The US ones are red, why aren't they both amber? I see other US cars with amber taillights. . .

Can anyone explain this to me?

 

Rear side marker lights must be red in US.

 

Andrew,
This, to, has vexed me over the years. Ultimately, I wrote a letter to Harm Lagaay, citing my concerns of global product uniformity. His answer was quite simple - that US customers would not tolerate an occasional ant, fly or even a mosquito imbedded within their tail lamp lenses.

He forwarded a picture showing some amber that Porsche rejected just before it went to the lens-molding stage (US market):





Andreas

 

To give us something to "mod" no matter which side of the Atlantic your car landed upon...
Pretty clever marketing if you ask me.

 

US = red, Europe = amber?????

It's no that straightforward I'm afraid - in Europe the C4 came with red (and clear front).

It's funny how most of you guys in The States have red and want amber, whilst most Europeans who have amber want red. Surely there's scope for some swaps?

 

100%

but indeed it's the law over here, that turn signals/side repeaters must flash orange.
even if the housing is (tinted) red, the bulb must be orange...


rgds

 

Over where?

 

I actually am in the middle of a swap with someone in Germany, I just put ambers on and am sending him my reds. On the 911s I always thought the ambers looked better. On 993s I think the reds look good on most cars, but I prefer the ambers on white and silver cars. I can however understand Andreas keeping red because of ancient dust being trapped in the amber so many millions of years ago. . .

Andreas, that is an early model right turn indicator I assume? That would be pre-german though, pre Austro-Hungarian empire even. . .

 

These are the ones we Europeans want for our cars :


These look red but flash with a orange light.
Not to be confused by the us ones that are red and flash red.

The colors in the pic are a little bit of

 

Those of us who lived with Lucas, The Princess of Darkness, many years ago are simply happy when the damned things work on command!

 

Yes.

Actually, that is the raw amber, prior to its lens rendering stage.


Andreas

 

I wonder what happens if you are color blind?
Do color blind people crash because of these variations in colored plastic?
Or for the folks that swap Continents. Are they totally confused my this critical difference in flashing lights and therefore crash into one another? Hmm...
What if you are color blind AND you swap Continents? I suppose you'd have to give up driving.
OK, I need a nap.

 

It is all determined by the D.O.T. here in the States (Department Of Transportation) which is Federal.

Basically- the DOT could determine any color lenses they wanted and the manufacturers selling cars to the US market have to abide by their rules.

Happens to be that DOT wants red turn indicators in rear, amber in front; not sure who call the shots in the EU, but they require amber in the rear, amber midway on the side of the vehicle, and a white front marker along with amber signal indicator.

Re the other DOT regs on 993s-
The original 993 (ie ROW 993) sets at a lower ride height than US Spec cars due to the DOT 'Headlamp Height regulation'
Porsches' solution to the requirement- put a taller ride height spring in US cars to make the Headlamp Height acceptable/legal.
The US cars were never intended set at the dorky high travel height, but had to be that way to be sold here -thanks to DOT regulation.

The DOT, as most everyone knows were also the 'kiss of death' to a US 959 car, regs and the fact the Ferry Porsche told the DOT he was not going to give them 5 of his precious 959s to crash.

At least from my knowledge....

 

Imagine if you are in Australia, I think they have to signal left then go around to the right 270 degrees.

 

@Amfab: germany


rgds