Shark Tail Light Upgrade?

[Bret]

So this is something I've been considering. Lots of folks in the 928 community say this is a simple upgrade. What do you think.

Personally I like it!....

Old:

New (er?) proposed:

Its a simple upgrade anyone can do with a can of candy apple spray paint avalible at any hobby store.

So lets make this a poll?

 

[tony barnhill]

IMHO, it really makes the reverse lights 'pop out'!!

 

[Bret]

Yeah Tony, I thought about that too, but I think the yellow turn indicators look kind'a out of place and the upgrade works with the silver & red lettering I've installed.

 

[tony barnhill]

The amber lens flows with the car's curves...the all red lens flattens them out by drawing one's eyes to that reverse light....so far, I've liked everything you've done to the Shark but this one turns me off, sorry.....

 

[GB1]

Bret:

It seems that the concensus seems to be going with Tony on this one.

Patrick

 

[Bret]

Thats ok, I ain't offended at all guys.

The red-out treatment is just something that seems to be pretty popular amoung owners of the older sharks like mine.

Just wanted to get a unbiased point of view & see what others think.

 

[swift6]

Is it legal? Some states require an amber turn signal after a certain year. Gets a lot of the Japanese tuner cars in trouble when they start switching out lights.

 

[Bret]

I'm still looking into the legality issues of deleting the amber turn indicators. But even if it is I tend to think it’s one of those wink, wink nudge, nudge things like front license plates and window tinting. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[swift6]

My sister (a local Gendarme /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif ) describes those types of things as probable cause items. Generally you don't get stopped for them but if they want to pull you over and 'investigate' something else, those are all they need. Unless they suspect you of causing trouble, the legality might be of little import in reality but sometimes its good to at least ask the question.

 

[R6MGS]

Yeah..I agree with Tony, the orange looks fine....but then it is your car so the only right thing to do is what you want.

 

[DrEntropy]

I go for the original.

 

[SteveL]

How quaint, Americanizing a German sports coupe...
I believe there is a reason for the amber signal
lenses, after all, the German TUV have much bigger
brains than our (not even close to) equivalent,
you see, if the signal light is the same color
as the brake light, there is a possibility that
it won't be seen during a turn while both lamps
are lit...

And the amber signal has been around since '73, when
all Euro manufacturers agreed to add them...

SteveL

 

[Bret]

How quaint, Americanizing a German sports coupe...<<SNIP>>

Steve, don’t get your lederhosen in a bunch will ya.

I haven’t done anything yet and was merely polling my friends in the BCF about their thoughts about something that many in the 928 community I hang out with have done themselfs and have suggested that it’s look good on my Shark too.

But to your point about “Americanizing” my German vehicle (BTW it’s a GT not just a sports coupe) given the reasons for it’s inception – the 928 is probably more American than anything that ever come out of Stuttgart.

 

[DrEntropy]

German Camaros!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

Called 'em that when we got our first ones back in the late '70's at the dealership.

 

[Bret]

German Camaros!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

Called 'em that when we got our first ones back in the late '70's at the dealership.

You go ahead & call’em what ya will there Doc. (as if anything I said would stop you. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif )

But as Shark owners love to remind our turtle brethren when they start denouncing our Sharks, – the 928 was the first & only Porsche that was designed from the ground up and produced in house. Everything else’s bloodline can be traced to VW or other design houses.

Bout the only thing Porsche farmed out was the early 3 speed autos – and even those where massaged by P-car engineers.

Fact is the 928 is the only proper Porsche. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

 

[GB1]

Starting typing, erased, no comment /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazyeyes.gif

Patrick

 

[AweMan]

I say, "what ever makes your clock tick"! As for me Im a purist, I would have kept amber.

 

[swift6]

– the 928 was the first & only Porsche that was designed from the ground up and produced in house. Everything else’s bloodline can be traced to VW or other design houses.

Well, I'll say something, I like to start trouble. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif

Its pretty hard and a little ridiculous to divorce VW and Porsche. Porsche as we know it today, would not even exist if it were not for VW since it was VW dealerships that funded Porsche as a separate company. Yes, the Speedster is related to the 'Type I Sedan', a Volkswagen. But it was also Ferdinand Porsche who designed the 'Type I Sedan'.

It is accurate to say that the 928 is a 'clean sheet design' where they started from scratch. Which can also be used to demonstrate the quality of engineering the folks at Porsche could come up with. But to say it is the only 'Pure Porsche' is stretching it a bit (the 49 Gmund built Speedsters come to mind) and usually done by 928 owners to incite other Porsche owners. Also remember that there were several 'clean sheet' Porsche race cars. Remember the 917?

And I am a 928 fan. They are great cars. My step dad sold his C4 911 but held onto his 928. Which I am very happy about. Of course, at one time I did also own a Camaro so I can attest to the similarites AND the differences. I even sported a mullet when I had the Camaro. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[Bret]

Hey Shawn,

Nobody’s saying that Porsche or Volkswagen didn’t design many wonderful vehicles and yes the "Pure Porsche" comment is intended to incite other P-car owners. But it’s usually used in self defense situations when Turtle owners start getting too big for their britches. But I’ve never used it as my opening salvo when crossing swords with other Porsche owners who feel the need to besmerch the 928's good name. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

But while there have been many vehicles to wear the P Shield, but most can trace their linage back to the 356 and thus in turn the VW’s of old & their Boxer style engines. While the 924 & 944 can’t directly be linked to the 356s it can also be linked to VW & Audi as it was originally planned to be Volkswagen’s flagship before Porsche stepped in and took it because it needed an entry level replacement for the 914..

BTW Although the 49 Gmund coupes where nice weren’t they just modified 356? Moreover I wouldn’t call a production run of 49 anything earth shattering compared to other models too come. As for the Race cars you mentioned? Wonderful as they where they where IMHO just – “Race Specials” not full production (key word) cars.

 

[swift6]

From what I had read on the Gmund cars, they were built as prototypes to pitch the idea of the car to financial backers. Sort of like the 50 cars that Tucker had to build to show he wasn't a charlatan. There is a shared lineage between Beetles and 356's. Made sense economically. However, Ferdinand's whole original idea that both the 356 and the Beetle emerged from was a design he came up with while working for Daimler-Benz in the 1920's. The Beetle was his first opportunity to implement the idea when he got a contract to build three prototypes in 1936 for the German Government. He worked for himself at that time, his company was "Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche GmbH, Konstruktionen und Beratungen für Motoren und Fahrzeugbau". Kind of hard to fit that all on a badge though. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

The Beetle was modified from his original vision, on orders from Adolf Hitler, to make it more suited to the working man. So Porsche used idea from Tatra's to modify his original design into the Kdf-Wagen (which was also called the Kafer, and we know as the Beetle). Which was built in a purpose made city called "Stadt des KdF-Wagens". After WWII, Kdf changed its name to Volkswagen and the Purpose built town became known as Wolfsburg. So, when Porsche was able to build the 356's, it was getting back to his original ideas made from parts from his modified ideas. Sort of a serious 'Chicken and the Egg type story'.

But I am only an amateur historian. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

You would have to bring up the whole 'Production' thing wouldn't you. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif