Porsche 914 Badges: Rear Emblem

Consistent Style, Variable Materials

All four-cylinder U.S. specification Porsche 914 automobiles came with "914" insignia on the rear of the car (European specification and 914/6 models had different rear emblems described on other pages accessible via the buttons on the left). While the presence, style and dimensions of the "914" insigne remained constant throughout production of the Porsche 914, the finish and material used changed several times.

The "914" rear emblems are all exactly 110 mm long by 20 mm high. With the exception of the insignia on the 1976 models, they are 3 mm thick and attached to the vehicles by two 10 mm rear prongs that fit through holes in the chassis and are subsequently secured via speed nuts. These prongs are spaced 70 mm center to center.

Current eBay listings for Porsche 914 emblems (compare listed emblems with those pictured on this page to ensure authenticity and model year utilization):

Porsche 914 Rear Emblems on eBAY

Porsche 914 Emblem: Gold-Anodized Aluminum

Four-cylinder U.S. specification Porsche 914 automobiles produced for model years 1970-1972 were equipped with gold-anodized aluminum "914" rear emblems, part number 914 559 113 10. The only other exterior badging on these early 1.7L cars is the block "P O R S C H E" lettering on the engine grille in matching gold-anodized aluminum.

Porsche 914 Emblem: Black-Anodized Aluminum

Apparently gold was out of style in 1973, as the rear emblems on the early to mid 1973 Porsche 914 models were black-anodized aluminum, and the engine grille lettering was changed to chrome-silver anodized aluminum. Despite the variety of finishes and materials used in subsequent years, only one part number appears for black "914" emblems in the parts catalog: 914 559 287 10.

The introduction of a second engine size (the 2.0L) resulted in the addition of a second rear emblem (also in black-anodized aluminum) denoting the displacement ("1.7" or "2.0"). The black-anodizing, however, varies in shade and tends to fade to a purple-tinted gray or even a grayish-silver hue. Moreover, the "914" and engine-size badges were anodized separately and so frequently do not match. Such rear emblem "set" color variation pictures are available on the "1.7" and "2.0" badge pages.

P914 is currently offering an original black-anodized aluminum "914" rear emblem for sale. Details are available in the SALES section.

Porsche 914 Emblem: Black-Painted Aluminum

Later 1973 Porsche 914 and some early 1974 Porsche 914 2.0L vehicles (including some of the Limited Edition cars) came equipped with black-painted aluminum badges. Note that these emblems are painted semi-gloss black only on the front and edges; the rear of the emblem and pins are unpainted, raw aluminum. This makes it fairly easy to determine if a painted emblem is its original finish or an earlier anodized emblem that has been painted black (or a refinished painted emblem). The finish on the corresponding engine size emblem followed suit. Whether the change to painted badges resulted from the hue variance inherent in the black-anodized emblems or cost-cutting is unknown.

Porsche 914 Emblem: Black Plastic

Cost-cutting was certainly the determining factor in the next badge iteration. Rear emblems on 1974-1975 Porsche 914 vehicles (except the few early 1974 models fitted with black-painted emblems as noted above) were made out of black plastic. Visually, these emblems are nearly identical to the black-painted examples.

Porsche 914 Emblem: Black Vinyl (Decal)

Apparently mounting plastic emblems also proved too costly, as the 1976 model year 914 vehicles received only vinyl decal rear badging. It is possible that this change actually occurred late in the 1975 model year production run (if you have a 1975 Porsche 914 with factory vinyl decal badging, please ContactUs@P914.com). Unfortunately, examples of factory vinyl badging become more scarce each time a 1976 Porsche 914 is repainted.