968 Turbo RS Wing –going back into production here in the USA

[mattmarks]

Good evening all - SSI Motorsports (Pelican Parts Sponsor) in Parkville MD is looking to guage interest in the market for the 968 Turbo RS adjustable rear wing. We’re partnering with a prominent supplier to ALMS and Grand Am wings to re-create the orignal "Phase 2" style 968 Turbo wing - made in the USA.

Unlike other vendors selling similar products we will have products in stock and we answer the phones all day long (8-6 EST). Once full production begins, we will be stocking 5-10 wings for same day shipping once you place an order

We are currently having a prototype fabricated so we can display it - but here's what we anticipate it will have.

Features:

1) Made and sold in the US – no international calls, international shipping, duty, or time zone issues that you may have experiened when looking for this sort of wing from some suppliers in Europe

2) All Carbon Fiber construction (no fiberglass core) – lighter and stronger than other wings on the market – will not flex under high downforce load

3) Exact duplication of the Turbo RS wing profile and wing mount portions

4) Airfoil section will show the hand-laid carbon fiber weave. Wing ends and trim pieces will also be in carbon and will be primer ready for painting – no sanding needed. We intend these to be the highest quality wings on the market

5) For 944 hatches, the 968 trim pieces will also be included for a small extra cost. Installation instructions and jig to ensure exact placement for mounting holes in the aluminum hatch frame (like the factory 968 setup) - no need to get the costly 968 hatch or trim pieces

6) Wing will feature 5 position adjustability built into the wing – no additional parts needed unlike other designs

7) For a small additional cost, the wing end plates and trim can be laid to show the carbon weave in addition to the wing center section

8) For racers – adjustable carbon wickers can be added into the wing trailing edge. Wing is engineered such that the wickers can be changed in less than a minute – multiple heights available

Prototypes are under construction and we expect pricing to be (for the basic model)

- 968 hatch complete wing kit - $1200
- 944hatch complete wing kit + 3 trim pieces - $1300
- For visible carbon fiber weave for the complete wing, trim pieces and wind ends - add $250


Need to have 5 orders to make this worthwhile for us to continue with it – 7 orders will drop the price by $50, 10 orders by $100

Please PM or post questions or let me know if there is any interest.

[Tomikaze]

Wicked excited when I saw this until I got to the price. Not saying it isn't worth it. Sounds like a well engineered part but the price puts me right out of the market.

[tbg22]

same here, the price will not work, a really solid 944 trubo is going for $10K and averge ones $5-6 so this price point would be 10% -20% of the value of the entire car and as we know it won't increase value at sale.

Maybe make a fiberglass version w/o Carbon Fiber? or limit the adjustability? regardless you need to find a way to engineer some of the cost out

[944racecar]

I love the idea but tbg22 am with you .....

[89-944NA]

Nice, but have to agree on the price.

[Grandad#3]

Price is a weeee bit high.

Cheers,
Larry

[mattmarks]

All, understand your thoughts, but here are our constraints.

We want to produce a quality part, and in our experience, most of the fiberglass pieces that are out there - the quality and fit can be a bit of a challenge. Additionally, the company that we are working specializes in ALMS/Grand Am parts, and will not build in fiberglass.


If there is sufficient demand, we can see if there's a way to get a non-adjustable wing built at a lower price point, but for now we are seeing the demand for the adjustable wing.

The initial production wing on a car in 2-3 weeks so you can see the fit/quality and then make a decision.

[intrepidagent]

Originally Posted by Grandad#3

Price is a weeee bit high.

Cheers,
Larry

+1

Glad to see parts for our cars coming back into semi-mainstream production however this is almost as much as the one from D9.

[83 944]

interested. but i had to jump on with everyone else but the price is steep. especially for guys like us with the N/A cars

[mattmarks]

Originally Posted by tbg22

Maybe make a fiberglass version w/o Carbon Fiber? or limit the adjustability? regardless you need to find a way to engineer some of the cost out

We checked with the supplier. The work is essentially the same regardless of Carbon Fiber vs. Fiberglass - only differnce in cost is in the materials (prob. $50 or so).

The real cost is in the engineering and molds which is essentially the same for an adjustable vs. non-adjustable.

Once we get the prototype back, we'll know final pricing. Also - we've asked for all of the parts (trim strips, wing ends) to come pre-finished in semi-gloss black at no additional charge.

[pontifex4]

I'd like to see pictures of the prototype mounted.
Good luck!

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by pontifex4

I'd like to see pictures of the prototype mounted.
Good luck!

Same here

[mattmarks]

Originally Posted by pontifex4

I'd like to see pictures of the prototype mounted.
Good luck!

We will keep you posted.

[mattmarks]

All,

Wanted to give you an update on the project. The design has been finalized and molds are being built. We’ve signed a contract for an initial batch of 10 wings which should be coming out of the molds and autoclave by 8/24. Some additional details on the final design

- We’ve updated the airfoil to a modern design, replacing the “upside down whale” shape of the original 90’s shape.

