Search for a part for your 356, 911 or 912 and the same part often shows up more than once, at different prices and under different labels: genuine, Porsche Classic, OE, NOS, reproduction, NLA. These labels are not interchangeable. Each one tells you who made the part, when it was made, and how closely it matches what left the factory. Here is what they mean, and how our parts specialists choose between them.
Genuine Porsche parts
A genuine part is supplied by Porsche, in Porsche packaging, under a Porsche part number. Porsche has never made every part itself: many genuine parts are produced by outside suppliers to Porsche’s drawings and specifications. What makes them genuine is that Porsche stands behind the specification. To learn what the part number itself tells you, see Porsche Part Numbers: A Brief Introduction.
Porsche Classic
Porsche Classic is the factory’s own program for older models. As parts for classic Porsches went out of production, Porsche Classic started making many of them again, from the original drawings and tooling where they survive, or with new tooling where they don’t. These are genuine Porsche parts. As we explained in Developing Authentic Parts, the Classic parts program has brought more accurate “official” reproductions from the factory, after years of second and third supplier runs that could vary in color and finish.
Porsche Classic also develops products for classic cars, such as Porsche Classic Motoroil, the Porsche Classic Communication Management (PCCM) radio and navigation units, car covers and car care products.
OE supplier parts
Many classic Porsche parts were made by the companies that supplied Porsche’s assembly line, such as Bosch for much of the electrical and ignition system. Sold in the supplier’s own box rather than in Porsche packaging, the part is called OE (original equipment) or OEM. It is often the very same part as the genuine one, sometimes an updated version of it, and usually less expensive. In the US, “OEM” is also used loosely to mean genuine: when in doubt, ask who actually made the part.
NOS: new old stock
NOS parts were made when the cars were new, or shortly after, and never installed: they have been waiting on a shelf ever since. For a concours car they are often the most authentic option. They are also part of our own story: in 1974, Chuck Stoddard decided to buy all the available 356 parts from around the world, the start of the mail-order parts business that Stoddard NLA carries on today.
But new is not the same as fresh. Rubber, plastics and lubricants age on the shelf as well as on the car: a brake hose stored for fifty years is still a fifty-year-old hose, and old NOS seals have usually hardened well beyond what Porsche intended. For anything that affects safety or sealing, a newly manufactured part is usually the better choice.
Reproduction parts
A reproduction is a new part made by someone other than Porsche to replace one that is no longer produced. Quality ranges from excellent to useless, so three questions matter: what was it copied from, what is it made of, and has it been fit-tested on a car? This is how we answer them for our own parts:
- we copy verifiably original parts, never second-run replacements: we keep a stock of original “ORI” parts as references, and they are not for sale;
- we use the original tooling when we can get it: our steel wheels are made from the original Porsche dies and blueprints;
- when no tooling survives, we manufacture from scratch, as with our 356 brake shoes, laser-cut and TIG-welded here in the United States;
- we use modern materials where they last longer without changing the look, such as UV-resistant rubber compounds and high-strength steel;
- we fit-test prototypes on original cars before production, as we did for our 356 door seals.
Remanufactured and exchange parts
A remanufactured part is a used original brought back to specification: relined brake shoes, rebuilt calipers or distributors, for example. These parts are often sold on exchange: you pay a core charge, refunded when you send back your old part. Remanufacturing keeps original parts in service, but the result depends on the condition of the core and on the rebuilder.
NLA: no longer available
NLA stands for “no longer available”: the part has been discontinued and can no longer be ordered from Porsche. It does not mean the part cannot be found. NOS stock may still exist, Porsche Classic may put the part back into production, or a quality reproduction may be available.
Finding and making NLA parts is also where our name comes from. On our website, many of the parts we make or source ourselves carry a reference beginning with NLA: where there is an original Porsche number, the reference usually keeps it and only replaces the prefix, so you can search on either one, as with our 356 bearing sets.
Which one should you choose?
| Your project | What we usually recommend |
|---|---|
| Concours restoration | Genuine, Porsche Classic or NOS parts where the judges will look; the most accurate reproductions where originals are no longer available. |
| Driver or tour car | Genuine, OE supplier or quality reproduction parts: the same fit and function, often for less. |
| Brakes, steering, wheels, fuel and brake lines | Newly manufactured parts, whatever their source: originality never comes before safety. |
| Rubber seals and weatherstrips | New production in modern compounds, which seal better and last longer than aged originals. See our tips for installing new rubber seals. |
Whatever the label, the right part is the one that fits your model, year and chassis number. If you are not sure which version you need, call our parts specialists at (800) 342-1414 or email parts@stoddard.com: that question is our daily job.
