The RWB 997 Done Two Ways

Well here it is, the third and final installment of the RWB 997 saga, a two year process that surprisingly enough yielded two cars.

That’s right, when Nakai-san finally gave me the OK to shoot the finished convertible that was used in the development of the overall shaping and testing of the 997 kit (check out the first story here and the second here), he wheeled out a coupe too.

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The extra time this pandemic has afforded Nakai has not only sped up the R&D process, it’s also allowed him to test the kit out on a hardtop.

In fact, as you read this, four more 997s have already been built and delivered to customers in Japan, making a total of six.

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You saw the design process, now let’s take a look at this initial RWB 997 conversion in finished form.

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One that brings the RAUH-Welt Begriff brand into the water-cooled 911 space.

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We’ll start with the cabriolet, which I still can’t believe is the same silver car I first saw back in 2018 when the RWB 997 development project began.

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All that time adapting and building glass fiber ‘meat’ onto the flares was followed up with hours spent sanding the surface down to craft a transition that not only looked smooth, but coherently met the curvature and design beneath.

I have a newfound respect and appreciation for Nakai and his approach. Sure, it’s not dry carbon or hand-rolled and beaten sheet metal, but if it were the cost would be beyond the means of most enthusiasts.

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Glass fiber and a vision is what you get here, and through that Nakai-san can sell you a dream that you can work your way up to. That’s all it is; you don’t need to like it and you don’t need to appreciate it.

Now that air-cooled 911 models are all of a sudden collector cars, it’s the perfect time to move RWB over to the 997 too.

It’s just like when Nakai started, taking beaten up 964s that were on the market for the equivalent of US$15-20K and giving them a breath of new life.

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I was surprised just how wide the rear fenders turned out to be. There’s a lot of girth there, and the way they wrap around and mate onto the rear bumper has a nice and aggressive progression. The louvers add even more muscle.

Don’t forget that Nakai plans to evolve his 997 offering, fine tuning it, definitely widening it, and possibly giving more of an edgy feel to the more extreme iterations that are to come.

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For now this sets up the range rather well, and allows you to obtain what you have to admit is a pretty easily recognizable RWB feel on the 997 platform. Check out the size of the lip on the RWB wheel.

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And from the candy red convertible, Blair…

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…We go to the flat red Philadelphia (AKA Phila).

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As Nakai was lining up the cars in front of the shop for me, I asked him whether the addition of the canards, duck tail and the gray wheels meant this was a sportier execution.

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His reply was interesting.

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He told me he finalized the overall style and feel as it if was a hip sneaker, adding the contrasting flat gray accents to the canards and the wing profiles.

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The idea here is to give two contrasting examples of how this conversion can be interpreted. It suits the more relaxed and elegant feel of the cabriolet very well, doing away with wings or any type of aerodynamic addition, and even the ‘idlers’ stencil on the tire sidewalls.

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At the same time you can bring out the inherent track-going nature that the kit naturally oozes and emphasize it in a variety of ways.

But now, after you’ve had a chance to see this kit from the initial stages all the way to a finished and fitted product, I want to hear your thoughts on it. Don’t be shy, even though I’m pretty sure you won’t be.

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And just in case you’re wondering what I think of it all, I will simply say that I do like where Nakai is going with this, but I really want to see what other iterations he comes up with – perhaps something less bulbous and, dare I say it, safe.

In other words, I’ll be happy when I see an aggressively-widened RWB 997 Turbo with 900hp, running stacked wings, canards, fender winglets, and pulling 55-second laps at Tsukuba. Long live the world of rough.

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
dino@speedhunters.com

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1

I am a long time Porsche fan and current owner of a 991 gen 911. I am not a purist and love people modifying their cars. However, I always felt RWBs were a little too over the top. With this 997 build though, I really like it. It has a subtle and slightly more refined feel too it. In fact, I actually like the cab which tend to be a bit unloved. Nice work!

2

Can't agree more.

3

This looks really good IMO. The more extreme racing versions should be interesting as well whenever they start to appear. The Porsche 997 has a classic timeless design comparable to the C6 Corvette of the same vintage so he has not gone too far in taking away from that aesthetic. Also, is this kit compatible with the 996 chassis ?

4

It's not even March, and 'blair' might be rear of the year already for me

5

I think this 997 kit is one of the better ones, I'd like to see one that's been molded on instead of the exposed rivets and seams , especially since the rear fenders flow so well.

Author6
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Same. It will take a special request from an owner to do though

7

The brighter red and the tail wing accentuate the kit better, the canards could be dropped off for a better trackable street car; the other one looks a wider car only, it lacks something. I'll go with Phila.

8

I find some rwbs to be too wide in the rear for my liking but I think this strikes a good balance. A 996 body kit would be nice

9

Yeah, especially because they are much cheaper than other models!

