In 2008, Speedhunters ran a series of features on Akira Nakai and his now-famous RAUH-Welt Begriff (RWB) brand.
It is not a stretch to say that Mike Garrett’s series was among the first – if not perhaps the very first – set of English language features on Nakai-san and his work with Porsche cars.
Even in 2008, the RWB brand had a retro-cool feel about it – and for good reason.
What Nakai-san was doing to the cars was not exactly new; wide-body Porsches existed long before he picked up a reciprocating saw. It’s not exactly a secret that Nakai-san’s work builds on what Porsche started with its 911 RSR models, however, it was the way that he applied the aesthetic that intrigued enthusiasts around the globe.
Nakai-san’s work passed through a filter of late nights, cigarettes, beer, personality, and uninhibited creativity. Wild cut-outs, flat paint, unique names, massive wheels, rough edges – it was a look few had previously dared to take with Porsches. Especially cars that didn’t live exclusively on the track.
Opinions were split almost immediately and Nakai-san seemed unbothered either way.
I met Nakai-san once, only briefly, when he was here in Toronto, Canada for a car show appearance. Sat at the end of a long line of people waiting for autographs, he was a man of few words. Yes, there was a bit of a language barrier, but his personality affirms that he’d rather let his work speak for itself.
Maybe I’m forgetful in my later years, but I don’t recall a single instance where Nakai-san has promoted himself.
Perhaps that is why the story of this Porsche 930 Turbo – which Nakai-san worked on in 2001 before RWB became a household name – nearly became lost to time. Thankfully, by skill or outstanding luck, Mark landed an exclusive photoshoot with this important piece of RWB history on his last visit to Japan.
The First Cut Is The Deepest
Outside of his personal projects, this car is considered the first Porsche 930 Nakai-san revised visually. Nearly two and a half decades ago, M’s Machine Works in Kawaguchi, Saitama commissioned him to design a new front bumper and lip spoiler.
He cut new vents into the front bumper and added canards. Below the new openings, Nakai-san installed a somewhat subdued version of the large black front lip spoiler he’s now known for. This 930 Turbo also predates the addition of Zweite Entwicklung (Second Development), because it was one of the first examples. It’s so early in the process that it also doesn’t bear a unique name.
Upon completion and positive reception, Nakai-san was asked to create new wide fenders for the car. The shape of those fenders served as a basis for the fenders he is now flown all around the world to fit.
In building this car’s exterior, one can only wonder if Nakai-san had any idea how far his work would take him in the future.
I’d wager neither party knew just how significant this job would become in shaping the future and longevity of RWB.
Performance Minded
Unlike many contemporary RWB builds, this 930 Turbo was never intended to be just a design exercise. In the early 2000s, the car was campaigned regularly on track.
One noteworthy acclaim during its competitive years is that it was included in an official Porsche yearbook.
By 2002, the Porsche was retired from racing and put into storage. Twenty years later, M’s Machine Works tore it down to its bare bones to begin the restoration process.
A 3.8L 993 GT2 race engine has replaced the original motor. This late-model motor, like the chassis itself, has some racing pedigree having been used in the 2011 Suzuka 1,000km race. Refreshed, it is now mated to a new 997 Cup sequential gearbox.
Inside, the car has a proper welded-in roll cage, Recaro seats and a suite of MoTeC electronics.
Porsche-exclusive Work Brombacher wheels – 18×10-inch front and 18×13-inch rear – are wrapped in appropriately-sized Pirelli rubber. Behind the wheels are large Brembos equipped with a Bosch Motorsport anti-lock brake system.
Throughout its life, the 930 Turbo has been built entirely at M’s Machine Works and the suspension is of their design, constructed exclusively from machined aluminum. Aragosta 3-way dampers are used to keep things composed.
Form follows function here, but the stance is rather aggressive all the same.
In 2023, a new wing extension was installed in keeping with some of the more modern RWB builds. An updated version of the original livery was also added.
