RWB Porsche by Akira Nakai – RAUH WELT BEGRIFF FEATURETTE
How it all began...
About an hour's drive from the centre of Tokyo, Akira Nakai-San runs his workshop, which has recently achieved worldwide fame through numerous media appearances. In the meantime, countless videos can be found on the internet where Akira Nakai can be seen either in his workshop or working on a RWB project abroad. His conversions are discussed in a highly polarising manner, both negatively and positively. He developed his penchant for fast cars at a young age on the roads and racetracks of Tokyo. In the early nineties, at the age of 28, he fulfilled his dream and bought a Porsche 930, which he immediately modified.
The black "Stella Artois" - named after his favourite beer brand - was the start of his career. By the way, one of the first Hot Wheels RWB models was a Porsche 930 based on the Stella Artois as well. Of course, Hot Wheels was not allowed to advertise beer and instead displayed the Rauh Welt Begriff logo on the side. But the silhouette was clearly recognisable as the first marvel from the pen of Nakai-San. A model with absolute collector's character, worth good money today!
Porsche models with body kits:
Devotees of his style love him because his body kits look exaggerated and raw, uncompromisingly designed in the name of speed.
In particular, his extreme wide-body race kits are based on race-proven touring and endurance Porsche bodies, which are intended to give the solvent private racer not only an aerodynamic advantage but also the eye-catching bonus at club races on the home track.
This is not the only reason why the numerous model car manufacturers offer a number of variants in the race look.
For example, liveries such as Marlboro, Rothmans, Jägermeister, Martini, Brummo and many other examples can be found among the RWB models.
In the meantime, there are more than 150 different versions, colour types and model variants from more than 15 different manufacturers in various scales such as 1:18, 1:43 and 1:64.
In addition to Hot Wheels, Time Micro, Tarmacworks and PGN have recently joined the list.
Rough world term, where does the naming come from?
About 15 years ago, he started 'customising' customer Porsches. Because he always liked Germany and German cars, he quite freely Germanised his former name and has since traded under 'Rauh Welt Begriff'. But Nakai still saws and screws in his small workshop, which is decorated with all kinds of stuff (pool table, empty beer bottles and car parts all over the place). For a few years now, he has had a manager who not only takes care of press appointments, but with whom he has set up a dozen locations all over the world. These are mostly local workshops or tuners who sell RWB kits in cooperation with Nakai-San.
Coffee and cigarettes:
If a new customer is interested in a conversion, chain-smoking Nakai-San tries to define a possible project and individual parts in a preliminary conversation about their wishes. A $ 22,000 RWB kit includes front and rear bumpers, four wing extensions, a pair of side skirts, a GT-2 or 3.8 RS rear spoiler and small parts as standard. Once ordered, the GRP parts are manufactured by its Japanese suppliers, then shipped to the customer's local workshop, painted by these partners in the desired colour, and then installed exclusively by Nakai-San himself on site. With dozens of packs of cigarettes in his luggage, Nakai flies to the customer's site and the car is ready in two to three days. He usually works until late at night, because coffee and cigarettes give him the best ideas for new conversions, according to Nakai.
Model types:
In addition to his race conversion kits, he also offers 'narrow-body' road versions, all for 930, 964 and 993 models, and sells optional suspension strut systems from Japanese manufacturer Aragosta, XXXXL Champion rear spoilers, SSR rims and tyres up to 335 width. Around $40,000 is what a customer ultimately has to be prepared to pay to call a full-blown Rauh Welt Porsche his own - conversion costs only, of course. That's why the 1:64 scale models are a welcome and inexpensive change of pace, and you don't even have to worry about getting them road-legal. Even dioramas with more than one model per package are offered to collectors. You can see that the RWB theme goes far beyond the concept of vehicle tuning: Nakai has created a piece of cultural belonging, art on four wheels. And art, as we all know, is a matter of taste; you can either fall in love with it or give it a wide berth.
Viewed through the lens of limited good - which is perfectly justifiable with Porsches 930 that are now up to 40 years old - one's heart bleeds, when you see a timelessly fine sports car with sawn-off wings parked in front of your garage. These are wider and more beautiful and, above all, cooler, but they are only made of plastic and screwed to the remaining stumps with sheet metal screws.
If, on the other hand, wide-vision goggles with all-round vision are put on to determine the value of a RWB Porsche, a few more bases of assessment come into view. These are then even more specific, because the niche of the proponents is even smaller than that of the original owners. Units that are difficult to measure, such as coolness, exclusivity and brand (value) are probably the most important factors in this rather young niche fringe group. As long as customers appreciate his work and buy from him, he'll keep doing just that.
If, on the other hand, wide-vision goggles with all-round vision are put on to determine the value of a RWB Porsche, a few more bases of assessment come into view. These are then even more specific, because the niche of the proponents is even smaller than that of the original owners. Units that are difficult to measure, such as coolness, exclusivity and brand (value) are probably the most important factors in this rather young niche fringe group. As long as customers appreciate his work and buy from him, he'll keep doing just that.
Meanwhile, we enjoy numerous models that remind us of the works of Akira Nakai. While Hot Wheels even puts the 930 RWB on a transporter, PGM amazes us with a fully hinged model. Bonnet, engine cover and doors can be opened to reveal detailed interiors. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts on Akira Nakai, his craftsmanship or the numerous models in the comments column or comment directly on our social media posts on YouTube and Instagram.
RWB models are available in our shop (shipping within Switzerland). Click on "Store" in the navigation bar above. You can find more Rauh Welt Begriff Porsche models for interested parties outside of Switzerland via the button below!
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