Production Volumes by Year

[zundfolge]

Is there an accurate chart of production number for each year anywhere?

(I found the '68 thread)

[Chuck Miller]

I keep Pat Paternie's RED BOOK on my desk for quick reference...

Hope this helps,
cm

[911T1971]

agree!

2005 edition i have, and still the best source.

[davep]

Some of the sources, Red Book included, have some errors, others are quite wrong. Sometimes even the Factory numbers are not quite right. Another problem is how the "year" is defined. From 1968 the model year was coded into the VIN, and before that it was murky. Here on ESR we often talk about the 1964 911, which is defined as the 232 cars produced (according to the production record book) in calendar year 1964. But this does not mean that the VIN range for this group is the full set from 300001 to 300232. Indeed, this group includes cars up to 300235 with one car never completed as far as we are able to determine, and a few more completed in calendar year 1965. A lot of these cars were different in many ways from the rest of the 1965 Model year group. But how to define that 1965 model year? The Factory would have us believe everything was just early production 1966 model year. There is a huge thread devoted to the transition from 1965 to 1966 model year. Production numbers for what I (personally) would define as 1965 model year would include between 1900 and 2000 cars (which also includes the 1964 subset and the 901 sub-subset). Then try to define the 1966 model year; there is the murky transition from 1965 and an equally murky transition into 1967. The Factory defined the first VIN of 1967 model year as 305101. Does this define the last VIN of 1966 MY as 305100? Nope, not even close. We have discovered through research (big thread on the 1967 Deluxe) that "probably" the last 1966 was 304702, and from 304703 to 304959 were 1967 Deluxe subset. Between 304960 to 305100 the VIN range was not used. A similar gap exists in the Porsche built 912, but not the Karmann built 912. While 1966 and earlier we had just the 911 Coupe, in 1967 we had the 911 & 911S in Coupe and Targa versions. In 1968 this exploded to 13 911 variants. In 1968 and 1969, the VIN range began with last digits of 001, but from 1970 the range began at 011 with the first 10 reserved for the Factory to play with. Sometime after (1984?) some (all?) began at 061 to allow the factory to play with a larger reserved range. Through my own research I have also determined that the 1971 911S Coupe had a gap of approximately 236 in the middle of the year; but this is the only mid-year gap I have found, so far. But yeah, I have what I consider a fairly comprehensive list for my own use.

[haul]

Dave,

I d love to see this list of yours, ....

[John912]

Having worked for two European car manufacturers, I can tell you there’s no set and consistent policy for establishing model year designations, at least for those two manufacturers. Sometimes it came down to holding open a model year for a few months to get a certain sales number. Unless someone has, or had, direct contact with someone in the head office at the time, I’m afraid we’ll never really know what really happened for model year 1965 at Porsche, especially with the plant juggling the production of three models that year. Porsche has a pretty consistent way of setting model year designations, but who really knows what happened in 65? As my wife says, when you don’t know you make up stories.

[911T1971]

thx to all, excellent insights..Dave, John.

[davep]

Dave,

I d love to see this list of yours, ....

Sure, I will email my long hood list.

[haul]

Dave,

as always, most interesting...will start
work with it...

thanks
mille grazie
br
stay safe&healthy

haul