Author10
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Agree! Let's not forget the 996 even though it has "those" headlights lol

11

Its always nice to see Nakai working on new, modern Porche models....not that i dont like the old ones, cuz i dont.....just saying its something new THANKS DINO!!!!

Author12
Dino Dalle Carbonare

My pleasure!

13
Jay Soh Tsu Chung

I actually love how Nakai-san actually paid tribute to the 997 GT3's engine lid design by incorporating the same twin intake vents on his design. That's actually really clever!

I'd personally make do without the rear bumper vents, or maybe place them a little lower. Right now they don't seem to serve any purpose at their spot. I'm just eager to see what other front bumper designs he has in his mind.

Author14
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Well there is a lot of heat under there, I think any opening would be beneficial if properly shrouded and guided

15
thathellastockusdm3rdgenyaris@instagram

:3

16
thathellastockusdm3rdgenyaris@instagram

Hey Nakai san,

Thanks for covering every single porsche model once they become affordable to enthusiasists.


your very smart.


Thanks for changing the porsche scene from purist to fun and tunerland.

it makes it less stuffy.

17

Been waiting for this and let me tell you Akira Nakai san doesn't disappoint
The same quality and craftsmanship is still there for this kit and man it looks so good!

18

looks really good, but the front bumper needs to be more aggressive.

Author19
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Well the front bumper is stock, just has the fender extensions

20

Then he would have to make an entirely new bodykit inspired on this aggressive style to fit the front bumpers, i think that the two of them looks perfect to what it was planned to be: Stylish and functional.

Author21
Dino Dalle Carbonare

And he will, this was just supposed to the the basic one, the beginning if you will.

22

If the RWB 997 looks this good, then I'm sure the RWB 997 Turbo is going to be even better!

Author23
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Can't wait!

24

its only natural for nakai san to move on to 997's as time progresses. after all, there are only a "finite" number of 964 and 993's around where owner's are willing to do such modifications to them. oh wait, he skipped the 996 entirely? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

on a side note, the red color scheme reminded me of when nakai san used to drift a red MA70 supra - am I tripping out or does anyone have photos of this car? cant seem to find it but seen it in a late 90s magazine waaaay back. thought it was the coolest drift set up ever. MA70 were deemed too big and heavy, yet there he was with the "rough world" sticker on back window before it was associated with any porsches

25

Does nobody realize that the coupe is a 996 w/a 997 front end conversion (complete with 997 door handles)??? Beautiful cars, btw!

26

It definitely isn't, dunno where you got that from. The rear lights are 100% 997 not 996

27

Look again, friend. It’s a 996 with a 997 front. Either way, beautifully done. Great write up!!!

28

Would you mind explaining how you're so sure of this? I'm aware 997 front end swaps are fairly common, but I seriously doubt they went to the bother of changing the taillights, doors, mirrors and window frames. The 996 and 997 are completely different body shells, unlike the 993 and 964.

29

I thought this got deleted! I’m so wrong! I mistakenly thought the rear was 996. My fault!!! I’m an idiot!
Cheers!

30

No worries! I was starting to doubt myself!

Author31
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Never seen or heard of this! You have to find the pic!

32

For me, both of them looks dope and makes me want to design my own BodyKits inspired by Nakai-San creations. I really like to where it is heading to, something new and fresh, and to know that there is so much more to come... I can barely await to see the others 997's.

Author33
Dino Dalle Carbonare

So cool to see so much positivity this time round!

34

I really like it! What I love about all of the RWB Porsches is how they kind accentuate the car's body lines. Everything flows so naturally.

35

Came out better than expected! Given the access and price of 997's, it's over 9000% that Nakai should go nuts and make his craziest ideas flow, explore new ground, and experiment with more than just flares. RWB should make every panel on 997's a bespoke vision from a trackrat's expendable but functional polyurethane body kit that all the trendy kids will slap on themselves w a DIY YT vid by Nakai himself for a few hundred to a "RWB 997.2 GT2 RS DWS" made from handformed eggshell aluminum gilded in gold, signed and auctioned for over a Million. No limits.

36

The accent color on the ducktail is the only thing that doesn't do it for me. Feels like someone got bored in the decals menu of Forza or NFS.

Author37
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Simple is best then

38

Wow, ugly x2. Pure Dino fanboy!

I'll stick with my stock 997 GT3.

Author39
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Enjoy Jerry!

40

I think if the goal for the convertible was to make it relaxed and elegant the widebody might not be the right way to go, but regardless both cars look excellent and i would be proud to have either parked in the garage.

41

Well. They're less horrendous than the other ones i've seen. And considering a stock 964 would be a holy grail for most of us, unattainable anymore a lot of the time, as the article mentioned their ballooning prices, i'm happy to see him move on from 964's which i would argue needed exactly zero overfenders or body kits.

