Endless City | Hachioji RWB Porsche.

While scrolling through Speedhunters in 2011 when I should have been doing homework instead I came across a feature on a car known as “Rough Rhythm”. A 993 Porsche 911 that had been built by RWB. Just a day later they released a two-part article featuring Nakai-San and his shop Rauh-welt Begriff. That was the first time a car had ever captivated me in such a powerful and unexplainable way. Between the rich history of Nakai’s journey with RWB and the incredible machines that he was producing it was obvious why it left such a huge impact on me.

Ever since then I’ve been chasing that feeling of inspiration with everything creative I have done in the automotive world; with articles like this being the primary example of that. When we asked Sid if we could do a feature on his 1988 RWB 911 Targa I never expected him to offer to hand over the keys and let us take the car to produce the video, collect photos and truly experience everything it had to offer to write the most authentic article possible. After making that offer he followed up by saying that we should keep the car for the week and bring it to our Pop-Up Shop (which is happening this coming Saturday). After I picked my jaw up off of the floor, I took the keys and headed off on one of the most fulfilling and inspiring drives of my life.

Simply put; Sid’s car feels like an automotive fever dream. The experience was so exhilarating that I wanted to hold onto the feeling that it created for as long as possible. His RWB is a raw and visceral experience and one of the loudest cars I have ever driven. Hearing the engine screaming directly behind your head creates a wild and inspiring sensation, the sticky, wide tires and no power steering make the car chase every groove in the road while the notchy shifter inspires confidence alongside the flat-six engine begging to be wrung out. I can safely say that this car generates an experience that would be hard (if not impossible) to replicate.

The car is named “Hachioji” which is a city in Tokyo, Japan, on the Musashino Terrace of the Saitama Hills in the western side of the prefecture. It is located about 20 km west of Tokyo’s central business district and lies within the borders of both Minami-rinkan District and Tama District. It also happens to be the city that was home to Nakai-San when he was an apprentice mechanic. The Japanese characters for Hachioji, 八王子, live on the hood of the car, hand painted by Nakai himself.

The literal translation for the name is “Prince of Eights” which actually possesses a strong meaning for Sid as the number eight has shown up in his life in many different ways; his car being the eighth Canadian RWB build, his birth year, the year of the car, the R888 tires, as well as being the luckiest number in Chinese culture, a direct representative of infinite flow in Feng Shui.

One of my favourite details on the car is from Nakai-San’s Rough World AE86 days. The rotated, or “clocked”, tachometer is positioned so that the redline of the gauge sits right at the very top, making for an exciting visual experience and helping the driver time perfect shifts. Another element of the car that I find striking is the fact that after many revisions the RWB kit has been blended into the car with no exposed hardware. With RWB finding its roots in the world of racing and motorsports it’s almost implied to expect hardware affixing the kits to the lucky Porsches that adorn them. Because Hachioji is primarily a street car, Sid felt that having the kit blended would enhance the clean lines that the car possesses with its “extra wide” fender kit.

My desire to one day own a 993 RWB has grown from being a distant dream to a tangible goal. Maybe one day in the future you will see me with a Silver 993 on Checkpoint. Since turning the key in Sid’s car my imagination has been running wild with ideas, inspirations and the refinement of a vision I have been developing for years, but hey, we all need something to work towards don’t we?

Thank you, Sid, not only for the experience but for the trust and the encouragement as well. Thank you Josiah for coming with and taking some excellent photos to accompany this article.

Check him out on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/yamfriess/

If you’re local ( or you aren’t scared of going on an adventure) we can’t wait to see you at our Pop-Up Shop this coming Saturday! Check the image below and our Facebook page for more details.