RWB HK x BRIXTON FORGED // Tiffany.
PASMAG Cover Car (May 2015 / Style Issue)
In the heart of Chiba, Japan lies a shop completely unbeknownst to the untold eye. Operating as the workplace, and often, sleeping quarters of RWB founder, Akira Nakai, its downtrodden exterior blends seamlessly with the environment around it. Hiding the automotive beauty and genius within, from the outside, it is a literal example of the owner's motto, "Rough World",
The list of automotive legends is brief, but its in this place that Nakai-san developed a concept that would put him amongst some of the greatest builders that the world will ever see. Fast-forwarding many years later, Nakai-san made his way to ReinART Design, RWB's 12th and newest shop, to build Hong Kong's first RWB Porsche 964 in collaboration with Brixton Forged. Appropriately named after the factory mint green paint reminiscent of Tiffany & Co., this 1990 Carrera 2 964, or "Tiffany," is the first of many RWB builds in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s first RWB 964 started out as a 1990 Slate Grey Porsche 911 Carrera 2 (5-speed manual). Although in good condition at the time, the car was stripped to its bare shell, both inside and out, and underwent a complete ground-up restoration.
Shortly after the new body panels were painted and the car was prepped, Nakai-san flew to Hong Kong to begin work on the car. Sporting his brown leather jacket, heart-shaped sunglasses and Winston cigarettes in hand, it wasn't hard to mistake him for a Japanese cowboy. One look at his suit case plastered in stickers and rolling on broken caster wheels, you could tell Nakai-san was very well traveled.
An astute perfectionist, Nakai begins each project with the suspension. His partnership with Aragosta means a tailored, track-worthy Type S coilover setup that meets the requirements of street and track driving, with the stiffness needed to run low ride heights and the tuning ability to perfect his tsuraichi and client-specific handling character of each car.
After the suspension setup is complete, Nakai properly secures Tiffany's 964 kit front bumper, custom grilles and signature black rubber seals. Next he sets up for the moment we have all been waiting for; the fenders.
While each vehicle is a labor of love, it's here where Nakai has earned his reputation, and where each Porsche becomes an RWB. Every cut into the body, every widebody fender, and each instillation is done entirely by feel. Using just his eyes, his hands and his experience, Nakai has given each of his 300 + cars - and in this case, Tiffany - it's unique character.
"Basically, I don't measure," he says simply. "When I cut, I measure with feeling because there are differences in the tools I use, and even in the air pressure for each country. There are also differences in climate, in road conditions, so where I fit a fender is also different. It's an intuition - a gut feeling."
He doesn't know exactly how wide the fender flares are, or where the wheels will fit immediately. When he is done installing the fenders, Nakai spray paints Tiffany's front lip and rear diffuser, mounts them, then tapes and caulks every exposed body seam. It's a series of massaging his work until it is absolutely perfect.
PASMAG Cover Car (May 2015 / Style Issue)
In the heart of Chiba, Japan lies a shop completely unbeknownst to the untold eye. Operating as the workplace, and often, sleeping quarters of RWB founder, Akira Nakai, its downtrodden exterior blends seamlessly with the environment around it. Hiding the automotive beauty and genius within, from the outside, it is a literal example of the owner's motto, "Rough World",
The list of automotive legends is brief, but its in this place that Nakai-san developed a concept that would put him amongst some of the greatest builders that the world will ever see. Fast-forwarding many years later, Nakai-san made his way to ReinART Design, RWB's 12th and newest shop, to build Hong Kong's first RWB Porsche 964 in collaboration with Brixton Forged. Appropriately named after the factory mint green paint reminiscent of Tiffany & Co., this 1990 Carrera 2 964, or "Tiffany," is the first of many RWB builds in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s first RWB 964 started out as a 1990 Slate Grey Porsche 911 Carrera 2 (5-speed manual). Although in good condition at the time, the car was stripped to its bare shell, both inside and out, and underwent a complete ground-up restoration.
Shortly after the new body panels were painted and the car was prepped, Nakai-san flew to Hong Kong to begin work on the car. Sporting his brown leather jacket, heart-shaped sunglasses and Winston cigarettes in hand, it wasn't hard to mistake him for a Japanese cowboy. One look at his suit case plastered in stickers and rolling on broken caster wheels, you could tell Nakai-san was very well traveled.
An astute perfectionist, Nakai begins each project with the suspension. His partnership with Aragosta means a tailored, track-worthy Type S coilover setup that meets the requirements of street and track driving, with the stiffness needed to run low ride heights and the tuning ability to perfect his tsuraichi and client-specific handling character of each car.
After the suspension setup is complete, Nakai properly secures Tiffany's 964 kit front bumper, custom grilles and signature black rubber seals. Next he sets up for the moment we have all been waiting for; the fenders.
While each vehicle is a labor of love, it's here where Nakai has earned his reputation, and where each Porsche becomes an RWB. Every cut into the body, every widebody fender, and each instillation is done entirely by feel. Using just his eyes, his hands and his experience, Nakai has given each of his 300 + cars - and in this case, Tiffany - it's unique character.
"Basically, I don't measure," he says simply. "When I cut, I measure with feeling because there are differences in the tools I use, and even in the air pressure for each country. There are also differences in climate, in road conditions, so where I fit a fender is also different. It's an intuition - a gut feeling."
He doesn't know exactly how wide the fender flares are, or where the wheels will fit immediately. When he is done installing the fenders, Nakai spray paints Tiffany's front lip and rear diffuser, mounts them, then tapes and caulks every exposed body seam. It's a series of massaging his work until it is absolutely perfect.