brianpizzuti

Gents- I need some help. I would like to buy a 86-88 911 and would prefer to find one with a tail. However I only want to buy the car if the tail was a factory installed tail when the car was new. Is there a trick to finding out if the tail is original via the vin#? If the car did not originally ship with the tail but was later installed with one does that affect negatively the value?

I was told that cars with tails also had a lower front spoiler to keep it stable on the road. What does this spoiler look like on a non-turbo 911.

Thanks for any expertise you guys can add. I have 3 Porsches now but all are non-aired cooled and I want to get one before I can no longer afford one

rusnak

I don't know if there is a way to check the VIN #, but you can spot a factory tail fairly easily. The "Porsche" script will be sharp and clear, the rear tail will have the correct vents and screen, and may have either a wiper arm with a motor or will have correct caps. The front spoiler will have a similar color and texture to the rubber as the rear, and will have factory Porsche mounting hardware.

IMO, there will not be any impact on value by having or not having a tail. The only way there would be any impact IMO, would be a case where the addition of an aftermarket tail was completely botched and it looks hideous from ten feet away.

brianpizzuti

Thank you. That is a great answer. This will help me in my search.

Amber Gramps

Weren't most tails dealer installed anyway? ....seems there was regional preferences for different looks. To me, tea trays are an east coast option almost never seen out here.

....anything but a duck is ridiculous on a narrow bodied car. Ya, biased.

Peter Zimmermann

A little help... Pictured is my '82SC fitted with a factory '86 tail + front chin spoiler.

brianpizzuti

Thanks Pete. I saved the pictures so when I am in front of a car I can refer to them. Now that I have seen the front chin spoiler on your car I know for sure the car I looked at last week had the tail and not the chin. Love rennlist.

Amber Gramps

Don't discount a car that is missing it's chin spoiler. It may have simply become unsightly and have been removed. I've seen some in horrific shape that need replacing.

race911

Right side deck lid shock on the 3.2L cars, too? Just like the 930s? Been so long since I've seen one, I forget.

rusnak

Right. Also there is a reinforcing rib on the bottom of the engine lid for the spoiler base. If a rear wiper was installed, there will be a switch on the dashboard left hand side. A diode will be installed between the switch and the rear wiper motor. If the engine lid has not been resprayed, there will be an emissions sticker inside the lid on the right hand side.

wildcat077

Don't pass on a good car because it doesn't have a tail,they can easily be removed and installed as some owners prefer the RSR ducktail look or the RS wing look ... it's only cosmetics !

Cheers
Phil

brianpizzuti

Thanks Gents. Great info. I am feeling much better about buying a non- winged car and adding it myself now.

oscarfors

My tail has been painted to be flat black over the vents. Color is chipping and it's due for some new paint; black or full white - what do you think?

rusnak

I think it works fine either way. I chose to go with a satin black in order to define the vents as an air intake, and I've been able to touch up the black paint fairly easily.

oscarfors

Rusnak, was the black factory standard or some po's mod?

rusnak

Oscar, I bought the rear tail from a guy who had a beautiful silver 3.2. The above photo on the left is the complete tail and decklid as I bought it, before I painted it. The original vent louver color was a flat black that was chipping and had cracks. The black needed to be re-painted anyway, so I thought I'd get it to match the window trim a bit better.