Sally: Let there be light

Headlight technology has come a long way since Sally hit the streets in late 1986. Porsche began using H-5 lens assemblies in 1984 on U.S. models with the introduction of the new 911 Carrera model instead of the “sugar scoop” approach that was used on the 911SC. European market cars got the superior H-4 lenses but because of some arcane safety rules all of the U.S. cars arrived with the H-5’s and lower power bulbs.

While the H-5 lenses could be made less awful by swapping in some higher power bulbs and using a relay to get more power directly from the battery, they still are not great in really dark settings like the country roads I usually hit with Sally when we go out for a drive. I also got pretty spoiled by the HID beams in our newer cars and with my eyesight getting worse I decided to make a change. As you can see, the H-5 light is a bit yellow and did not a very long reach.

There are tons of cheap LED and HID kits on the market but I really wanted an integrated kit that would not make Sally look like some whacky tuner car. After a bunch of research I bought a kit from Rennline as the kit looked to be super high quality and you could get the assemblies with H-4 fluted lenses and trim rings that had a nice vintage look to them.

Working with G-series 911 headlights is a pain on the best day and complete nightmare when things go wrong. The light assemblies have to grab on to a ridge in the headlight bucket and it requires a very deft touch to get them solidly fitted without breaking things or scratching up the paint. Although the Rennline kit is beautifully engineered I still managed to crack one lens and it was a bear to get the rings fitted and tightened down.

After aiming the lights, I took Sally for a drive around my dimly lit neighborhood and the difference was literally night and day. I didn’t really need to use the high beams at all and the pure white light the HID’s put out helped me see way down the road without blinding other drivers. Even though it was a bit of work, getting “lit” was totally worth it.