Akira Nakai built a 1-of-1 RWB Porsche 911 live for the first time in the history of Africa
Published on Aug 03, 2026 at 9:59 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Aug 03, 2026 at 9:59 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
It isn’t often that you get to witness a world first involving a performance car.
However, that’s what car fans in South Africa got to see recently with Akira Nakai and a custom Porsche sports car at idle Auto Expo.
Nakai is one of the biggest names when it comes to Japanese car culture, having built so many cars in the country.
He is the founder of RAUH-Welt Begriff (RWB), a Porsche tuner located in Japan, responsible for some truly amazing custom sports cars.
History was recently made as the legendary builder went to Montecasino in South Africa to give the country its very first RWB Porsche.
What happened at the RAUH-Welt Begriff Porsche event?
The event took place alongside artist SK Original. The artist was creating his own incredible artwork on cracked glass.
This was a portrait of Naka himself, with the artist sharing his work on Instagram alongside some footage of the event.
The footage included a close-up of the artwork and some video of the Porsche 911 being built by Nakai.
In the video shared on Instagram, we can see Nakai working on some parts of the Porsche with a crowd watching the process.
This also marked the first time that an RWB Porsche had been built live in front of an audience.
The signature of Nakai’s builds is their widebody design, and it’s become incredibly famous in his native Japan.
The live experience was an exclusive event
As you might expect, this was a very exclusive event. Nakai had never built one of his cars live, and South Africa had never seen an RWB Porsche.
There was another first at idle Auto Expo as well.
It marked the first time that a tuner and custom builder had ever constructed a full vehicle live at a car show.
That made sure this was a one-of-a-kind experience, something all automotive enthusiasts would have clamored to be able to attend.
As we see in the video, the event featured some of the staple characteristics that define the Japanese tuner’s creations.
Nakai has become famous for his widebody kits for both custom and classic Porsche sports cars.
Putting kits like this onto a classic car is always going to be somewhat controversial.
Nakai himself knows that, with some going as far as to say his kits can bring some controversy.
But as the video showed us, the finished product is superb, and to see it being built live must have been a thrill.
Who is Akira Nakai?
Born in October 1970, Nakai was an automotive enthusiast from a very young age.
American movies such as Gone in 60 Seconds and The Cannonball Run inspired him to take up an automotive career.
He originally worked with a drift crew called Rough World, where he worked on a Trueno AE86. This allowed him to hone his craft.
With that particular car, he took it to the very limits of what was possible.
His work on Porsches started after he came across a damaged Porsche 911 Turbo. This was the car that started the RWB story.
Few people get to witness an automotive legend build a car right in front of them.
We are incredibly jealous of those who got to witness Akira Nakai build this sports car.
Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
