That was my first thought. When I got rear ended in my EVO, the girl ran through my trunk. The bumper was fine!!

Chris, this is a very belated reply to your question, but I just completed the rear bumper removal and replacement IAW Dan's instructions on my 997.2, and it worked exactly as Dan described.

I live in France and have a NA spec car and just completed the VERY lengthy homologation process (15 months and several thousand euros in modifications and inspections). The final step for getting the car ready for French roads is to put one of the long, narrow European plates on the rear (520x110 mm). It won't fit with the bumper covers/bumperettes in place, so I thought I'd see if they could be removed. Short answer: not easily. Plus, after reading this thread, I like the idea of having the additional protection they afford. Anyway, I'll go with the alternate plate size (275x200 mm). Doesn't look as clean as the standard Euro plate, but I'm done with modifications! :)

Brian

I like the clean look but it does leave the bumper vulnerable to damage during low speed collision. A couple years ago I was in line to cross the Canadian border and the guy behind me wasn’t paying attention and bumped my rear bumper. Fortunately he just barely tapped the bumperete and it did no damage but it would have far worse if not for the bumperetes.

Also, a belated post. I'm working through the same process now in Italy. I will likely opt for the smaller plate for now. I eventually want to upgrade to aero or Sport Classic body work. At that point, I'll opt for the ROW bumpers.