Jeff W.

Hi, I've owned many later air cooled 911's and bought my first pre '73 model. The car is a 1970. It is an all original paint car (red), but has black paint in the engine bay, headlamp socket, fuel filler and wheel wells. Everything on this car appears to be original...Original seats, carpets, glass, trim, undercoating, all painted panels etc. It certainly appears original and I have no specific reason to doubt, and it was represented this way by the p/o who's dad had bought the car new. I have a full file on the car. But I'm curious about the black painted areas noted above. On the later cars these are body color. I have read that the engine bays were black until the early 70's but have not found anything about the other areas (specifically headlamps and fuel filler compartment). The floor pans on the car are body color with just a bit of black overspray from the wheel wells and a strip along the rockers. This is a no rust car, one owner, fully documented from new but I'm curious about these areas painted black. The car is original enough not to have carrera tensioners, and still has most of its original rubber (pretty hard but mostly not cracked), and near perfect anodized trim. Were the early 911's originally black in these areas? I suppose it could be rustproofing but appears to be too neatly applied for that.

SeattlePorsche

Yes, that is what I am told. My 69E has a black trunk and a black engine bay. I am not sure what year they stopped. Ask cnielsen on the pelican board. I met him at our local monthly breakfast and he told me mine was supposed to be black. It also makes it easier for a repaint.

spence88mph

My Friend has a (ivory??) white 69 911E and the engine bay is black but he believes it was originally white and wants to return it to white during the current restro. Would like to know the answer to this one.

Crimson Nape Racing

FWIW, some of these areas on my 71 were body colored. I had the car re-painted (color change), and remember painting the engine compartment and hood area to match. My wheel wells and headlight buckets were black, but it was rust proofing, so I'm not sure what was under it. I don't remember painting the fuel filler area, so I think it was still black.