Halifax car show brings special guest

A Akira Nakai-san signature featured on a RWB Porsche at the DRIVEN Halifax car show on May 25, 2024. (Jesse Huot/CTV Atlantic)

Car enthusiasts in Halifax are getting into gear as the DRIVEN car show is making its return Saturday, and this year it has a special guest.

The car show at the Halifax Exhibition Centre will be sure to feature plenty of large wings, extended splitters, and bright-colored fiberglass, as plenty of supped-up rides hope to catch eyes.

Hosting numerous cars and businesses from across Atlantic Canada, DRIVEN will also feature a number of pro-drivers, and will host a meet and greet with one of the biggest names in the car scene.

This year’s special guest is Akira Nakai-san, who is the founder of the car tuning company RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF (RWB), which specializes specifically on Porsches.

Nakai-san will be at DRIVEN for public signings from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., and one of the RWB’s he built will be at the show.

On top of all the guests, there will also be a pro-drifting showcase just outside of the centre, where the pro-drivers will show off their skills. They will hit the pavement at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.

DRIVEN is set to begin at 1 p.m., and finish at 7 p.m.

A RWB Porsche built by Akira Nakai-san featured at the DRIVEN Halifax car show on May 25, 2024. (Jesse Huot/CTV Atlantic)

What is RWB?

Being founded in Japan in 1997 with an aim of pushing boundaries in the word of car customization, RWB has since gained a cult-like following of car enthusiasts all across the world.

Nakai-san eventually built his first Porsche, which goes by the name “Stella Artois”, based off his favourite beer back in the 90’s.

During it’s almost 30 years, RWB has become iconic for turning vintages Porches into handmade one-offs, usually combining Japanese and European tuning elements.

Usually starting from a stock Porsche 911, Nakai-san will personally fly out to his clients in order to complete the kits, which he usually does within 48 hours. One of the draws of RWB is the fact they are all hand-assembled by Nakai-san and his two assistants, meaning no two RWB’s are the same.

Some of the trademarks of an RWB Porsche include gigantic spoilers, deep-dish rims, and most recognizable, exaggerated fender flares giving the cars a wider look.

Once Nakai-san has done his work to the car, they can often fetch a price online for over $200,000.

Nakai-san even worked with Porsche in 2017, transforming a 1989 Porsche 964 into a one of a kind car, all of which he did in Porsche Centre Edmonton.

To date, just over 1,300 Porsches have gotten the RWB treatment from Nakai-san.

Check out a photo gallery of the car show here.

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