Whale Tail, Duck Tail, or No Tail?
We gather up the educated opinions of Rennlist members on the decades-old controversy surrounding the infamous whale tail.
When it comes to the iconic Porsche 911 and its infamous whale tail, opinions are quite varied. Some love ’em, some hate ’em. Chances are, if you grew up with a poster of Porsche’s bodacious spoiler-clad sports car on your wall in the ’80s, you probably fall in the former camp. But much like everything excessive from that time period, many folks can’t stomach the thing.
So when we ran across this thread started by Rennlist member Aussiejohn, we were intrigued. You see, the OP is in need of a new decklid anyway, so why not consider going whale tail? It might make some folks cringe, but it does at least kick start an interesting conversation about a controversial period of Porsche fashion.
“I have an ’86 Targa with an inferior deck lid. Needs reworking, quote $3k. I love the look of a whale tail, and was considering finding one. Lots of questions. Best way to acquire one? Metal or the lightweights? How hard is it to install? Am I being unfaithful to the look the lords at Porsche saw fit to give my ‘Ursula?’ If I were to get one, rough guesses as to what it would cost? Could I just get the whale tail part and use my existing decklid?”
Lots of questions, indeed. And of course, Rennlist members like Mark Salvetti are here with lots of answers.
“What, $3000??? That’s crazy. You might as well get a good used deck lid ($500) and get it painted. No point in trying to save yours if it is that bad.
For a tail, you need to decide if you want the shallower “tea tray” or the Turbo tail. Probably $500-$700 in good used shape, plus shipping. It should fit on your deck lid, unless the deck lid is too badly beat up.
Have you considered a duck tail? It’s a matter of taste, but I think the ducks look better on a Targa than any of the other tails.”
And don’t think that a touchy subject like this won’t elicit some detailed, emotional feedback!
“A HUGE peeve of mine,” says 09mageec.“A narrow body G with a late model (’78 and up) 3.3 liter 930 Turbo ‘Tea Tray’ spoiler. Although that spoiler was also offered on the UK-only Sport Package for the 911 SC, I think it looks too bulky and disproportionate on a narrow car.
The much flatter profile “Carrera Whale Tail” with the large, flush vents for the grill looks much more proportionate on a narrow car IMO. If I remember correctly, this spoiler was introduced in ’84 for the 3.2 Carrera, but Porsche was also putting it on the last few months of 911 SC – UK Sport Package (which began with the ‘Tea Tray’).
The BEST looking “whale tail”-like spoiler for the narrow cars has to be the one that they introduced on the ’80 Weissach Edition, which was derived from the ’74 3.0 RSR. The first design of the 930 Turbo wing was very similar to this as well, but had an extra smaller grill toward the rear of the spoiler that changed in size once.
Also, I believe the slight variations of this spoiler were also available on the ’76/’77 Carrera 3.0 as well. Something about the Weissach spoiler’s inset grill, keeping the proportion and contour of a regular non-winged lid, looks perfect to me!
If it were my Targa, I’d go with a duck tail, John. I think they are that perfect spoiler that works with just about any G series, whether it be narrow or wide body.”
Fair enough. And it looks like he isn’t the only one who thinks this way, as theiceman confirms.
“I agree with this. The turbo tail just looks wrong and off balance. But I don’t have an issue with the whale tail (Carrera). In fact, I have one on mine. They absolutely need SC car or SC flares to make this look right though.
You can absolutely add a tail to your existing deck lid, but there are a lot of small niggly parts to make it correct. Look at the PET to see what you need. Don’t forget, you will need additional strut support for the weight also. I think aftermarket ones look terrible and cheapen the car. Try to score an OE tail with OE rubber. The tail will have Porsche engraved into it and the the rubber will have the crest.”
Regardless, quite a few folks prefer the clean, “tailless” look.
“As a lover of Targas, I suggest no tail,” says grgallo.“The beautiful lines of the rear end of that car, IMHO, spoiled by tails. Some say that’s why sometimes the tails, wings, etc, are referred to as “spoilers” (of beauty in this case). If you go tailless, I think the front lip edge has to go.”
“IMO, all fixed rear spoilers detract from the look of all air cooled cars, no matter what type they are,” adds 911Dave. “Duck tails look reasonably OK on long hoods, but still aren’t as attractive as a clean deck lid. The smooth, graceful curve from the top of the windshield to the rear bumper is one of the key styling points that make 911s of every year so attractive, and a spoiler of any type diminishes it.”
Clearly, the topic of Porsche whale tails, duck tails, or the lack thereof is a hot topic among enthusiasts. As it always has been. But we want to know which look you prefer. So head on over here and chime in with your thoughts on the great tail debate!
