XPEL Ultimate Plus Makes Classic Porsche 911s Even More Stunning

January 18, 2022

Paint Protection Film (PPF) has become the main resource to preserve car paint. It can be applied on any model, whether throughout the whole exterior or only selected parts, making the surfaces resistant to weather conditions and typical small impacts of everyday use, may be removed without leaving residue… basically, it does a wonderful job at preserving the shiny appearance of a new car.

When it comes to practice, auto shops are unanimous about the need for professional application because of all the variables involved. However, sometimes clients have a hard time visualizing why exactly it is so important. Singapore-based Rikecool has a perfect example of that: the recent work done on a Porsche classic 964 and a Porsche classic 993. Let’s take a look at its details, shall we?

Two generations of an icon

The 964 generation marked the introduction of the Tiptronic automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Besides that, its integrated bumpers helped the 911 become more aerodynamic than ever.

The 993, in turn, had 80% of the previous project updated and featured new mechanical solutions that eliminated old problems and made its dynamic behavior reach a whole new level of excellence.

Now that those models have become classics, it is understandable that their external appearance has lost the shine they had years ago. While body treatments have always existed, Paint Protection Film installation stands out for all those qualities. The challenge here was to effectively apply it to those cars: the 911’s design is famous for its unique design features and smooth surface transitions.

XPEL Ultimate Plus to the rescue

Rikecool uses XPEL Ultimate Plus, a unique model of polyurethane film whose 192-micron thickness encases four layers of material, each one with its own function. The clear coat adds elastomeric properties that recover the original texture after a small impact; the acrylic adhesive allows easy application on all surfaces and resists delamination over time. The overall result is unparalleled preservation and protection of the car’s original paint.

While PPF may be installed in any part of the car you want, it is highly recommendable to have it installed on the entire external surface to make the appearance more homogeneous. The investment will be returned earlier than you think once you realize that it eliminates the need for periodic polishing typical of unprotected paint surfaces. Besides, our PPF model will leave no residue if it is removed in the future.

Customization is the Key

The very first step of a PPF application is to decontaminate the surfaces. Over the years, they suffer weather effects and are constantly exposed to dust and pelted by particles from the road. Cleaning the surfaces with the appropriate procedure is a fundamental first step to restoring their smoothness and ensuring that the PPF will be applied with maximum efficiency, leaving no irregular sections.

On the other hand, applying it to classic cars is particularly challenging because they have unique shapes and most of them have little documented information available. Rikecool’s professional staff went through the hard way and drew every portion of the surface by hand in order to reach an accurate geometry. Then, each template was carefully scanned, cut, and applied with maximum attention to detail.

What was the result?

The pictures speak for themselves. The 911 models have different colors and belong to different generations, yet the XPEL Ultimate Plus yielded excellent results on both. When observed from a distance, their paint shows a refreshed tone and shines with an intensity typically found only when the car leaves the dealership for the first time. And we are talking about 30-year-old models here.

When we get closer to them, we can observe how clear the paint is. The decontamination process removed all those road particles and the layer of dust which has formed over time – in most times, a simple car wash is not enough to accomplish that. The PPF will now preserve that quality over many years and make those classic cars resistant to the daily particle impacts and weather actions.

How does it resist the action of time?

The film’s chemical and physical composition was specifically designed to give it many advantages in that regard. For example, it is guaranteed not to become yellow under the action of UV rays, so the original paint color will not be affected. It is also resistant against staining and delamination, so the film will retain its integrity and that will preserve the refreshed appearance for many years.

Besides that, the elastomeric composition allows the film to resist small impacts, such as from road particles. In that case, a light application of heat on the surface will reorganize its internal structure and start a self-healing effect. Those are all reasons why we recommend having PPF installed not only on sheet metal but also on fragile components like door edges, headlights, and tail lights.

Conclusion

We are excited to share this interesting project to install XPEL PPF on the classic Porsche 964 and 993. Our customization capability and skilled installers made it possible!