As of writing, the restoration is ongoing and the car lacks a main wiring harness. M’s Machine Works has been slowly working on the car in between standard, and not-so-standard jobs – like the one above. Once complete, the aim is to enter the 930 into historic racing events, where it will be driven by Eiji ‘Tarzan’ Yamada.
I’m not exactly sure how many RWB cars exist today, but being among the first-ever built makes this car unique. Hopefully, the next time Mark swings back around to M’s Machine Works, this famed 930 Turbo will be ready for the track once more.
Dave Thomas
Instagram: stanceiseverythingcom
Photography by Mark Riccioni
Instagram: mark_scenemedia
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
It is fascinating how many racing or track cars get used regularly and suddenly disappear from view for years, even decades, like this one. Purists might only see history worth talking about with an all-original car, but a racing car has so much more to tell about how, where and by who it was used.
Thanks for the good story, Dave. Mark, amazing work as always.
Racing isn't cheap so I think a lot of people just plain run out of money. Thanks for commenting!
Great to see the beginnings of RWB and how Nakai-san became a household name
It's cool that the story of RWB came from motorsports which makes it even better
I think its actually more interesting these days to go backwards than forwards with RWB.
Seeing an RWB is special, but one of these early ones? Good stuff. I myself was fortunate enough to see an imported one from Japan. Again, before RWB took off. No name, molded fenders, Nakai didn't even sign the dash. It's always cool to see the history of these tuning legends.
That's super tidy!
I'm on my way to pick it up right now!! Make sure it has a full tank!! Nasty. Love it! Porsche for life!! NY International Auto Show this week!! Getting back to normal. Manhattan Motor Cars Porsche exhibit. Can't wait for Friday!!!
Just out of curiosity is this article intended to make us think Nakai is involved with racing and is a credible designer of aerodynamic parts?
Cars he has worked on have raced. That's not fiction.
But no, I did not to intend to convey he is out doing aero testing or anything of that nature. The reason I mentioned RSR etc is often people criticize authors for over-selling the originality of his contributions.
Thank you for clarifying. I believe all criticism of this guy is valid as he is completely over glorified like the Liberty Walk guys featured here.
These are not racers whos parts have any real credibility to their name. They are internet trends / fads which are carried by people being paid to do so.
When I looked at the bumper it’s two canards and some holes punched in it. Basically what club level racers do every weekend in their garages without understanding anything about how low pressure areas interact with high pressure areas etc.
In this sense with regards to this race car Nakai contributed about 0.001% to the project. You could probably run without a front bumper at Tsukuba without losing too much time tbh.
No problem. I honestly think Nakia has just done a brilliant job of marketing his particular set of skills.
Jack Baruth had a great article about Nakai and these Porsches at https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/11/hide-your-aircooled-porsches-because-rwb-is-raping-every-one-out-there/
"Guy buys Porsche 964 Turbo and has Japanese guy hack out some hideous-looking bodywork, drop that bitch into the weeds, and basically turn what was a very complete and satisfying performance car into a rolling caricature. The car is then taken to SEMA so the tribe of mildly retarded sideways-ballcap mooks who clutter this country’s unemployment lists and convenience-store parking lots can crown Scotto as their king."
Checks out.
Does it check out? This car predates that article and all of the cars in that article by a solid 10 years. Before Jack even knew RWB existed.
Hate it or love it Nakai has become pretty well known for what he does. People assume he only does work for 'hard-parkers' but in this case at least he was approached to put his spin on a vehicle never intended for the streets.
Also, any article that uses the word 'retarded' to convey a point should not be considered great in my opinion.
I don't think that discredits anything Jack said in the article. Very accurate in terms of what Nakai is doing to the market. I personally couldn't give a crap about the collectibility or resale value of road cars as I think they are pointless endeavors for pretenders.
Being well known doesn't make you good. That's an important distinction our brain dead generation seems to not understand. A lot of people in history have been well known, doesn't mean the things they did were good or moved the yardstick in a positive direction. People assume Nakai only does this stuff because it is what he does. Do we see any full builds in any performance measured arena? No.
