RUF’s Plug-And-Play LED Headlight Kit For Old 911s Looks Tasteful But Costs As Much As An Old Boxster

While there’s something nostalgic about the warm glow of halogen headlights, dim lights only work when everything else is dim. In the escalating illumination wars, the lights of say, a 1994 to 1997 Porsche 911 might feel a bit dim, so what are owners to do? Well, legendary Porsche tuner and boutique car builder RUF has come up with a solution, but this complete lighting kit certainly comes at a cost.

These days, aftermarket headlight upgrades are fairly common on modified air-cooled Porsche 911s thanks to a fairly common light size, but they aren’t all tasteful, nor can they be used on 993s of the 1990s. In contrast to earlier models, the 993 featured composite lens headlights, but they weren’t Porsche’s first true one-piece composite headlights, as the lenses were separate pieces from the main housings. Still, with available HID projectors, these multipiece lights were a huge step up from the H4 halogen lights on older 911s, but these days, the headlight wars have only escalated.

So what could you do if you want more light out of a 993’s headlights? Well, the hard route would be a projector upgrade, but RUF has taken an easier approach — a full set of modern LED projector headlights, LED marker lights and turn signals, and LED taillights that look refreshingly tasteful.

Designed in collaboration with Tony Hatter, the man who served as design manager for the 993, what we have here is a modern set of lights that integrates Porsche DNA well. For instance, the projector shrouds don’t feature gaudy lit-up elements, but instead are finned like the trim bits inside modern Porsche LED headlights. At the same time, the headlights feature the right sort of period-correct fluting around their edges, and the dimpling on the turn signal lenses is still a bit ’90s in a pleasing way.

Around back, the new taillights look pretty factory when off, although as you get up close, you start to notice new forms behind familiar red lenses. This is likely the biggest upgrade, and RUF has mercifully resisted the urge to go with a full-width illuminated taillamp treatment, instead keeping things restrained and lowering the reverse lights to be in line with new brake light elements.

It all looks pretty swish. However, don’t expect to see the RUF lighting kit for the 993 absolutely everywhere. This nine-piece set of U.S.-spec lights carries a price tag of €8,361.84, or around $8,710 at current conversion rates. That sort of money buys you an original Porsche Boxster, and while it won’t be a perfect example, it’d still be an entire Porsche sports car.

So, for the few who can afford it, the RUF lighting upgrade for the 993 looks pretty OEM-plus and should offer greatly improved output over the stock lights. However, it’s certainly not a kit for every 993 owner, as some might want to spend the money on maintenance, adventures, or even on adding another Porsche to their fleet.

Photo credits: RUF
Top graphic: Pulp Fiction/Miramax via YouTube

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