A Collection of M491 TURBO LOOK Pictures

[TrickySF]

If anyone is interested in selling a "Turbo Look" coupe, please let me know. Many thanks.

[RFP]

Oops

[Shaun @ Tru6]

[panzerfaust]

Twin plug, RS tre bumpers, rebel suspension, raised spindles, bump steer, mk ex, quickrack, anti dive, srd, ac delete

2650-2675lb ... still in progress to remove full interior and add lighter factory whale, batt. Hope to be sub-2500lb. Still has sunroof unfortunately

[famoroso]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

GORGEOUS!

Wait. Has that top always been slick?!

Originally Posted by panzerfaust

Twin plug, RS tre bumpers, rebel suspension, raised spindles, bump steer, mk ex, quickrack, anti dive, srd, ac delete

2650-2675lb ... still in progress to remove full interior and add lighter factory whale, batt. Hope to be sub-2500lb. Still has sunroof unfortunately

Nice. You might consider going tail-less. Factory tea-tray, plus mounting hardware, is 26+ pounds! I'm planning an aluminum decklid for my '89 hot rod build. That's another 7 pounds saved. Thirty-three pounds saved between tail delete & aluminum decklid? That's not insignificant for our "lil' 3.2 engines that could."

[Flojo]

Originally Posted by famoroso

Club Sport style front valance.

what is a "club sport style front valance"?
I see a regular valance just without fogs or bores for fog install.
nothing special.

edit, bust yes, it is beautiful. I'm a blue-car fan anyway ;-)

[famoroso]

Originally Posted by Flojo

what is a "club sport style front valance"?
I see a regular valance just without fogs or bores for fog install.
nothing special.

edit, bust yes, it is beautiful. I'm a blue-car fan anyway ;-)

Although, when it comes to Porsche, one should avoid "never" and "always..." To the best of my knowledge, in the US, 3.2s all came with foglights, except... the Club Sports. Emphasis on *in the US.*

In my case I took a non-foglight 930 valance, filled the license plate bracket holes, et voila... "Club Sport style" front valance for a widebody G.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by famoroso

GORGEOUS!

Wait. Has that top always been slick?!

Thanks Frank, I love that pic. I took it originally for an Off Topic Secret Santa present here years ago for one of our female members.

Yes, it's a special order car, mostly option deletes.

[panzerfaust]

Originally Posted by famoroso

Nice. You might consider going tail-less. Factory tea-tray, plus mounting hardware, is 26+ pounds! I'm planning an aluminum decklid for my '89 hot rod build. That's another 7 pounds saved. Thirty-three pounds saved between tail delete & aluminum decklid? That's not insignificant for our "lil' 3.2 engines that could."

Thanks.

I like the tailless look a lot too and I also have a TRE Ducktail. But it will be used on the track so I need a tail for aero

I found an early factory whale without aux grill on a couple of years ago. It’s pretty light at 21.5 lbs vs 40 lbs of the factory tea tray.

[famoroso]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Thanks Frank, I love that pic. I took it originally for an Off Topic Secret Santa present here years ago for one of our female members.

Yes, it's a special order car, mostly option deletes.

I cannot stop drooling. Wow.

Originally Posted by panzerfaust

Thanks.

I like the tailless look a lot too and I also have a TRE Ducktail. But it will be used on the track so I need a tail for aero

I found an early factory whale without aux grill on a couple of years ago. It’s pretty light at 21.5 lbs vs 40 lbs of the factory tea tray.

That's legit. Nice find!

[Classic11]

Another Slick Top M491 (only 5 M491 cars with no sunroof made through all the years) that is currently going through a little diet, Stratton DucTail....

[jackb911]

I sold my '89 in 2010 to a friend in Germany. Here it is getting ready for its TuV inspection back then.

Had it been a coupe, it would still be in my garage.

[panzerfaust]

Originally Posted by Classic11

Another Slick Top M491 (only 5 M491 cars with no sunroof made through all the years) that is currently going through a little diet, Stratton DucTail....

Only 5 that year or total?

You are a lucky man... I’m jealous 😊

[Classic11]

Hey Panzerfaust, I need to correct my statement, there were 25 M491 cars made with not sunroof for the US, not 5. Still very rare and yes I glad to have one as it really improves the head room, that was probably the reason the original buyers wanted no sunroof as they were taller.

[panzerfaust]

Originally Posted by Classic11

Hey Panzerfaust, I need to correct my statement, there were 25 M491 cars made with not sunroof for the US, not 5. Still very rare and yes I glad to have one as it really improves the head room, that was probably the reason the original buyers wanted no sunroof as they were taller.

more headroom not less weight? the other M491 cars were performance oriented

[Classic11]

Yes i think less weight is also a good reason. How much weight saving is the slick top? Does anybody know? I am curious if any of the M491 (slick top) cars were bought for later racing purpose as a helmet and sunroof does not go along for most people? Nobody knows.

