An RWB Porsche is an air-cooled Porsche 911 fitted with a hand-built widebody kit by Rauh-Welt Begriff, the Japanese house founded by Akira Nakai. RWB stands for “Rough World Concept.” Nakai-san builds every signature car himself, riveting the wide arches on by hand over a few days, and each RWB is named and one-of-a-kind.
Few modified Porsches are as instantly recognizable as an RWB. Here is the story behind the cars, the man, and the build.
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What Is an RWB Porsche?
RWB stands for Rauh-Welt Begriff, German for “Rough World Concept,” and it is the most famous name in modified Porsche culture. An RWB Porsche is a classic, air-cooled Porsche 911 wearing a dramatic widebody kit: huge riveted fenders, a deep front lip, and almost always a towering rear wing. The look is aggressive, lived-in, and unmistakable.
What sets RWB apart from any other body kit is that the whole thing is the work of one man. Rauh-Welt Begriff is not a factory churning out parts. It is Akira Nakai building cars by hand, one at a time, and that is why RWB Porsches command the attention and the prices they do.
Akira Nakai: The Man Behind RWB
Akira Nakai, known to everyone as Nakai-san, started out in the Japanese street and racing scene before turning his focus to Porsche. He founded Rauh-Welt Begriff in Chiba, Japan, and built a cult following one car at a time. The “rough world” name captures his philosophy: cars meant to be driven hard and worn proudly, not garage queens.
Nakai-san has become a genuine icon. Documentaries, magazine features, and a constant stream of social media have made him one of the most recognizable figures in modern car culture, yet he still personally builds the signature cars that carry the RWB name. That hands-on approach is the entire point of the brand.
How an RWB Build Works
Commissioning an RWB is not like ordering parts from a catalog. You buy the kit, and Nakai-san comes to you. The build itself is part performance, part craft, and it is what turns a donor 911 into a real Rauh-Welt Begriff car.
The Riveted Widebody Kit
The heart of every build is the RWB widebody kit. The wide arches are not bolt-on plastic; Nakai cuts the original fenders and rivets the new fiberglass arches directly to the body, shaping and trimming each one to fit that specific car. Combined with a front lip, side skirts, and a big rear wing, the body kit gives every RWB its planted, motorsport stance. Wheels and coilover suspension finish the look, tucking aggressive tires deep under those famous arches.
Nakai Builds Every Car Himself
For a signature build, Nakai-san flies to the customer, often with little more than hand tools, and works on the car on-site over two or three days. He measures by eye, cuts with confidence, and famously works late into the night with a beer and a cigarette close by. Because every car is fitted by hand, no two RWB Porsches are exactly alike, and Nakai names each finished build. That ritual is why owners talk about getting “a Nakai car” rather than just a widebody kit.
Stella Artois: The First RWB
The car that started it all is Nakai’s own Porsche, a 911 (930) he named Stella Artois after the beer. Built as his personal project, Stella Artois set the template for everything RWB would become: the riveted arches, the bold graphics, and the idea that a hard-used Porsche could be the coolest car at any meet. It remains the most famous Rauh-Welt Begriff build, and the reason “RWB” and “rough world” became shorthand for an entire style.
Which Porsches Get the RWB Treatment
RWB builds are almost always air-cooled 911s. The 964 and 993 generations are the most common canvases, with some work on the earlier 930. The classic narrow body suits Nakai’s exaggerated arches, and these cars were plentiful and affordable enough to modify when RWB was rising, though that has changed as air-cooled values climbed.
Nakai has fitted kits to water-cooled cars too, including 996 and 997 911s, but the air-cooled cars remain the spiritual home of RWB. Purists tend to see a 964 or 993 RWB as the real thing. For a completely different take on reimagining the air-cooled 911, our Singer guide shows the restomod end of the spectrum.
RWB Around the World
What began in Japan has gone global. There are RWB cars on every continent, and the demand grew large enough that authorized builders now handle work in regions Nakai cannot reach alone, with RWB USA among the best known. Even so, the most sought-after RWB Porsches are still the ones Nakai-san built with his own hands, and collectors travel to have him do the work in person.
The reach goes beyond real cars. RWB Porsches are fixtures in video games like Gran Turismo, Forza, and Need for Speed, and Nakai-san has built an enormous social media following that pulls new fans into air-cooled 911 culture every year. That exposure feeds the demand: signature builds book out well in advance, and Nakai spends much of the year on the road, moving from one customer’s garage to the next with his tools in hand. For a brand with no factory and no production line, RWB has a global footprint that most tuners can only envy.
What an RWB Porsche Costs
There are two costs to an RWB. The kit and Nakai’s hands-on build run roughly $25,000 to $50,000 or more depending on the spec, wheels, and wing. On top of that sits the donor car: an air-cooled 964 or 993 that can run anywhere from $60,000 to well past $150,000 today. Add it up and a finished RWB Porsche usually lands well over $100,000, and the famous named cars trade much higher.
Is it worth it? For fans, the value is not just the look. It is owning a car the man himself shaped, with a name and a story attached. That is closer to buying art than buying a body kit, which is why RWB Porsches hold their place among the most talked-about modified cars in the world, alongside the rarest factory builds in our most expensive Porsche guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does RWB stand for?
RWB stands for Rauh-Welt Begriff, German for “Rough World Concept.” It is the name Akira Nakai gave his Japanese tuning house that builds widebody Porsche 911s by hand.
Who is Akira Nakai?
Akira Nakai, often called Nakai-san, is the founder of Rauh-Welt Begriff. He hand-builds every signature RWB Porsche himself, traveling worldwide to fit his riveted widebody kits on the customer’s car, usually over a few days.
What was the first RWB Porsche?
Nakai’s own car, a Porsche 911 (930) named Stella Artois after the beer, was the build that launched RWB. It remains the most famous Rauh-Welt Begriff car.
Which Porsche does RWB use?
RWB builds are almost always air-cooled 911s, most often the 964 and 993 generations, with some on the earlier 930. The classic shape suits Nakai’s wide arches.
How much does an RWB Porsche cost?
The RWB body kit and Nakai’s hands-on build run roughly $25,000 to $50,000-plus, on top of a donor 964 or 993 that can itself cost $60,000 to $150,000 or more. A finished RWB car often lands well over $100,000.
Are RWB Porsches street legal?
Most are. The kit is bodywork, wheels, and suspension rather than engine changes, so an RWB Porsche is usually road legal, though the aggressive ride height and tire fitment make it a fair-weather car for many owners.
Images: Red RWB 993 by Farrell Small, CC BY 2.0; RWB993 Martini by Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC BY-SA 4.0; RWB 997 by Oleg Yunakov, CC BY-SA 4.0; RWB 964 on track by Alexandre Prevot, CC BY-SA 4.0; RWB Furusato by MB-one, CC BY-SA 4.0; RWB Bourgogne by Alexandre Prevot, CC BY-SA 2.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
