In a quiet workshop in Kashiwa, a rural town in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, a solitary figure often sits amidst the perfect, sweeping lines of a Porsche 911. A cigarette dangles from his lips as he contemplates the canvas before him. Then, with an unnerving calm, Akira Nakai picks up an air saw. The high-pitched scream of the blade meeting German steel is the sound that both defines and divides the modern car world. This single, irreversible act is the heart of the RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF (RWB) mystique.
The Outlaw Artist of the Porsche World
Is this the work of a visionary artist, sculpting a unique masterpiece from a production car? Or is it the act of a craftsman butchering an irreplaceable piece of automotive history? This question lies at the center of the global phenomenon that is RWB.
More than just a modification style, RAUH-Welt is a philosophy, a community, and a cultural movement born from one man’s singular, uncompromising vision.
It represents a potent and often polarizing fusion of Japanese street rebellion and German engineering precision, a concept that has transformed classic Porsches into icons of personal expression.
From Touge Drifter to Porsche Maestro: The Genesis of Akira Nakai
The story of RAUH-Welt begins not with a Porsche, but with a Toyota. Born in Chiba, Japan, on October 15, 1970, Akira Nakai spent his formative years immersed in the country’s burgeoning drift culture. In the early 1990s, he was a key member of the infamous drift crew “Rough World.” Their domain was the treacherous touge mountain passes and the nearby Tsukuba circuit, and their weapon of choice was the humble Toyota AE86.
The “Rough World” crew earned a reputation for their aggressive driving and their equally aggressive cars. Their AE86s were characterized by a raw, down-to-business aesthetic: matte paint, extreme negative camber known as oni-kyan (demon camber), stretched tires on deep-dished wheels, and massive, functional wings. This “Rough Style” was not merely for looks; it was an expression of a rebellious, no-compromise attitude toward car building and driving.
The aesthetic philosophy of RAUH-Welt was not invented for Porsche; it was perfected on the Toyota AE86. Every core element of the RWB look—the aggressive stance, the focus on visual impact over convention, and the “rough” ethos—is a direct evolution of the style Nakai and his crew pioneered in the Japanese drift scene. He did not simply start modifying Porsches; he transplanted a pre-existing, fully-formed Japanese tuning philosophy onto a German canvas.
This fundamental truth explains the “culture clash” RWB often ignites. It is not just about modifying a Porsche; it is about modifying it in a specifically Japanese way that challenges Western purist ideals.
In the late 1990s, while working at a local body shop, Nakai had a fateful encounter with a damaged Porsche 930. Fascinated by its engineering and tempted by its aesthetic potential, he made a pivotal decision: instead of just repairing it, he bought it. This car would become his personal canvas. In 1997, he established his own shop in Chiba, naming it RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF, which translates from German to “Rough World Concept”. The name was a direct homage to his drifting past and a clear declaration of his future intent. Early creations even sported a sticker with a grammatical error, “Sekund Entwicklung,” which was later corrected to “Zweite Entwicklung” (Second Development), a detail that underscores the brand’s organic, unpolished evolution.
Stella Artois: The Birth of a Legend
The battered 1985 Porsche 930 that Nakai purchased became the genesis of a global movement. This car, which he named ‘Stella Artois’ after his favorite Belgian beer, was the very first RAUH-Welt Porsche. It was not a pristine collector’s item but a true project car, which gave Nakai the freedom to push boundaries without the constraints of preservation.
The transformation was total. He stripped the car down, replacing heavy components with lightweight carbon fiber. He applied his years of JDM tuning experience, installing high-performance Japanese Endless brakes and a track-focused Aragosta coilover suspension system. The result was not a show car but a potent, 360-horsepower street and track weapon weighing just 2100 lbs. Nakai regularly campaigned Stella Artois in the popular Idlers 12-hour endurance race series, cementing the brand’s dual identity of radical aesthetics and genuine, battle-proven performance.
The naming of the car established a tradition that would become a hallmark of the RWB experience. Each car Nakai builds is given a unique name, a personal touch that transforms it from a machine into a character with a story. As a final flourish, Nakai bolted a Stella Artois bottle cap to the car’s body, a physical manifestation of its deeply personal origins. Today, ‘Stella Artois’ is an icon, immortalized in die-cast models, video games like Need for Speed, and even a limited-edition watch series that incorporates metal from the original car itself.
The RWB Signature: An Anatomy of Aggression
The visual identity of a RAUH-Welt Porsche is unmistakable and defined by a specific set of aggressive modifications. The core of the conversion is the wide-body kit, which includes a new front bumper, rear bumper, and side skirts. The most iconic elements, however, are the massive, riveted over-fenders that dramatically widen the car’s track width. These are complemented by a variety of colossal rear wings, ranging from the GT-2 style to the double-decker “Champion” wing and the even more extreme “Kamiwaza” and “Rotana” designs. Optional canards and fender wings can further enhance the race-inspired aesthetic.
This aggressive stance is achieved through a carefully selected combination of components. Suspension is typically handled by RWB-specific Aragosta coilovers, while the deep-dish wheels are often from the Japanese brand SSR, shod in extremely wide tires to fill the new arches.
The rise of RAUH-Welt in the 2000s and early 2010s was fueled by more than just its unique style. It was enabled by a specific economic window where its primary canvases—the air-cooled Porsche 964 and 993 models—were relatively affordable.
Before their values skyrocketed in the mid-2010s, these cars were accessible to a new generation of enthusiasts who were less bound by purist ideals of preservation and more willing to undertake radical, permanent modifications like cutting original body panels.
Nakai’s work, which echoed the look of 1990s GT2 race cars, appealed directly to this audience. Today, with the base cars being highly valuable collector’s items, the act of creating an RWB is a far more significant and controversial financial statement, fundamentally altering the brand’s dynamic.
