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Ariffin Jamar
The New Paper
Sunday, Dec 21, 2014
He is world-renowned as a master of bespoke Porsche sports cars. Clients around the globe fly Mr Nakai Akira out from his base in Chiba City, near Tokyo, to have him customise their high-end German rides.
Since 1997, Mr Nakai has operated under the name RAUH-Welt Begriff - better known as RWB.
The name may suggest a large company, but he is very much a solo artist.
He has clients in the US, Europe and the Middle East. Now, he has brought his styling to Singapore. Mr Nakai was in town earlier this month to work on the first RWB Porsche here.
His Singaporean client, Mr Jansen Tan, 33, admits he has been eyeing Mr Nakai's masterpieces for a long time.
"I've been saving up for my own RWB Porsche for five years," says the design company director.
The cost to mutate his scarlet Porsche 964 was about US$30,000 (S$39,000).
The price covers everything - bringing Mr Nakai here from Japan, as well as the much-desired custom bodykit, which includes fenders, rims, tyres and spoiler.
More surprising is that Mr Tan bought the car - for $150,000 - only after Mr Nakai agreed to work on it. Aside from the logos that emblazon the body - the key look of an RWB Porsche - the car also takes on a sportier, more muscular shape.
The car's suspension is lowered, with wider wheel arches and custom spoilers that range from low-key street styles to Batmobile-like fins. To own an RWB Porsche is to join an exclusive club.
Mr Nakai's rule is that he will not work on more than one Porsche per client.
Converting the car is a three-day task split into eight-hour shifts and watching him work is an experience in itself.
He is part rock star, part mechanic, creating dynamic shapes as he sets about the car with his power tools. He works without pen or paper, preferring to scribble measurements with his finger on a dusty bonnet.
Working alone in a workshop in Kaki Bukit, he maintains full concentration, despite the gawking from Mr Tan's friends, and fans who have turned up unannounced because they found out online he was going to be here.
At one point, Mr Tan even has to chain off the area to prevent onlookers from interrupting Mr Nakai.
A man of very few words, Mr Nakai momentarily breaks his silence. "I started this because I wanted to be different. I'm happy people like my designs," he says.
Asked why he works alone, he says: "It's just easier to maintain consistency."
He prowls back and forth, like a sculptor surveying his statue, examining the chassis from all angles, making sure the fit is exact.
As if to emphasise that Mr Tan's car is now a work of art, Mr Nakai even signs on the dashboard.
He says with a rare smile: "I'm happy. This is the first RWB Porschehere. Now, I have a presence in Singapore."