The reputation comes from what he continues to put our and what his customers do which is not race. Park. Talk about nonsense and then cruise home. Similar to many of the builds you guys feature. I'd argue that's a majority of this site and features over the last decade.
Nakai is building retarded stuff so I think Jack is accurate in calling it what it is. It's very brain dead and appeals to people who are more into the superficial side of cars than anything else. But again, that is what this industry has become. The day Nakai builds himself an engine, builds his own transmission, assembles a full car, goes to the track and starts running competitive times or breaking records I'll take an interest.
Until then, this is nothing more than rice to veteran enthusiasts and people who actually know how to build their cars. A lot of guys do more in their garage than RWB every will. This is an uncomfortable fact for people in the industry who promote these builds and make money off of them, but it's the cold hard truth.
He's well know for changing the visual look of Porsche vehicles. That' can't be taken away. Looks are subjective so some people think he is good at it others may not.
Using the word retarded in my eyes full discredits any points you are trying to make. There are much better words to use. Both you and Jack could stand to pick up a thesarus.
Moving on to your other points. Outside of Idlers events no I don't think most RWB builds are measure in a performance arena. Regardless he's managed to stay relevant and employed for decades. Is that his fault? As I mentioned above he's done an excellent job at marketing himself and making his aesthetic popular.
The industry has not suddenly become obsessed with cars that are more form over function. Do you forget the entire show rod industry of the 70s? Pro Street in the 80s? It's just how things go.
If RWB doesn't interest you as you claim why not skip over this article? Why not spend your time on motoiq or something of that ilk instead of speedhunters?
Well fortunately for fellows like Jack and I there is still something called free speech and as such we are free to speak the words we want. If you live in an authoritarian country that champions the great reset I can completely understand the brain washing that happens. Marxists always commandeer language first. Don't forget that as a history lesson.
Noted. Idlers is basically entry level club racing without many serious professional outlets. Makes sense why we don't see Nakai's work in more credible racing series. At the end of the day these are nothing more than show cars. Pro street was definitely a credible racing class. Not a show car class.
Moto IQ doesn't interest me. I worked with them professionally and found them to be low class and not very professional. Mike Kojima is also not the brightest person when it comes to firearms. Let's just leave it at that.
Show a little respect "Matthew" - if that's even your real name. It seems you don't understand the Japanese milieu from whence these builds originate. Mr. San's father trained for 16 years with a subset of the Fuma ninja clan, who actually still exist but have segued their teachings into the business and self-development sector. This fact is well known to those of us who browse this websight, known to you as Speedhunters, but to those of us who have had vehicles featured, affectionately dubbed "The Big S".
By the way, the word "retarded" should absolutely never be used to describe a fellow human being - it's anachronistic and ultracrepidarian. If you need to google those words, please feel free, we'll wait.
Won't read your reply at all. No need to subject myself to that
What is this weebo anime fanfic back story of ninja clans and fathers craftsman for RWB? His widebody design especially is current ones look very similar to the 993 GT2 evos homologation 911s.... Even the rear tail with the integrated scoop is 1 for 1 copy of the GT2 evos........ Unfortunately his kits are are wider, flasher and gaudier. You act like if Naki san are the Kremmer bothers or at least the Ruf family......
Lmao you’re so retarded you don’t even realize San is the Japanese equivalent of “Mr.” You’re literally saying Mr. Mr. When you say Mr. San. How braindead.
It’s actually become difficult to explain to people how stupid you are lmao.
You are free to say whatever you wish. But that doesn't mean you are free of consequences. One might be that one of the moderators delete all of your comments. The other is that I find it hard to relate to the viewpoint of someone so adamant about using --and defending-- the use of a word that many people find extremely offensive.
Idlers, entry level racing is stil racing no?
Pro Street was a Show car class. At it's pinnacle cars like Rick Dobertinns Pontiac J2000 ruled the roost. If you think this car ran a 1/4 well...
My only firearms experience starts and ends in vegas.
