Tuner RWB brings Japanese flair to the German Sportscar

Sure, you started your journey with a Civic, Corolla, Camry or even your mom’s minivan. As the years passed, you slowly upgraded your whip—faster, lower, louder even. Still, it was your mom’s econobox, not a purpose-built performance machine. The years continued on, and playing your cards right, a chance to call a bone-stock Porsche 911 is upon you. Congrats! Cross it off your lifetime bucket-list—a 911 is a dream for most people. But you’re not most people. You want faster, lower! Enter, RWB.

RAUH-Welt Begriff, commonly known as RWB, is a Japanese tuning company known for building stunning Porsche 911’s. You’ve seen their signature wild aesthetics—specifically, widebody kits that hide huge wheel and tire setups. RWBs creations are one-off, unique builds and leave tuners and non-tuners alike turning their heads if lucky enough to see one on the road. Attaining cult status, RWB’s service is sought after by car lovers and enthusiasts worldwide. Let’s look at how the company started and the man that created it.

In the mid 90’s, a group of Japanese drift enthusiasts by the name of “Rough World” dominated every track they encountered. They went from drift tracks to togues, competing with others with their Hachi-Rokus and showcasing their skills as a crew. Akira Nakai is the leader of this group, and even though he started his career getting sideways in a Toyota Corolla AE86, his passion for euro cars—especially Porsches—stuck to him since childhood. While working for a body shop during those years, he came across a damaged 1985 Porsche 911, the very same which would help catapult the success of the RWB brand. This would be the first Porsche he would ever own, and the canvas for his wide-body art.

“Nakai builds ALL RWB cars around the world. He travels the world to meet with customers and creates their personal Porsche”

rahwelt-usa.com

RWB’s Poster Child, The Stella Artois

Nakai started working on his Porsche 911 engine with the help of Promodet, a neighboring Porsche tuner company in Japan. The flat-six engine was tuned to produce around 360 horsepower with a redline of 8500 rpm. To improve its performance on the track, Nakai-san changed everything in the car that could improve performance. He started upgrading the coil-overs, brakes, and wheels. He swapped the transmission out and cleared the vehicle’s interior to reduce weight. Still, the most crucial modification he did to the car, which would help him gain notoriety amongst others, is Nakai-san’s bodywork to the car. His masterpiece, this 1985 Porsche 930-911, in a silky matte black with gold accents, earned the name “Stella Artois,” after the Belgium brand of beer.

How did RWB get its Name?

After the work he had done with his Porsche 911, Nakai-san would start his own company, which he named after his drifting crew. He translated the name “Rough World” into German and came up with the word “Rauh-Welt.” The tuning company would later be called Rauh-Welt Begriff, which stands for Rough World Concept.

The company gained success in its hometown, Chiba, Japan, and would later gain traction worldwide, despite any traditional marketing. Articles about RWB builds by outlets such as Fatlace and Speedhunters served as marketing for the brand, as we drooled over each 911 scrolling through their photos. The signature “RAUH-Welt” banners plastered the windshields of owner cars and helped solidify their signature, bold look.

Why are RWB Porsches so Popular?

Each RWB Porsche is a one-off masterpiece, built by Nakai-san with the owner in mind. Yes, these are exclusive builds where owners spec how they want the finished product to look. Nakai-san talks with the client and discusses their plans: street, circuit, togue, show, daily driver, etc. We imagine they go over aero, paint, suspension, wheel setup and much much more. Every aspect is customizable, and built in partnership with the owner’s desires.

With blueprints and a roadmap in hand, Nakai-san and his team begin to build the body kit. It is said that just a single builder from RWB in Japan shapes and molds each kit. Once built, RWB ships the parts, and Nakai-san himself travels your shop of choice to assemble and build your dream Porsche. You heard that right—Nakai himself helps form, fit, and ensure your 911 is exactly that: yours. This one–of-one exclusivity is unmatched, and lends to it’s popularity.

“RWB kits are extremely durable. These are not weak and thin body kits like many others out there. This is not made from a mold. These kits are hand made in Japan by 1 person. These kits fit PERFECT and when Nakai-san builds and assembles the car, its even more perfect.”

rwb-usa.com

Witnessing Nakai-san’s mastery at work gives such a unique experience for RWB owners and fans of their style. He transforms the classic 911 silhouette and shape into an aggressive, curvaceous, creature… that still moves and flows like it came from Stuggart. (Actually, there are many Porsche enthusiasts who see his work as blashphemous—tearing into an original creation). You are paying not just for the few days Nakai is working on your car; you pay for the decades he spent building his experience and polishing his craft.

Fresh off the plane into Atlanta, Georgia, here’s the master himself in a build for MotorCarStudio back in 2015:

According to rwbregistry.com, more than 1300 RWBs were built by the company worldwide, and some are still not identified. The number of clients the brand amassed over the years is also active as a community, with old RWB owners attending shops and events where Nakai has an ongoing project.

Does RWB do other cars?

You’d like that, huh? The RWB treatment on your 240 or S2000—that would be wild. Alas, RWB does not officially build anything but 911’s. You’re “limited” to a few different versions of their kits, with the 930, 964, 993 and now 997 generations to choose from.

That doesn’t mean Nakai and the RWB team have never driven or built any other cars. Here’s a 1:16 scale model of an AE86 Toyota Levin, driven by Nojima-san, a younger member of RWB.

The Future of RWB

As we lust over these exclusive, detail-drenched machines, we’ll continue to see these epic builds slowly leak onto the interwebz and in our Instagram feeds. And even though RWB is known for building air-cooled Porches, Nakai-san and his team have also put their signature look on the newer generation, water-cooled 911’s. They currently use a Porsche 997 for research and development, which should help pave the way for the future of the brand. No signs of Nakai-san stopping now, as his imprint on the Porsche community continues to grow.

For existing owners, they continue to be connected to the RWB community, attending events such as the 12-hour endurance race. This yearly event, held at Tsukuba Circuit in Japan, has owners around the world competing against eachother, Nakai-san himself of course in attendance. Celebrating their rolling masterpieces together is likely well worth the price paid for their widebody art.

For us, Civic, Integra and minivan owners, we’ll continue to eye these artful creations in awe. We may get lucky enough to see one live in our local shows and meets. Finally, if we don’t ever even get the chance at our own 911, much less an RWB version—the 1:16 model may be just enough.