Covered Pop-up Headlights vs. Stock Pop-ups
03-05-2016, 04:30 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Covered Pop-up Headlights vs. Stock Pop-ups
As has been stated before, the 928 has an abundance of design nuances and delights. Whenever I focus on any form that makes up the 928, I tend to come back with a greater appreciation of the natural beauty and thoughtful design in that form. Sometimes my focus and resulting appreciation comes from looking into an alternative. The stock headlight area is a good example.
Below are some picture mock-ups I had come up with for a flip-up headlight alternative on an early 928. I remembered this exercise when a 928 recently “popped up” on Craigslist with flip-up headlights claiming to have been factory done, and Rennlister 928cs mentioning a 928 fender he saw on display during a Porsche factory tour in 2002 with a similar treatment – factory done. Here is that thread:
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...l#post12968121
I did not like either of those implementations, and was disappointed that these were the factory implementations of a covered / hidden, pop-up headlight alternative for the 928.
My mock-ups were inspired by the first picture shown, below, originally posted as far as I know by Keith Widom - 928ntslow. I agree with Keith’s comment that it is the best looking alternative to our stock lights he’d seen thus far, and I wanted to figure out why it looked so “right”. However, I also wanted to see if I could avoid bulging the 928 fenders as in that example.
Along those lines, something to consider is that the 928 fender has a longitudinal compound curve dropping to the front AND a lateral curve dropping outward from the hood. What this creates is a level line at a diagonal angle along the top of the fender. The diagonal angle changes as we move forward or backward along the fender top, and corresponds at the very front of the fender (on the pre-87 928’s anyway) to the front “line” of the fender to bumper cover seam (put a level on it and see!).
These fender curves are what help give the unique character to the rear of our stock headlight opening shape when viewed from the front – the bottom of the round hole for the headlight opening is level laterally, while the fender is level along diagonals, as mentioned. (This is somewhat visible in front view of S DZ 7577 car below). These fender curves also mean that the “Symmetrical Shape” pictured is the only one that follows the diagonal level lines closely, which to me means that shape would lead to the easiest implementation of covered flip-up headlights (vs. the stock exposed ones).
So, why didn’t the original design also use this rear diagonal? I believe it is because of how our pop-up mechanism functions - they are stowed to expose a round shape. The rear half circle shape of the opening accommodates this shape and transitions nicely to the front of the headlight nacelle which follows the front bumper seam diagonal. As others have pointed out, there are few simple geometric shapes on the 928. However, the exposed headlight introduces a simple circle, so the nacelle needed to provide a transition to the rest of the 928.
I am still toying with implementing a covered headlight, but, as usual, I don’t know when (or whether) I would get to implement it*. And also as usual, I grew to appreciate another part of the 928 even more.
*Being aware also about the many general objections (see last pic).
Below are some picture mock-ups I had come up with for a flip-up headlight alternative on an early 928. I remembered this exercise when a 928 recently “popped up” on Craigslist with flip-up headlights claiming to have been factory done, and Rennlister 928cs mentioning a 928 fender he saw on display during a Porsche factory tour in 2002 with a similar treatment – factory done. Here is that thread:
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...l#post12968121
I did not like either of those implementations, and was disappointed that these were the factory implementations of a covered / hidden, pop-up headlight alternative for the 928.
My mock-ups were inspired by the first picture shown, below, originally posted as far as I know by Keith Widom - 928ntslow. I agree with Keith’s comment that it is the best looking alternative to our stock lights he’d seen thus far, and I wanted to figure out why it looked so “right”. However, I also wanted to see if I could avoid bulging the 928 fenders as in that example.
Along those lines, something to consider is that the 928 fender has a longitudinal compound curve dropping to the front AND a lateral curve dropping outward from the hood. What this creates is a level line at a diagonal angle along the top of the fender. The diagonal angle changes as we move forward or backward along the fender top, and corresponds at the very front of the fender (on the pre-87 928’s anyway) to the front “line” of the fender to bumper cover seam (put a level on it and see!).
These fender curves are what help give the unique character to the rear of our stock headlight opening shape when viewed from the front – the bottom of the round hole for the headlight opening is level laterally, while the fender is level along diagonals, as mentioned. (This is somewhat visible in front view of S DZ 7577 car below). These fender curves also mean that the “Symmetrical Shape” pictured is the only one that follows the diagonal level lines closely, which to me means that shape would lead to the easiest implementation of covered flip-up headlights (vs. the stock exposed ones).
So, why didn’t the original design also use this rear diagonal? I believe it is because of how our pop-up mechanism functions - they are stowed to expose a round shape. The rear half circle shape of the opening accommodates this shape and transitions nicely to the front of the headlight nacelle which follows the front bumper seam diagonal. As others have pointed out, there are few simple geometric shapes on the 928. However, the exposed headlight introduces a simple circle, so the nacelle needed to provide a transition to the rest of the 928.
I am still toying with implementing a covered headlight, but, as usual, I don’t know when (or whether) I would get to implement it*. And also as usual, I grew to appreciate another part of the 928 even more.
*Being aware also about the many general objections (see last pic).
Last edited by hernanca; 03-06-2016 at 12:23 PM. Reason: Clarity.
