Ducktail Critique from an Industrial Design Perspective

[wayner]

As designers mature they no longer succumb to the fallacies of the Jennifer Grey effect

[ADDvanced]

Ehhh box flares and riveted on flares are abrupt transitions, so they look okay. It's when things look "almost but not quite" that they tend to look wrong. Basically, make something intentional or not. The subtle difference in profile curve from the rear, as shown between the red and green curve is a great example.

Also I'm just going to make memes to point out the hypocrisy:

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by harv666

........Aero or not, that side of the trunk sticking up an inch above the trunk slope always makes me want to grab a power sander.

I hear ya.

[winders]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

Ehhh box flares and riveted on flares are abrupt transitions, so they look okay. It's when things look "almost but not quite" that they tend to look wrong. Basically, make something intentional or not. The subtle difference in profile curve from the rear, as shown between the red and green curve is a great example.

Also I'm just going to make memes to point out the hypocrisy:

This meme just cements your idiocy.

As I clearly stated, everything about my race car is based on performance. The choices are made using all the knowledge available from yesteryear to today. Aesthetics are considered only if performance is not impacted.

If I had an air-cooled street 911, it would have a period correct look. My preference would be for a 1977 930 body style with correct flares and whale tail. It would be silver or Mexico blue.

I never said the ducktail was design perfection. It certainly is not perfect. But, its imperfections are what makes it what it is and if I were going for the 1973 911 RS Carrera look, I would have a ducktail that looked just like what came on the 1973 911 RS Carrera. In other words, a period correct look.

Your mistake is thinking that something needs to be fixed here.....

[jac1976]

Anyone on here have a 200 series Land Cruiser?

[ADDvanced]

[wayner]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

...

Also I'm just going to make memes to point out the hypocrisy:

And Im just going to unsubscribe form this thread to avoid you intentional abrasiveness.

I have a rule in life. "When someone tells you they are an ******* believe them"

[kent olsen]

Ok everyone has gone left and right on the ducktail. Here's another deviation. Oh No stripping!!!!!!! The purists I know just can't accept it, ha ha.

[winders]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

Unlike you, I only said what my priorities are for my race car and what I would do for an air-cooled street car for me. I didn't create a thread bashing a key component of a Porsche iconic car and tell everyone how they should fix something on their apparently flawed cars...

You really should just go away.

Oh, and don't make up false quotes....that is not cool.

[masraum]

I see exactly what the OP means about the ducktail. Having the area behind/below the tail not line up with or create/continue lines with the fenders isn't as smooth/sleek as the rest of the car. I see what he's saying, but the original duck doesn't bother me and I'd be happy to have an original duck on a G-body or long hood.

I have seen a few folks mention that it looks like there may have been a functional/structural/possibly aero reason why the original duck was made that way. Looking at it, and considering we are talking about 50 year old tech designed to create a fairly large aero effect while adding minimum weight, I can see how the shape of the original may have been for structural reasons. Aero at 100+ mph probably creates a lot of force on f/g, and the original design looks like it would withstand a large force due to the shape.

Some of the revised ducktails in this thread are also nice.

My favorite tails are the whale (early, and also included buttresses), carrera, and duck mostly in that order. If we're talking about a long hood, then the duck would be the way that I'd want to go. If I had a turbo, the turbo would be acceptable. I'm sure the 3 sided lip is more functional than the single lip of the carrera tail, but visually it's not as nice.

For me I would rate function as #1 and then form as #2 in terms of importance.

[RobFrost]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

There's no such thing as an improvement in power, other than in the opinion of some individual. More power is faster and more dangerous, more fun for some drivers, less fun for others. More power means worse fuel economy, and less ability to push your car to its limits on the public highway. For some people, less power is an improvement. For others there is an optimum amount of power. The ability to discriminate between fact and opinion really is schoolboy level stuff. https://www.mometrix.com/academy/fact-or-opinion/

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[RobFrost]

Originally Posted by winders

This meme just cements your idiocy.



As I clearly stated, everything about my race car is based on performance. The choices are made using all the knowledge available from yesteryear to today. Aesthetics are considered only if performance is not impacted.



If I had an air-cooled street 911, it would have a period correct look. My preference would be for a 1977 930 body style with correct flares and whale tail. It would be silver or Mexico blue.



I never said the ducktail was design perfection. It certainly is not perfect. But, its imperfections are what makes it what it is and if I were going for the 1973 911 RS Carrera look, I would have a ducktail that looked just like what came on the 1973 911 RS Carrera. In other words, a period correct look.



Your mistake is thinking that something needs to be fixed here.....

Your mistake is to start defending your own design choices. I wouldn't even respond to straw man arguments. By dignifying them with a response, you're getting into don't argue with idiots territory. They'll drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. You've made your car how you wanted it because taste is personal to the individual. Nobody other than you is the absolute arbiter of a superior design for YOUR car. Anybody who claims to be is trespassing.

Once they start descending the hierarchy of argument into mocking, straw man, you know you've won the actual debate. Just keep the discussion on target and call out the deterioration in their demeanour otherwise it will descend all the way to name calling.



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