann fully built any of the cars, but certainly the bodies would have been fully trimmed. The 914/4 was completely built by Karmann. D'Ieteren was famous for the twin grille 356 roadsters, and built complete cars, plus shipped trimmed bodies to Porsche for final assembly.

[moito]

due to beeing not a native speaker i`m not sure what`s the definition of trimmed body is. but when comparing karmann and Reutter/porsche bodies of the same year one can see that there is differences in how schutz is applied .i don`t know if painted bodies or even pre assmbled shells where delivered to the factory.
but what sens would it make to let reutter send painted and pre assembled cars to the factory but karmann only sends unpainted shells...i even would think karmann has sent the bodies in the same stage of assembling as reutter did...
just yesterday i talked about this to Guido Eickholz,owner of the reutter shop and the big reutter arcive..... he does not know eighter.

i guess i will do a bit of googeling tonight

btw not all of the karmann 911/912 bodies did come from the osnabrück plant but from the rheine

[Scott A]

moito,

Can you give more detail about 911/912 not being built in Osnabrück, but the Rheine?
did Karmann have several plant locations? and send the bodies to Stuttgart by train?
or did the cars never go to stuttgart? They were just completely finished up in Rheine?


I lived in Osnabrück.

[moito]

moito,

Can you give more detail about 911/912 not being built in Osnabrück, but the Rheine?
did Karmann have several plant locations? and send the bodies to Stuttgart by train?
or did the cars never go to stuttgart? They were just completely finished up in Rheine?


I lived in Osnabrück.

mistake from my side...the plant in rheine was opened in 1965 bmw coupes where produced there and from 1966 on also porsche bodies...dont know how finished they where sent to P.


Schon vor dem Auslaufen des Hardtop-Coupés war in Osnabrück die Produktion des normalen 356er-Coupés mit flacherem Dach angelaufen, Porsche verkaufte immer besser und hatte inzwischen auch einen Teil der Produktion nach Belgien ausgelagert. Dort baute D’Ieteren Frères in Brüssel 356er-Cabriolets, die auf Wunsch mit einem festen Dach, einem Hardtop, von Karmann winterfest gemacht wurden. Die Osnabrücker durften damals ein Fabrikschild in diesen Teilen sichtbar verbauen, sodass heute noch deren Ursprung gekennzeichnet ist. Das belgische Werk ist übrigens der Ursprung der heutigen Audi-Fabrikation in Brüssel.

Auch Modelle des 356er-Nachfolgers, des legendären Porsche 911, liefen bei Karmann vom Band. Allerdings nicht im Stammwerk Osnabrück, sondern im 1965 eröffneten Zweigwerk in Rheine. Neben den eleganten Coupés von BMW (2000 CS und Nachfolger) und dem Opel Diplomat gab es dort Fertigungsanlagen für den Ur-911er, das Coupé. Start der Produktion war 1966, gleichzeitig mit dem Sechszylinder 911 kamen dort die sehr viel günstigeren 912er-Typen mit den Vier-Zylinder-Motoren aus den Werkshallen. Bis zur Einstellung der Produktion im März 1971 gab es fast 22000 Autos dieser Baureihe aus Osnabrück.


https://www.noz.de/lokales/osnabruec...ery&0&1&207971

[davep]

My understanding is that trimmed means a painted body with the interior installed. The Reutter book for the 911 includes paint codes and detailed interior codes plus key numbers. The Reutter Certificates for the 356 is similarly detailed, perhaps much more that for the 911. What is missing is any detail of the drive train. This was the Porsche factory speciality. Thus the Factory built the engines and transmissions, and then installed them in nearly completed bodies.

[Jules Dielen]

mistake from my side...the plant in rheine was opened in 1965 bmw coupes where produced there and from 1966 on also porsche bodies...dont know how finished they where sent to P.


Schon vor dem Auslaufen des Hardtop-Coupés war in Osnabrück die Produktion des normalen 356er-Coupés mit flacherem Dach angelaufen, Porsche verkaufte immer besser und hatte inzwischen auch einen Teil der Produktion nach Belgien ausgelagert. Dort baute D’Ieteren Frères in Brüssel 356er-Cabriolets, die auf Wunsch mit einem festen Dach, einem Hardtop, von Karmann winterfest gemacht wurden. Die Osnabrücker durften damals ein Fabrikschild in diesen Teilen sichtbar verbauen, sodass heute noch deren Ursprung gekennzeichnet ist. Das belgische Werk ist übrigens der Ursprung der heutigen Audi-Fabrikation in Brüssel.

Auch Modelle des 356er-Nachfolgers, des legendären Porsche 911, liefen bei Karmann vom Band. Allerdings nicht im Stammwerk Osnabrück, sondern im 1965 eröffneten Zweigwerk in Rheine. Neben den eleganten Coupés von BMW (2000 CS und Nachfolger) und dem Opel Diplomat gab es dort Fertigungsanlagen für den Ur-911er, das Coupé. Start der Produktion war 1966, gleichzeitig mit dem Sechszylinder 911 kamen dort die sehr viel günstigeren 912er-Typen mit den Vier-Zylinder-Motoren aus den Werkshallen. Bis zur Einstellung der Produktion im März 1971 gab es fast 22000 Autos dieser Baureihe aus Osnabrück.


https://www.noz.de/lokales/osnabruec...ery&0&1&207971

This is also not correct as D'ieteren only built Roadsters (473 T5 and 249 T6) not cabs - and roadsters never had a Karmann hardtop. It does not exist.

[kaufmanp]

quote:

witing an article for a local magazine on 3 local RHD 914s here in Australia
I have been reading Lewandowski's book 50 Years 914 which refers to Karmann supplying trimmed shells to Porsche who completed the 914-6s with their own mechanicals

Does anyone know if the early 911s,or 356s for that matter, that Karmann built and sent to Porsche were trimmed and painted shells or just primered shells ?
Excellent + book BTW - more twists and turns than a plate of Tony's spaghetti bolognaise !



My brothers former employer (Solicitor) was Owner (or may still be in family's possession) of a 914/6 that was purchased new in the early seventies that resided in Sydney.
I believe it was purchased new from Scuderia Veloce in Lindfield and converted TO RHD by Dutton's in Melbourne prior to delivery.
his business partner was Pat Burke a well known Porsche owner and collector.

[gulf908]

yes Peter this is one of the three which is now being rebuilt

cheers
Dennis

[kaufmanp]

yes Peter this is one of the three which is now being rebuilt

cheers
Dennis

Dennis,

Just curious is it still owned by the same family..? Who is doing the resto/ rebuild?

Thanks

Peter