I'm with a lot of you, these are thankfully a bit subtler, and i would like to see em with no rivets and all that. The caps lock PHILADELPHIA on the back of the one car is a little obnoxious too, imo.

The main thing i'm frustrated by i guess, is that the japanese style is to never deviate from a formula. Wide bulbous fenders, whether they go with the car or not, wings and spoilers, rb and 2jz, ride height and camber that are undrivable, and the same sets of rims they've been using for decades. Which is fine for an s13 or corolla, but i guess wuat i mean is it "cheapens" it so to speak when you see porsches and mclarens done in the exact same way. Maybe it's like a tramp stamp and huge fake boobs, works fine on a hooters waitress or instagram model, but if you saw judi dench or eva green with that.....euchhhh lol

42

Yup, this is 1 of the cons of the internet: too much likes seekers that are good at posing only be it humans, pets, cars,.... the object if question must look good and that's it.

43

Getting RWB treatment is fantastic, imagine there are two now.
The kit and the wheels look so fine and they fit the Porsche like a glove.

I am just thinking out loud, Dino. Most RWB cars are photographed with their wheels straightened. I wonder how the car look like when the (wide) front wheel is turned lock-to-lock? I really hope the kit wouldn't rub nor impede the wheel movement.

44

I think since a lot of them participate in the idlers event, the tyre/wheel clearance is not an issue on a bunch of them. But then the owners of the cruising only RWBs (or any other wide body kit) might go wider than the new clearance allows.

45

Finally, something new with RWB! It feels like everyone has an air-cooled RWB Porsche nowadays. I've been following this for months now, and I got to say, the end product is a beauty.

46

Needs more lip, looks unbalanced. Otherwise not bad, looks so wide kinda needs the double stack wing for proportion too. Classic internet snob who will never own one mode - RWB stopped being a vibe in about 2013, but I geddit. And awesome to see an artist making his art for a living.

47

Bubble butt.

Too much bubble generally that doesn't suit the 997 lines to my eye.

I prefer the sharper fenders on the older builds in the background.

Author48
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Exactly, Nakai does what he likes. What people make of his work, how they categorize it and judge it, well he just doesn't care. Good to see people not affected by opinions and chatter

49

"but if it were the cost would be beyond the means of most enthusiasts." see this is funny because what most people do not know is that these are 200,000 cars (the 964 anyways) and 997's and 996's arent exactly cheap so who exactly do you mean by most enthusiasts? if you meant to say the water cooled first gens are more easily accessible then yes but these are still very expensive cars

Author50
Dino Dalle Carbonare

I mean that every time I post RWB content there is always someone that will come in and say that Singer or other outfits do better jobs. RWB isn't Singer, they don't do meticulous no cost-spared restomods from the ground up. That's what the reference to carbon fiber was about. And Singers can cost anywhere from 600k to 1mil on top of the base car, so safe to say out of the means of most enthusiasts, no? Also I don't get your "200,000" reference. And while 997s and 996s aren't "cheap," they are affordable in non-turbo or GT guise. So basically you said what I said, just in a different way? If I'm understanding it correctly?

51

That is the first 911 cab to look nice for me! I feel like the hard top would suit a more "meaty" front lip maybe the gt3 front bumper and lip would suit it better

Author52
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Agreed, needs more meat up front. Maybe his rubber jobby would suit it well

53

Please read that again, but slowly.

54

Gave me some lols Dino. Love them both. I'm all for people doing what they want man. Love the canvases he chooses and uses his vision to make what he thinks looks good.

Author55
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Meat and rubber jobby, sounds like fun all round lol

56

Ricers never die

57

That canards looks like sideburns

Author58
Dino Dalle Carbonare

LOL

59

I like em.. Would like to have Nakai san give my Buick grand national the treatment.

60

Part one: That's neat. Looks pretty cool.
Part two: Never been a big vert fan, but those lines are starting to look nice.
Part three: Selling everything to buy a 997 coupe.

Author61
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Thanks for the condensed summary lol

62

It looks like a new beetle

Author63
Dino Dalle Carbonare

It does have elements, I agree.

64

Cool, classy. If the previous RWBs were 80's movie bullies then these are lady in a dress.

65

if RWB made a widebody for all types of Porsche well that might be interesting.

66

if RWB made a widebody for all types of Porsche well that might be interesting.

67

Just me, or does it look a little too much like a beetle or ttrs from the front 3 quarter. Seems a little bulbous and not sculpted. Could just be the angle and shade. Overall a nice car.

68

I’m not an RWB fan and didn’t expect to like this, but think it looks great! More respectful of the original car. A more mature styling exercise. .

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