[Flojo]

Originally Posted by Classic11

Yes i think less weight is also a good reason. How much weight saving is the slick top?

the sunroof cassette and slider are massively heavy

done a sunroof delete recently, including very every small bits up to the switch in the dash I deleted 22kg of weight.
I didn't weigh the replacing insert or have a factor for the bondo needed en suite, though if we say saving net 20kg its fair I guess

[panzerfaust]

Originally Posted by Classic11

Yes i think less weight is also a good reason. How much weight saving is the slick top? Does anybody know? I am curious if any of the M491 (slick top) cars were bought for later racing purpose as a helmet and sunroof does not go along for most people? Nobody knows.

folks who have done it says about 35-45lbs. at the very tip top of the vehicle, thats significant. the shape of the roof is very different too but folks dont usually go through the trouble of replacing the whole roof and used a filler panel instead.

M491 nomenclature or option code i believe was used on many cars,73 2.8 RSR, 74 3.0 RS,RSR etc.. even on the cars afterwards with the 964 RSR 3.8 im not an expert my any means with numbers or codes, perhaps someone more knowledgeable can chime in.

[famoroso]

Originally Posted by panzerfaust

more headroom not less weight? the other M491 cars were performance oriented

Let's be intellectually honest. By the late '80s (if not earlier) most every US 911, save for the handful of Club Sports, were ~3,000 pound, more luxury than sport (i.e. less performance oriented) cruisers.

Even G Speedsters (most optioned with AC, many with power seats, headlamp washers, intensive windshield washers, etc,) aren't performance oriented. As much as I like a G Speedster for it's looks, the widebody and heavier 930 suspension & brakes went against the original 356 Speedster ethos, both from cost and weight perspectives.

How many 911s, much less 491s, have you seen as "strippers" vs heavily optioned?

Cases in point:

My '87 coupe, as close to a stripper US 491 that I've seen. It is PTS, which is UH-mazing (still tho, I wish it had also been optioned with sport seats and LSD. I can only dream about the holy grail factory sunroof delete car!). ~2,840 pounds after some lightweighting (fog light delete, heater backdate, 20 pounds taken out of the powertrain's reciprocating / rotating assembly)...



My former '88 491 cab. 3,066 pounds (with a manual top conversion)...



My newly acquired '89 491 coupe. Weight TBD (it's going on the scales Tuesday), but probably ~3,000 pounds...

Originally Posted by Classic11

Yes i think less weight is also a good reason. How much weight saving is the slick top? Does anybody know? I am curious if any of the M491 (slick top) cars were bought for later racing purpose as a helmet and sunroof does not go along for most people? Nobody knows.

There are three ways slicktops are being done these days: replacement roof panel (either as a cut-out from a donor car or as a new part from Porsche or Dansk), metal or composite patch panel (Fennlane [RIP], Rennline, Stuttgart Classica, etc.), welding the existing sunroof panel to the existing roof. All three methods have their pros & cons. Per my research, you can expect to lose ~20 - 35 lbs depending on which method. Options 2 & 3 require gutting the sunroof cassette & reinforcements, etc. If you don't do that, you won't gain as much headroom or lose asuch weight.

Here's a good, recent, thread on roof replacement (note in this case, they just replaced the skin. They didn't cut any of the pillars):
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/1076181-911-sunroof-cancelled.html

I'm planning on a roof skin replacement sunroof delete for my newly acquired '89, which needs a paint job anyway.

Originally Posted by panzerfaust

folks who have done it says about 35-45lbs. at the very tip top of the vehicle, thats significant. the shape of the roof is very different too but folks dont usually go through the trouble of replacing the whole roof and used a filler panel instead.

M491 nomenclature or option code i believe was used on many cars,73 2.8 RSR, 74 3.0 RS,RSR etc.. even on the cars afterwards with the 964 RSR 3.8 im not an expert my any means with numbers or codes, perhaps someone more knowledgeable can chime in.

Yes, the code was used and reused. Regardless, please don't try and make a connection between the '70s RSR cars and our beloved lil' street cruisers, like Paul at the M491 Yahoo! group did back in the day. That was a bridge way too far.

[Classic11]

Hey Frank. Never thought of that really, that less options can be more.... Just checked my option sticker the first owner only picked M491, sport seats and a radio. Oh yes and a black headliner (not sure what you get if you don't pick that, no headliner :-) My seat are supposed to have the Porsche scrip cloth middle section, but i cannot find this material anywhere in blue. If you ever see it please let me know.