muis

Hi,
This is my first post here; I don't own a Porsche just yet, but am looking for one very hard.
I found this nice looking 911, but it has a big whale tail. Now, I think that's just cool, but for the wife it is a non-starter. How difficult is it to ditch the tail? Just put in another grill, cover the holes and repaint the deck lid? Should I be worried about anything else after it is removed?
Any ideas/thoughts are appreciated.
Theo

old man neri

Most people just buy another complete deck lid and paint it. Just easier that way because I do believe there are some holes that are drilled. It also allows you to sell the tail on the classifieds with a lid, the fetch a few hundred.

More details about the car you are looking at! Pics?

theiceman

+1 on Neris post ... also it gives you the ability to flip back and forth . i'd like to see pics .. personally the Turbo tail on a sc or Carrera is not my cup of tea .. But a nice Carrera or duck tail .. now your talkin'

MUSSBERGER

Ice and Neri are right. Unmolested lids are fairly easy to find. Keep the other setup in case you decide to track it every once and awhile. You might think it looks a bit over the top but the extra down force is nice to have going through a high speed kink.

Jay Gratton

I also like the look of a 911 without a tail. I think the lines are classic (just my $.02). If the car is a good one I wouldn't walk away from it just because it has a tail.

Also, welcome to RENNLIST!!!!!

muis

thanks a lot guys. Sounds like it shouldn't be a deal killer. So far I have ignored cars with a tail in my search. I guess I shouldn't be doing that.
No pics yet. Only pics when there is one in the driveway. Don't want to jinx anything.
tk

old man neri

Ya, we just wanted to see pictures because we like staring at porsches. Also if you post pictures of a potential (or the add) we might be able to spot certain things. Maybe it's a turbo tail and not a whale tail? Stuff like that.

Cheers!
-matt

muis

oops... Yeah, it's a tail that you see on the Turbo's, with a curved side. Does that make a difference?

There are too many pictures here already; it's driving me crazy! (pun intended)
I want one soooo bad :-)
tk

theiceman

well there are two major types of tails. That one is the turbo tail. I like the Carrera tail better.

old man neri

Muis, make sure you have a read through a book called 'the used 911 story' by Pete Zimmerman. I could help you save 1000s by not making a mistake.

Turbo tail you might have more trouble selling, I don't think they are as popular as the whale tail. This isn't a turbo you are buying is it?

muis

I need a new copy of PZ's book, mine is worn out.
Wish I was looking for a Turbo; at the asking price it would be a steal. I like the idea of having the tail in the garage, and swapping it out when it's track time, or just when you want a different looking car for a while.
I'll keep you all posted.
thanks again,
tk

Dan in Florida

It's called a rear spoiler. Keep it. One day you'll appreciate what your car can do. And then you'll need it.

Mike Murphy

As some airplane guru on here once told me, the rear tail is actually a wing, not a spoiler. A spoiler is designed to spoil the air near the airplane wing to create more drag and reduce speed. The Porsche wing is designed to produce downforce on the rear of the car at high speed. Any time there is a wing installed on the back, there should also be a wing under and in the front of the car. It's not easy to see, but it should be there. So if you remove the rear wing, you should consider what happens at the front of the car.

Some people like the wing, some don't. I don't like superficial things that provide no value, so when I see a huge wing on a car that does nothing but attract attention, I don't care for it. But when I see a huge wing on a car and that wing is there for a purpose and actually works, I dig it. The Porsche wing works.

diamondcarrera

+1 for murphyslaw1978
it is of EXTEREME importance that you remove the chin spoiler (at the front) if you remove the rear wing. Porsche did so at the factory on all rear wing delete models - which tells us that the car is designed to work at the full potential and the safest with the rear wing and chin spoiler fitted to the car, it was standard equipment and was an option to delete.
I also think that Porsche required a disclaimer to be signed for rear deletes when sold new - due to the dramatic handling changes it made to the car.....
on another point Porsche also got all UK buyers to sign a disclaimer for anyone buying a 3.2 speedster due to the roof not being watertight!! (off topic 'ish I know but connected tenuously esp after reading the other thread on the sale of a nice speedster)

Paul K

Muis:

Where are you? Please add your location to your profile. The tail discussion has raged here and over on the Pelican board for years. Turbo-bodied cars, absolutely. Everything else looks better without, IMHO. As has already been stated, $$ wise you're better off to sell the decklid with the tail and buy a used decklid. FWIW, I've read that the tail (or wing) only works at very high speeds.

Cheers,

Paul.