"Correct" tail for a RoW 911SC?

[chocolatelab]

my 2 cents

i think from your first post but cant tell from the photo..you have a targa

if so I think the best look for a targa is the duck tail, understanding that theis may not be period/factory correct

good luck on your final decision and make sure to post some before and after pics

[cashflyer]

My 78 has what looks like the weissach tail.

I bought the car from owner #2, and have even met owner #1 - they both tell me that the car was optioned with this tail when bought new.

I have not pissed-away any money for a COA because it really isn't that important to me. I like it whether it is original to the car or not.

[edit] This post leads me to believe it was a turbo tail ordered as an option, as I do not believe my car to be a weissach edition.
Any chance a tail was an SC option?

[javadog]

Originally Posted by Head416

I'm in a tough spot... I like the idea of "correct", but don't think I would like a Turbo tail on my car!

Well, correct for an '81 would be the 3.3 turbo style of tail. I don't like it on a targa, or any SC, and you don't either. SO, my suggestion would be to remove your existing decklid and hang it on the wall in the garage, so you'll always have the "correct" lid that your car came with. Buy a used example of whatever you think looks best on a targa and have it painted to match your car. I'd go with either a ducktail, or a Weissach tail. Frankly, I think the ducktail looks better on a targa. Unless you show the car, "correct" really doesn't matter much 25 years down the road. Nobody else will bat an eye...

JR

[jackb911]

Here's a pic of the all rubber tail that was available on early ('78-79) USA SC's.

For obvious reasons, not many were ordered with it.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by cashflyer

My 78 has what looks like the weissach tail.

I bought the car from owner #2, and have even met owner #1 - they both tell me that the car was optioned with this tail when bought new.

I have not pissed-away any money for a COA because it really isn't that important to me. I like it whether it is original to the car or not.

[edit] This post leads me to believe it was a turbo tail ordered as an option, as I do not believe my car to be a weissach edition.
Any chance a tail was an SC option?

A '78 wouldn't have come from the factory with a Weissach tail. There are two other options. After it was built, they had the factory put a tail on it (highly doubtful) or it was dealer installed, before or after delivery. It was no big deal to order the parts from a dealer and get a tail installed on a new car. I did it, years ago, as I wanted a different tail on an SC that I special ordered, than what the factory would have put on it.

For what it's worth, the "Sport package" that keeps getting discussed was more or less a UK thing. Over here, "spoilers, front and rear" was a separate option.

JR

[surflvr911sc]

Great SC tail education! Just to clarify a small detail so you guys know where he’s coming from.

The point of having the “correct” tail is for POC classification. He is trying to balance a class legal factory option tail that he can still stand to look at on his narrow Euro SC Targa. Right now he has a 964 retractable tail, which might not be an issue if he kept it in the down position.

[javadog]

Well, if it's a race car, then he just needs to get used to the looks of a 3.3 turbo tail....

A race ain't a beauty contest...and that tail would benefit him the most on the track.

JR

[rbuswell]

My USA car came with a factory tea-table. I'm not sure where the idea that it has a lot of rubber comes from. Mine is mostly fiberglass and it has a huge grill for getting air to the engine.

If you don't have a COA, you probably shouldn't bother. My (POS) COA says "Front & Rear Spoilers". That won't help you.

[Head416]

Definitely NOT a racecar. Former daily driver, now retired to driving for fun. Possible plans to AX or DE. Our family already has a dedicated track car though, so nothing too crazy. I won't be putting cage or harnesses in this one.

POC class is definitely something to consider. However, even without that I'm torn between "tail" and "classic SC look" that I love so much. (That's right, I called the SC classic! )

[javadog]

Originally Posted by rbuswell

My (POS) COA says "Front & Rear Spoilers". That won't help you.

Well, that's what Porsche called that option back in those days, so why would you expect more detail 20-30 years later?

Cheers,
JR

[Head416]

The more I think about it, the more I see two deck lids in my future...

[rbuswell]

Originally Posted by proffighter

Maybe this gives a little help:

Originally Posted by javadog

Well, that's what Porsche called that option back in those days, so why would you expect more detail 20-30 years later?

