Akira Nakai, the founder of RWB (Rauh-Welt Begriff) and one of the most respected names in the global Porsche tuning scene, is set to touch down in South Africa to build a live widebody Porsche in front of a crowd, marking Africa’s first-ever live RWB build.
The build will take place at the idle Auto Expo on 1-2 August 2026, an event that’s already being billed as a first for the local automotive scene. For those unfamiliar, RWB isn’t your average bodykit brand. For over 25 years, Nakai-san has hand-cut and hand-fitted every single widebody conversion himself, with no two builds ever exactly alike. Each RWB Porsche becomes a rolling signature, shaped in real time using nothing but instinct, a grinder, and decades of feel for the 911’s proportions.
That’s exactly what makes this appearance so significant. Nakai isn’t sending a kit or a team, he’s coming himself tools in hand, to cut and shape a widebody Porsche live in front of fans on South African soil. It’s a rare chance for local car culture to witness a process usually reserved for garages in Chiba, Japan or private customer builds scattered across the globe.
What's your hot take on this story?
It’s one thing to see an RWB Porsche roll past at a car meet. It’s another entirely to watch the man himself bring one to life, panel by panel, right here in Joburg.
Mark the dates. History doesn’t often build itself in front of you.