That would only further prove how little free speech is actually upheld by the media in 2024. People can find a lot of things offensive, doesn't mean you ban it. This is what dictators do. Once we start entering into the black hole of censoring everything we don't agree with we are practicing Marxism.
As I said before, free speech and language historically are the first things the Marxists take away from citizens.
I do respect Idlers because of the wheel to wheel nature of their event. That is legitimate competition. Just saying if you move to a more national oriented event / world level event you will see what aerodynamics actually work. And guys like Nakai will not be found within this group of people who know what they're doing.
To call pro street cars "show cars" isn't accurate at all:
These were highly highly modified machines that required expert level builders and drivers to create / control. Jerry Moreland was running 9.35 @ 165mph in the mid 80s as an example. When you think about the rubber compounds they had compared to today (garbage) you will quickly understand that a builders knowledge had to be top notch. This car was 3,000lbs making 840hp on C14 fuel.
To call that a show car is absurd. That is about as hardcore as a racing class gets and you aren't just slapping a blower on, some paint, a wing, and wheelie bars for show. Again, this really tells me how out of touch the average person is with real racing cars in 2024. Tuning culture emulates racing cars, media outlets push these builds to drive eye balls which hopefully convert into sales with young enthusiasts trying to emulate what they see.
I've been in this industry a long time. Have built engines, transmissions, competed, and studied under some of the most winning people in the history of motorsport. It's important to be accurate when we say things imo.
"Hurr durr... I have built cars before, so I know I'm better than all of you guys today."
* Proceeds to insult people and then hide behind "free speech" *
Wow. You sound like a moron Takumi. Yes. Building race cars actually does qualify someone to speak more than people who don’t.
Dave—Pro street is not pro stock. Never has been. Never will be. You guys really don’t understand history or racing. This is what “journalism” has become in 2024.
“ Pro Street is a style of street-legal custom car popular in the 1980s, usually built to imitate a Pro Stock class race car. Pro Street cars should appear to be more at home on the drag strip than the street, while remaining street legal and not gutted like a Race Car or Bracket Race car.”
Unreal where we’ve got to in 2024 in terms of total lack of understanding for racing and people who actually compete and build their own stuff lol. You guys are clowns.
No. Just because you're "qualified" as you claim you are, does not give you the rights to start insulting others. You show you are just as retarded as you claim others are.
Matt... I am WELL aware that Prostreet is. '!=' means does not equal. So I agree with you there. YOU brought up Jerry Moreland. Jerry had a very fast "Street Rod" and from what I can tell also raced Pro stock. Forgive me I was 1 at the time. But you brought him up when I was talking about Pro Street. His car might have run a good time but the vast majority like Ricks did not. Also worth noting Dobbertin's car was released as a model in the late 80s and 90s and recently display at GNRS. But of course according to you the public being interested in show cars is a recent sign of the fall of automotive journalism,
Pro Street cars were show cars that looked like race cars in the 80s but the large majority never raced. Eventually they became known as Pro Fairground for this very reason. So this de-evolution of the community you keep spouting on about is really something you have made up entirely in your head.
TLDR; Show/Street cars that look like race cars have always existed. It has always been popular, people have always written about and looked at them, it is not going to change anytime soon.
Pick up a thesaurus so you can better articulate your thoughts in the future.
Prostreet != Pro Stock.
As per Hot Rod Magazine in 1985.
"That is, Pro Street machines. though built to look like Pro Stocks or other full-on door slammer race cars, couldn't possibly compete successfully on a dragstrip in any type of "Pro" or even "Comp" class... " - https://www.motortrend.com/features/pro-street-november-1985-982-1262-17-1/
Thus the industry has not become this. It has always had an element of featuring show, or street, cars that LOOK like race cars.
So either it's always been 'brain dead', or its always been diverse.
Porsche. There is no substitute
Love what Mr. San has done with these legendary vehicles. Amazing white-balance work in the indoor shots - most checkers-level photographers won't even be able to grasp the composition techniques exhibited so casually in this article. Making it look easy as always, Larry
Frank Profera: there is no dumber.
These photos were taken by Mark.
Awesome article and photos!