Do Headlight Covers Fix the Porsche 996?

The Porsche 911 (996-generation) debuted with a number of controversial changes. The most talked about is its defining design feature, the ‘fried egg’ headlights.

After 2002, Porsche updated the look and got rid of the ‘yolk’-like turn signal area. But some owners today still find the look of the 996 a bit offensive. Understandable, as it’s the only 911 without a rounded or oval headlight design.

To ‘fix’ the look, some have resorted to sticking on body parts from a 2010 997 GT3 RS model onto the 996. But a recent forum post revealed to me a whole new world of runny egg headlight solutions. And it’s simpler than you might think.

That’s right! Headlight covers to create a more Porsche-like oval headlight look.

Simple, and when done right, I think it works ok. Sure, there’s now a slightly awkward looking panel line where the front foglight used to be.
But for a user-made mod, it’s relatively clean.

Rennlist forum member AndrewK996 came up with this solution himself. He made it out of polyurethane, designing it to fit snugly thanks to a 3D scan of his original lights. Apparently, they don’t fit on MK.1 models.

At the time of posting, these headlight covers were available for US$350 (RM1437, April 2019) without shipping.

I believe they come in black (unpainted), and can be sprayed in a two-tone scheme to give the illusion of a ring around the headlight. Here are some examples of how it looks like in various colours:

Be warned though. The user says the covers are adhered to the headlights using 3M double sided tape or silicone glue. Both solutions seem very… iffy, especially on a car expected to do some serious speed.

From his original post:

A few years ago when I got my car, I started looking for good headlight modification options for my 996 that would give it more of a classic round headlight look. I found the same options as many of you probably have, ugly headlight covers which make the car look worse (imo) or a 997 front end conversion. After 2 years of working on a better design, I have the first pieces ready to sell.

The piece is made out of polyurethane (same materials as bumpers), flexible, impact/weather resistant, and can be painted normally. I 3d scanned the original lights to make sure it fits snugly on top of the existing lens. The covers come as unpainted black polyurethane, prepped for painting, and can be adhered with 3m double sided tape or silicone glue. The price for this initial small run is $390 for the set (L and R) including shipping via USPS ground. If interested, email me at [email protected] or PM me.

A couple notes: this version is for headlights without the washers, however they will fit over your lights if you are willing to remove the chrome caps. Removal is easy and the washers can be deactivated by pulling the corresponding fuse.