Historic car culture Porsche up for grabs ... if you've got the coin
We've touched on Rauh-Welt Begriff in the past — they're a small Porsche tuning house with a huge cult following, based around the creative mind of Akira Nakai.
Nakai flies around the globe fitting his kits to all sorts of Porsches everywhere, including two in New Zealand. He's become something of a motoring icon, appearing in video games like Need for Speed and appearing in culture blogs and magazines everywhere.
And you can therefore understand the buzz that will no doubt be associated with his first ever RWB project built in the US, nicknamed Pandora One, coming up for sale.
Based on a 1990 Porsche 964 911, Pandora One's body has had a full transformation to a much older-gen longhood example. The result is a curious and effective marriage of old yet timeless curves and details, with a newer chassis and newer-still technology.
And on that note, don't assume that because this is an RWB that it's all bark and no bite — the 3.6-litre flat-six engine comes with a custom FFTEC turbo kit, helping it put down a potent 335kW. More than enough for a light platform that's been stripped of many of its creature comforts. It's even all-wheel drive.
Hemmings, who are the ones selling the historic car, have included a full list of what's been shoe-horned into the Porsche to up its performance — and it's a long list.
Naturally, a long list will lead to a big price; $219,888USD (or just over $300,000NZD).
But when you factor in the cultural coin of its ties to RWB and Mr. Nakai — not to mention all the work that went into converting the 964 into something so pretty and clean — it doesn't sound so bad. There are certainly far more boring cars one could purchase in that bracket.
The only question is whether RWB is a label that's here to stay. In 10, 15, 20-years time will we still hold Nakai in this regard. Will he have been inducted into motoring's unwritten list of cultural greats — or will RWB Porsches become to cars what those big chunky platform shoes of the late-’90s were to fashion.
Time will tell.
