How to determine the year of an early car when you see one on the street?

[dhopkins]

The other day I was in the parking lot of Whole Foods and I noticed an early car drive by and tried to figure what year it was. From a hundred feet or so I only had time to note that had rubber on the over-riders so it couldn't be a '65 or '66. Does anybody have a way of determing the year of a car from its external appearance?

Don
_______________________
1965 912
1981 911SC
2006 Cayman S

[preS]

66 can have rubber on the over riders (bumper guards?) too

if it has a angled script (911 or 912) it's pre August 66
if it has a T in the rear lid and a 3? bar grill it's pre (approx) calender year 68

Richard

[Chuck Miller]

Don,

If we're talk'n stock 911's.... I do it this way

A short wheel base 911 has the rear edge of its torsion bar cover very close (almost touching) the front of the rear wheel well opening. A long wheel base 911 has about 2 fingers width between the rear edge of the cover and the front of the wheel opening.

I this country it's rare to find a 'short car' earlier then a '66 ... so you've probably got 3 choices between '66-'68. A '66 has the 911 script on a slant on the rear deck and a wood trimmed dash. A '67 has its 911 script straight under the rear grill, and an aluminum trimmed dash. A '68, if stock, has side marker lights. If you see a 'long car' with 'button' door pulls it's a '69. A long car with 'trigger' door pulls and no oil filler door and no 2.4 grill badge is a '70 or '71 (very hard to tell the difference from the outside). If it's a long car with a oil door it's a '72. And if it's a long car with a 2.4 grill badge, no oil door, black plastic horn grills, and black surrounds on the direction lenses, it's a '73.

Hope this helps...

Let's see where I screwed up......

[Milou]

This Thread could provide you with some info:

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...roduction-year

[911T1971]

Chuck, I do it exactly this way too - Torsion bar cover > SWB > LWB and so on...
Btw a 70 and 71, the key lock type (vertical or horizontal) gives a clue.
Or, assuming the owner put it right, the position or typ of the Weltmeister decal.

[dhopkins]

Chuck,
Great. Thanks. But it would be hard to make out all those details as a car is driving by!
So reducing this down to the fewest details and using elimination I would first look at the torsion bar covers. If it is a short wheel base: and has side reflectors (68), has angled 911 script (65/66), none of these (67). If it is a long car with no 2.4 badge it is a 70 or 71 unless it has a button door handle. If it has a 2.4 badge and an external oil filler door it is a 72, otherwise (73). Thanks again. Now I just need to memorize these.

Don
________________________
1965 912
1981 911SC
2006 Cayman S

[304065]

I do it the same way!

Horn grilles, big or little?
If viewing from the side, the door handle and the torsion bar cover are immediate tells for an SWB.

If SWB with "flying buttress" door handles then it's a 68. If LWB, then it's a 69. As Chuck says, any side reflector is an instant 68.

If SWB and not a 68, then look at the lid. 65 and 66 have angled script, 67 has script up by the grill.

65 vs. 66: look inside for a four button dash or the short knee pad, or the mushroom vs. eight-ball knob.

If LWB, 70, 71 hard to tell apart. 72 has oil door. 73 has rubber baby buggy bumpers and blacked out trim.

74-77 have the same narrow flares as the LWB longhoods with a short hood and bumpers.

SC has "carrera" flares and the foglamps are mounted off the front valance.

84- Carrera has foglamps mounted IN the front valance

87-88 G50 Carreras have a big torsion bar cover under the rocker panel.

89-92 964 have flat mirrors

93-94 964 have aero mirrors

Who can do the 356 from pre A to T6?

[Mr9146]

When it's a LWB, I like to take a look at the A-pillar, too. It's like getting a grade on a test.

[70SATMan]

Does anybody have a way of determing the year of a car from its external appearance?

I usually flip a U, chase the bastage down, jump outta my ride and accost the fella. Usually pretty effective..... You can't be to careful with all those hot rods out there. No tellin what ya got.

[Cal]

I usually flip a U, chase the bastage down, jump outta my ride and accost the fella. Usually pretty effective..... You can't be to careful with all those hot rods out there. No tellin what ya got.

Don, it's pretty easy....just follow these step by step instructions.

1. follow the guy to the first available traffic light
2. toot the horn
3. roll down the window
4. ask what year it is....and say 'car looks great'

.....this tends to be the easiest.