The list of eligible Porsche 911 models that serve as Nakai’s canvases has expanded over time, starting with the classics and moving into the modern era:
- Air-Cooled: 911 G-Body (1973-1989), 930 (1975-1989), 964 (1989-1994), 993 (1994-1998)
- Water-Cooled: 996 (1997-2004), 997 (2004-2012)
The Ritual of Creation: A Car Built by Hand and Heart
The RAUH-Welt build process is as much a part of the product as the car itself. It is a live, theatrical performance that creates a community and a story, transforming a simple body kit installation into a legendary experience. Nakai-san’s business model is unique in the automotive world: he is the sole artist and builder. He does not ship kits for others to install; he flies across the globe, often with just a small suitcase of essential tools, to build each car himself.
The ritual begins long before Nakai’s arrival. The owner must source a mechanically sound Porsche and have the RWB body panels painted and the wheels and tires ready. When Nakai-san arrives, the performance begins. He visualizes the final car, famously measuring “by feeling” and “by eye,” taking into account local climate and road conditions to adjust the fitment based purely on his intuition.
The most iconic step is “the cut.” Using masking tape to lay down a rough guide, Nakai takes his air saw and cuts directly into the Porsche’s original steel fenders, freehand. This is the point of no return, a moment of high drama often witnessed by crowds of enthusiasts who gather for the build. He then meticulously fits the new wide-body panels, securing them with rivets and simple aluminum brackets.
In a signature move, he applies black silicone sealant directly from the tube and smooths it with his finger, creating a surprisingly clean, OEM-like seal.
After adjusting the suspension to achieve the perfect stance, the two-to-four-day process culminates in the final ritual: Nakai gives the car a name, cementing its new identity and forging a permanent bond between the owner, the artist, and the machine. This process ensures that the owner doesn’t just buy a product; they commission a piece of art and participate in its creation, joining a global “RWB Family”.
Art or Sacrilege? The Great RAUH-Welt Debate
The radical nature of RAUH-Welt inevitably sparks intense debate, a controversy rooted in a clash of distinct automotive cultures. The European purist sees a classic Porsche as a sacred artifact to be preserved; to them, cutting into one is blasphemy. In contrast, Japanese tuning culture has long valued radical self-expression and rebellion, where “ruining” a car is not a concern. American car culture, which celebrates individuality and being loud, provides a welcoming home for RWB’s brash aesthetic at car shows and on social media.
Critics often dismiss the builds as “hack jobs” or “rolling caricatures” that prioritize form over function. Recent internet controversies over Nakai’s unorthodox methods, such as his use of adhesives for certain non-structural components, have fueled this fire. However, supporters view Nakai as a true artist, arguing that many RWB projects rejuvenate tired or damaged cars that might otherwise be scrapped. They also point to RWB’s consistent participation and success in the Idlers 12-hour endurance races as definitive proof that the cars are built for performance, not just for show.
To fully understand RWB’s place in the world, it is essential to compare it to other titans of the Porsche modification scene.
| Feature | RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF (RWB) | Singer Vehicle Design | Liberty Walk (LBWK) |
| Founder/Visionary | Akira Nakai | Rob Dickinson | Wataru Kato |
| Core Philosophy | “Rough World Concept”; Raw self-expression; Fusion of Japanese tuning & German engineering | “Reimagined”; The ultimate air-cooled 911; Meticulous restoration and modernization | “Rebellious spirit”; Applying Japanese bosozoku/Works style to modern supercars |
| Aesthetic Style | Extreme wide-body, exposed rivets, massive wings, aggressive “demon camber” stance | Subtle, classic lines, flawless paint, carbon fiber bodies, retro-modern details, no exposed hardware | Bolt-on over-fenders, aggressive stance, applied to a wide range of exotic cars |
| Build Process | Artisanal. Nakai builds every car himself, on-site, globally. A 2-4 day “performance art” build | Meticulous, in-house, multi-thousand-hour complete teardown and bespoke rebuild commission | Industrial. Kits are mass-produced and sold to be installed by authorized dealers worldwide |
| Primary Models | Porsche 911 (Air-cooled 930, 964, 993; Water-cooled 996, 997) | Porsche 911 (964 generation only) | Various supercars (Lamborghini, Ferrari, Nissan GT-R, etc.), including Porsche |
| Cost (Approx. Kit) | ~$24,000 – $33,000+ for the kit, plus Nakai’s travel and labor | ~$750,000+ plus the donor car | ~$5,000 – $35,000+ for the kit, installation is separate |
Conclusion – The Enduring Legacy of a Singular Vision
Ultimately, the greatest creation of RAUH-Welt may not be the cars themselves, but the passionate global community it has fostered. This “RWB Family” convenes at major events like the Tokyo Auto Salon and SEMA, turning parking lots into impromptu galleries of Nakai’s work. The establishment of a dedicated RWB Museum in Malaysia, filled with memorabilia and artifacts from Nakai’s career, stands as a physical testament to the brand’s profound cultural impact.
RWB thrives on its contradictions. It is both art and function, Japanese and German, exclusive and community-driven. Akira Nakai is both a revered artist and a controversial figure. This very complexity is the source of the brand’s enduring power and appeal.
It is a philosophy etched not just in fiberglass and steel, but in the very fabric of the automotive world. As Nakai himself has stated, encapsulating his life’s work and relentless dedication:
“We only have one life. I believe this is a great experience and I don’t want to put it to waste. That is why I will do this to the end”.
The legacy of Akira Nakai and RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF is a powerful testament to the fact that in a world of mass production and digital design, there remains an immense, insatiable appetite for something raw, personal, and forged by hand.
