The light units have been reissued in collaboration with Bosch Classic, the original equipment manufacturer of the era, for maximum authenticity – both in the European and US versions. This means that all tail light units for the classic 911 models (up to and including Type 996) can now be ordered again from any Porsche Centre worldwide.
The reissue focused on achieving the greatest possible consistency with the factory-installed light units from the period, whilst also complying with current standards and tests. All of the materials, including the die-cast zinc housing in a Zamak alloy, as well as the lenses match the original specification from 1964. The same is true for the many details which were at that time unique features: the Bosch symbol in the lenses and housings, the characteristic chiselling of the reversing light recess, the reflective “cat's eye“ made from a single piece, and the double screw connection of all the lights to the body.
As was the case 50 years ago, production of the parts relies heavily on manual work: the lenses for the European variant are painted by hand (while in the red lenses for the US version, coloured granulate is used). The individual parts of the light units are also fitted by hand. The final, country-specific digit of the part number in the die-cast zinc housing is applied manually, as it was originally. And once the lenses have been fused into the housing, the small discolorations at the fusion points are retouched by hand with lamp paint and a small, thin brush, just as they were before.
The indicator and tail lights for the 911 models with the short wheelbase had not been available as Porsche original spare parts since the 1990s. This meant that customers either had to be on the lookout for new old stock (NOS) or find used parts.
About Porsche Classic
Porsche Classic is responsible for spare parts supply and factory restorations of all of the brand’s road-approved classic cars. This includes all aspects of care products and technical literature through to classic spare part supply and new editions of already discontinued spare parts. In order to increase the availability of this offering for vintage and young classic cars, the company is successively extending its international dealer and service network with the Porsche Classic Partner programme. Porsche customers and prospects can find the complete range of products and services offered by Porsche Classic there. In this way, Porsche is therefore integrating maintenance and value retention of classic cars into an innovative service concept that closely links the tradition and innovation of Porsche.