Cheers,
JR

I guess because it appears there was more than one option and this level of detail existed. The PCNA COAs are an expensive money grab of a quality far below the cars they purportedly reported on. Just sayin'.

[javadog]

Well, in defense of Porsche, all I can say is that nothing remained the same for very long. It would surprise most people to know just how many small details changed from year to year. Option codes were pretty consistent, in that they might use the same option code for 10, 15 or more years for the same option. The specific part may have changed, whether it was a radio, a fog light, a spoiler or whatever. This is where some of the errors on the COA come from, in my opinion. It takes a pretty determined individual to keep track of the varioue changes from year to year.

FWIW, the chart posted above isn't really all that useful, if you read it.

Cheers,
JR

[rbuswell]

Originally Posted by javadog

Well, in defense of Porsche, all I can say is that nothing remained the same for very long. It would surprise most people to know just how many small details changed from year to year. Option codes were pretty consistent, in that they might use the same option code for 10, 15 or more years for the same option. The specific part may have changed, whether it was a radio, a fog light, a spoiler or whatever. This is where some of the errors on the COA come from, in my opinion. It takes a pretty determined individual to keep track of the various changes from year to year.

FWIW, the chart posted above isn't really all that useful, if you read it.

Cheers,
JR

As a tool for determining originality, a COA is nearly worthless. Yet people buy them like hotcakes for well over a $100 IIRC and get practically nothing for that; thus the rip-off. I suspect the spoiler chart is very useful if you read German which I don't much any more. I probably need to buy one of those Rosetta Stone courses to brush up. The number of choices was the point I was making anyway. For example, I think but can't comfirm that there was both the whale tale and the tea-table rear spoiler available in my year of SC only because I've seen cars or pictures of cars with both styles. Does my COA help? Nope.

Grady Clay and I have discussions all the time about how Porsche does a lousy job of documenting their cars. It is our agreed opinion that Porsche is always on to the next big thing and anything more than a day old is ancient history to them. Too bad. But what really sucks is shaking down their car owners for $100+ for the priviledge of getting zip.

[Buckterrier]

I'm with the group that likes a duck on a Targa. Nobody put up a pic of a non-turbo 74-75 tail...

[javadog]

Originally Posted by rbuswell

As a tool for determining originality, a COA is nearly worthless. Yet people buy them like hotcakes for well over a $100 IIRC and get practically nothing for that; thus the rip-off. I suspect the spoiler chart is very useful if you read German which I don't much any more. I probably need to buy one of those Rosetta Stone courses to brush up. The number of choices was the point I was making anyway. For example, I think but can't comfirm that there was both the whale tale and the tea-table rear spoiler available in my year of SC only because I've seen cars or pictures of cars with both styles. Does my COA help? Nope.

Grady Clay and I have discussions all the time about how Porsche does a lousy job of documenting their cars. It is our agreed opinion that Porsche is always on to the next big thing and anything more than a day old is ancient history to them. Too bad. But what really sucks is shaking down their car owners for $100+ for the priviledge of getting zip.

You know, I have to disagree with this, not that it matters. I know that there have been mistakes made on the CoA certificates; that's old news. However, not only do I believe that most of them are actually correct, there is some information contained on them that you would have difficulty finding anywhere else. With a little experience, it's not hard to figure out what was original on a car; it just takes a little knowledge and investigation.

Porsche really did a pretty good job of documenting the cars. The problem some people have is that it's not all in one place and you have to actually visit a dealer once in a while to see what's available. If you bothered to look, Porsche offered a lot of it through their parts department. What you have to realize is that they were servicing the dealers, not John Q. Public. Thanks to the internet and eBay, nowdays good old John Q. can have pretty much everything a dealer did. I have a ton of stuff, mainly because I was interested in obtaining it over the years. Need paint codes, interior codes, option lists, prices, radio choices? Got all that, and more...

If you want to figure out what spoiler should be on a given car, go get a copy of PET. Porsche used to give it away for free.

JR