Build Dopeness >>> WIP PNW RWB!

Big news for the great Northwest, a Rauh-Welt 993 is being built in Oregon! While the entire project isn’t complete as of yet, it is still a marvel to behold. It’s one thing to see pictures and videos of Nakai-san’s work on the Internet, and there are boatloads of it, to see and touch such amazing craftwork in person is a whole other experience.

Rothsport Racing, the shop where it’s being built is fantastically incognito. “Never judge a book by its cover” couldn’t be truer. Walking through the entrance, I was immediately surrounded by eye candy, from old Porsche racing posters, trophies and a plethora of Porsche car parts. A 911 with the classic Rothman’s livery peers through the door, I was only getting a taste of what I was about to behold.

Like I said earlier, this project isn’t complete. The interior is nearly stripped out, and the car is sitting on less than wide tires. However, the plans that are in store for the cockpit are killer. Carbon fiber this, roll cage that. Rauh-Welt exterior, match that!

Look at that fitment! With flares as wide as they are, it’ll fit 335 width tires in the back. Not even the Governator’s bulging biceps are that big. I also really like how the flares remind me of the 993 GT2 which was and still is a beast of a factory 911.

Even though it is a radically different car, it still feels right at home with the other Porsches in the shop, like that classic 911 in the background, which is in canary yellow but you can’t tell because of glorious black & white photography.

Beauty is in the details, from the black sealing between each body part to the shavings of the rearward canard. It’s these small details that make Nakai-san one of a kind.

What about power? While that engine in the photo might not end up in the 993, the proposed engine is expected to have at least 400 horsepower. Combine that with huge tires and an equally huge wing, this beast ain’t gonna take no mess.

I was worried that when I did arrive to the shop and didn’t see the master at work, that I had missed seeing him. By stroke of luck and good timing when I was about to pack things up, Nakai walks in! I was introduced to him, and immediately we started talking about cars and car culture, stories about him years past doing touge with the likes of Orido and Taniguchi, drifting, and just chatting about. Even now, I am gobsmacked how I was able to connect with him pretty much from the get-go. Despite him being as famous as he is in the car scene, he is a humble human being.

Oh… And expect a follow-up next month!