stormmaster

by the way....the 74 Carrera Ducktail cars did not have a front chin spoiler....only after the inception of the Whale Tail was there a need for a front spoiler

Rad Hatter

Why did Porsche put heavy rubber fon the lips on the SC and Carrera tails? Really seems a strange decision to select that material.

Don't recall any other car that uses rubber for a very big exterior part on a car

flatsixnut

No tail is the best tail.

BlackPearl

I'll agree. No "down-force" is achieved with ducktail or tray/Whale-tail "spoilers." However, reducing lift is important at speed, and the aid of the front "chin spoilers" and rear "duck or tray spoilers" is significant for adding some stability, especially at the track. REAL down-force seems to be achieved only when the front has an agressive "splitter + curving wing" and the rear "wing" is above the back of the car and "pulled out" from the decklid. There's nothing more illuminating than going into a banked turn or big sweeper at triple-digits and feeling the rear-end going light.

Aesthetically, I like the "pure" lines of no spoilers or wings. Functionally, I like the aids that spoilers and wings provide. So, I swap parts on and off my SC a lot. It's a bit more work, but the stability of the spoilers at the track is worth it.

Just my opinions...

Edward

My opinions:

- Street car (no track): No tail ...aesthetically the cleanest and most attractive. And the tail's aero benefits are moot on our US streets.
- Pre-SC: no tail for same reasons as above, but even more so since the more slender body looks odd with a tail, even a duck.
- RS-look: if ya got the flares, ya gotta have the duck tail!
- Track car of any vintage: Carrera tail ...not as large as the turbo tail and much better looking than the duck (which I really don't like at all unless it's an RS body). But the bottom line is functional: Paul Frere outlines the significant reduction in lift that the Carrera tail (reduces to close to zero lift) and ducktail (significant, but less so than the carrera) offer at speed. Stability is paramount on the track ...not to mention the tail makes any track car look more "purposeful."

Edward

FlatSix911

Variation on a common theme: No tail with a classic split grill...

FlatSix911

One more series of photos to illustrate the evolution of Turbo Tails...

LaughaC

Over 80 mph I like the turbo tail. Over 100 mph I'd like to try a wing. Looks mean very little to me.

r911

my fav is the Ferrari Daytona

mniba1

My vote and/or preference has always been no-tail. Spent $ to sell one and buy new decklid w/o. Why screw up perfect form????

KC911

I wonder if my g/f will ever read this thread...no tail for me

Keith
'88 CE coupe

sjanes

For a street car, I like the looks of the duck the most. My narrow bodied Targa had a turbo wing from the P/O and it looked too bulky for the car, plus it was pretty heavy. I replaced it with the 3.8 RS wing (the narrow version from Getty) to see if it performed better than the turbo wing. Except for it being lighter, I didn't notice much difference.

Noel

ANY tail (Duck, Carrera, or 3.3L turbo) will significantly aid in engine/oil cooling as it changes the engine grill intake from a low pressure zone to a high pressure zone. This is mandatory for any track work.

That said, I have had a duck, early turbo and sans tail lid. I like the duck the best.

Guns951

The 934/5 tail is what I consider one of the greatest. For track work though I've decided to run the AIR GTR tail and a 70" wing as seen below.

ron_dargenio

I like whaletails, ducktails, but if you could put this on a 911, it'd be my favorite.