- This will provide a much cleaner look as well as a significant increase in downforce/reduction in drag from the original

- The end mounts are being re-contoured to match the new airfoil shape – so they will have a stick appearance consistent with the new airfoil.

- The 968 trim pieces on the sides and rear of the hatch are being molded into the wing mounts. This means that for both 944’s and 968’s, you will not need to make any modifications, and will be able mount the wing in the stock locations with stock hardware. Plus, for 968 cars, you’ll be able to re-sell your OEM trim pieces

- For racers who are looking for additional performance - we will be offering the Gurney flap/wicker slot built into the wing, as well as several gurney heights when the wing is being molded. This is the option that will be shown in the prototype due from engineering in a week or so. Pricing on this option is TBD.

For the standard wing option – Black Painted carbon trim and end plates, wing adjusters, and visible carbon weave wing will be $1600

We will begin taking deposits towards the end of the week of 8/20 as soon as we show finished product on the car.

Matt

[very~worn~944]

Matt, I find this really awesome that someone is finally making a high quality replica in the states. I think it's funny people can complain about the price and compare it to the D9 product...I was looking at buying an uninstalled (new) D9 rs wing off a private party, and the more I found out about the install instructions the more I was turned off- it is not a bolt on product by any means, and must be fabbed, glued and screwed together. After all that the finish is not perfect. If you can offer a product that has better fit and finish, bolts on easily with minimal assembly finesse, and ships from the united states (meaning hardware doesnt get lost across seas) I see no issue asking for top dollar. I do have to admit though, for 1600 I would have really liked to been able to aquire a turbo S front 968 splitter and the trs wing. Is there any way to get the cost closer to the original estimate? I planned on getting it painted anyways, but I would imagine the fact that it HAS to come with the side trims is partially why the price increased? So if this product works equally on the 44 hatches and the 68, I can use a 44 hatch and sell my more valuable 68 hatch complete instead of hackin it appart. I would like to add my deposit to your list, pending installation process description and prototype pictures! Good work and I'd love to see more 968 trs parts! Any chance on a TRS carbon hood, with the intercooler outlet and naca ducts integrated? My steel hood is pretty flimsy, being it's "modified" to fit the NACA ducts and duel hood latches...I can't imagine how much worse it would be if I chop out the center support structure to add the intercooler outlet.

[mattmarks]

Worn – appreciate your words of encouragement. It was the dissatisfaction with currently available designs and the inability to make timely contact with other suppliers that made us decide to move forward. The higher costs comes directly from the complexity of the molds to accommodate the side and back (bottom?) trim pieces. It because easier to do it as a large mold that incorporated the trim than as 5 individual pieces. As we are getting most of our interest from 944 owners we went with this approach.

The wing is designed such that it can fit either on a 944 or 968 hatch.

For those who already have the stock 968 wing/trim/hatch, you can, as you point out, sell the existing trim, wing, and hatch pieces to other 944 owners who want a stock 968 wing and significantly defray your costs on the new piece. From the costs in my local area – that should just about cover the cost of the new wing - a nice bonus ;-)

If the market that we anticipate comes through on the wings – we are looking at doing some other pieces as well. We’re playing with the design for an adjustable one. A hood would be easy to do and it’s been discussed, but pricing would likely be closer to $2000 and we’d need to do a run of 10 or so to have it be profitable. However, we can probably build in the intercooler ducting at that price as well as cut outs for the “aero” style quick release latches. Canards/Dive Planes are also being looked into if we can get some good aero numbers from the engineers.

From an installation instruction standpoint – we’ll be shooting step by step instructions as well as posting video showing the key steps. Also – we’ll be answering customer’s questions via email and phone should they run into issues once they’ve received their wings. We want to show that these products fit as advertised so people will be confident when we come out with our next line of products.

If you have further suggestions – please post or drop me a PM. I’m sure there are owner’s out there who have needs that we haven’t thought of that may be great for the larger community if we can put something together.

[james6speed]

Very interested in this as a replacement to my worn out rubber spoiler.

[mattmarks]

All,

Update on the project - the first wing is going in the molds on Wednesday and should be shipped out by the end of week. We'll be putting it on the car, verifying fit/finish and writing out instructions/shooting pics/video.

Looking to take deposits by end of month as we have to tell our vendor the configuration the initial batch will be.


Received some additional questions on mounting of the 3rd brake light and concerns about clearance of the hatch key:

1) If you have a 968 hatch - 3rd brake light will mount as it does from factory. If you have a 944 hatch, it will mount the way it currently does on the 944 hatch

2) No issues with key clearance for 944 or 968 trim

[Tomikaze]

Updates?

[Divvie]

Definitely be interested in this, price is a little prohibitive to say the least though, I do believe it may earn me a divorce! Still want want one!