Final thread on transition from 65-66 model yr!

[NeunElf]

I don't know whether or not I've posted somewhere in these 42 pages, but here's better information on my car:

1965 Porsche 911 coupé
Champagne Yellow # 6405
Chassis # 301382
Engine # P-901505 901.01
Transmission # 101422 901/0

It was originally delivered at Auto Rossel in Weisbaden on 21 June 1964. It was serviced at Vasek Polak's on "9.7.65" at which point it had 2144 miles.

[Chris Pomares]

Does anyone know or can you make a educated guess as to the build date of 303434. Sept., Oct. 1965?
Chris

[Jules Dielen]

Does anyone know or can you make a educated guess as to the build date of 303434. Sept., Oct. 1965?
Chris

Chris, 12. Jan 1966

[NeunElf]

Does anyone know or can you make a educated guess as to the build date of 303434. Sept., Oct. 1965?
Chris

Well, the little Technical Specifications booklet says the first chassis number in Calendar Year 1966 was 303391. It also says that Solex-carbureted 911 engine # 903360 was built on 8 December 1965 and engine 903910 (the last Soelex-carbed engine) was built on 21 February 1996. So, Porsche was building engines not faster than 7⅓ engines/day. The disparities between engine numbers and chassis numbers suggest there might be something like 0.8 cars built for each engine.

303434 is 43 chassis numbers past the first car in calendar year 1966, so an educated guess puts 303434 in early January 1966.

[Chris Pomares]

Thanks for the info.
I must do more reading on this. I made a assumption that Porsche shut down in August and started the next year production in September. What actually happens after the August break and the end of the calendar year.
Chris

[NeunElf]

Thanks for the info.
I must do more reading on this. I made a assumption that Porsche shut down in August and started the next year production in September. What actually happens after the August break and the end of the calendar year.
Chris

It seems it hasn't always been August. The little spec booklet that so conveniently lumps all the calendar year 1965 chassis numbers together says the '65 model year ran to June 1965 and the '66 model year started in July 1965. I've also read that the "Model 50" which was the first year of 356 production in Stuttgart ran from mid-March 1950 to mid-March 1951.

[Chris Pomares]

Jules & NeunElf,
Then my question is, if production started in June of 65 for the 66 cars and 303434 is the 43rd car for 66, did it really take tell Jan. 12th to produce the 43rd car? How long did it take to ramp up the assembly line and production? They didn't start building engines and cars tell December? What were they building? Parts? I thought they outsourced most parts.
Chris

[davep]

I know there are now 43 pages, but if you had read through this thread then you would understand. Simply put, you are confusing calendar year with model year. I doubt that 303434 was the 43rd car for calendar year 1966 because they did complete them in VIN order. If they did indeed start 1966 model year production in July, the the VIN would be near 302000 +/-100. I know of one car near 301700 that has a 1966 paint code, but that seems to be a very special order.

[NeunElf]

Jules & NeunElf,
Then my question is, if production started in June of 65 for the 66 cars and 303434 is the 43rd car for 66, did it really take tell Jan. 12th to produce the 43rd car? How long did it take to ramp up the assembly line and production? They didn't start building engines and cars tell December? What were they building? Parts? I thought they outsourced most parts.
Chris

Porsche does publish the chassis number range for calendar year 1966: 303391 to 307350. 303434 is 43 past 303391. Cars didn't necessarily get completed in exact chassis number sequence, but early January 1966 is likely.

Here's the page from the spec booklet:



Note that it separates chassis numbers by model years in calendar years 1966 and later but not in 1965. That has caused no end of confusion.

The production totals are approximately:
CY 1964 234
CY 1965 3154
MY 1966/MY 1966 1709
MY 1967/CY 1966 2249
CY 1966 3958

As has been mentioned many times, they didn't get finished in exact chassis number order, so these figures may be a little off. They do show production slowly ramping up.

[preS]

Well, the little Technical Specifications booklet says the first chassis number in Calendar Year 1966 was 303391. It also says that Solex-carbureted 911 engine # 903360 was built on 8 December 1965 and engine 903910 (the last Soelex-carbed engine) was built on 21 February 1996. So, Porsche was building engines not faster than 7⅓ engines/day. The disparities between engine numbers and chassis numbers suggest there might be something like 0.8 cars built for each engine.

There is a thread that the last engine used in a MY66 is actually like 40 numbers lower than 903910. Apparently they made some spares.

Richard