Wondering if anyone might have some information on how rear wings came to be installed on 1989 Carreras. I recently inherited the family car, we purchased it when it was one year old from a private party, and the wing seems to now be a slightly more orangish shade than the rest of the red body. I heard that wings were typically dealer options, not something from the factory, and therefore a different batch of paint might be the issue. Just trying to get some info as we are getting ready to sell it, and I’d like to be able to explain the discrepancy.

 

I think most rear wings came from the factory.
But some were installed after by an owner of the car.
Is this a "Whale tail" or "Duck Tail"? If Duck Tail, it is definitely added.
It could be the color was just not matched correctly on an added wing.
Even if the added wing was the same color code, it may not match due to the paint batch.
If an added wing, it could be a different paint so it aged differently.
If an original wing (Whale Tail) it could have been re-painted, so again a paint mismatch or aging issue.

 

Googles whale tail vs ducktail lol.....

Sorry still getting the hang of my lingo here, it seems to be a whale tail. I know this was never repainted, the original owner only had it for
a few months and couple hundred miles, and we have never had any body work done to it. I’m guessing the paint was a different batch, that would be the most likely explanation.

Thanks for the reply, I’ll try to do some more digging to see if this might have been documented, not sure where the records are going back to 1989 but hopefully they’re around somewhere in my folks stuff.

 

The paint on the body looks very nice. I am going to guess it has been given a good detailing that included polishing before wax.
Perhaps the paint on the tail was not polished.
The Whale Tail is fiberglass, so that might have something to do with how it ages too.
Also, I am pretty sure that factory Whale Tails had black paint on the slats portion of the tail, I am not 100% sure if this was the case for all factory tails, but if so, this Whale Tail might have been added, and the red paint might be a re-spray.

 

Interesting note about the black paint, I’ll see if I can get some more info on that. I know it’s black under the slats, but that pic you attached definitely is different from mine. Maybe the tail does just need to be polished to bring out the deeper red, the car has never been truly polished, only regularly clayed and waxed by me, and it would make sense if the fiberglass aged a bit differently.

Only has 19k miles and spent every night in the garage, so it’s never gone in for a true polishing. The guy who has serviced it all these years recommended a polishing and ceramic wax, but I’m holding off for now

 

19K! You're killing me That is awesome!
I have seen whale tails without the black slats like yours, some with the rubber trim, but most were the all fiberglass aftermarket tails (no rubber trim).
If this was not factory, and was new or from a different color car, it may have been easier to just paint it one color, without the black slats.
It is all guessing by me now, maybe someone else will chime in more info...

I think the whale tail would be listed on the options list if it were factory, there is typically a sticker on the underside of the front hood.
Look for option code 473 (Front & Rear Spoiler).
https://www.stuttcars.com/technical/...-codes/911-89/
Also, I think I read once that the factory whale tail option got two hood struts, while the standard rear hood only had one strut.

 

Oh wow, what a helpful link, thx! I do not have the 473 code, so then yeah I guess we are definitely looking at non-factory. I guess now I’m wondering if having it on there hurts the resale or what exactly the ramifications are.

And yeah the, 19k, sigh.... I love that it’s that low, just makes me hesitant to drive it lest I go over 20 😂

 

Too bad you need to sell it. Too stressful to drive given the value with such low miles? Getting another that might be more of a driver?

Mark

 

The tail was added, so It's removable, but I think the hood might have been drilled to add tail, so it might require a new hood too. it all depends on how it was attached.
Take a picture of the underside of the hood showing where & how the tail is attached and we can compare it to mine.
Oddly enough I have my whale tail off to be repainted (long story), and to fix some damage to the hood due to a bad installation (re-install) of the tail by PO.

I feel your pain about the mileage, but these car are meant to be enjoyed, and that means to be driven...
At 136K on mine I have no such worries! In fact in addition to the tail, I will be dropping the engine this weekend to start a clutch replacement, and some engine work.
The extent of engine work TBD

Pics of my hood with tail removed (with damage to hood).
This shows factory mounting holes, not sure how they addressed this if yours was added.

 

I guess maybe I phrased my initial post incorrectly, haven’t decided to sell definitively yet, I’m trying to determine the actual value of this car, then make a decision of whether I want to keep it or not. Figured having all the facts about some of these unknowns would be a good thing before I go looking into appraisals so I’m starting here.

Actually just brought it down to my place, going to hang onto it for a bit and see if my gut leads me in one direction. I will say when I’m behind the wheel I definitely lean towards keeping it.