When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I am sure many of you have already seen pictures and watched videos but I discovered a few months ago that RWB made the leap to the 997 platform at some point in 2020. Has anyone explored doing one themselves here? Any opinions on how the first versions of his work look on this body?
I don’t think I would be a candidate for it but am fascinated with owners who have the stomach to watch their cars get cut up. I appreciate the work he has done on the 930 and 993 but I am not sure how I feel about the 997 versions I have seen images so far. I figure it might make for a good conversation.
Can't stand that bolted on flare look. There's one on 6speed built a few years ago that just confirmed my original impression of the LibertyWalk type kits. Widebody kits need to be done right with the flared fenders contoured into the natural flow of the body, and then the bumpers meeting those lines, not tucking inside of them, like on my widebody Cayenne below. The other kits look like something was ordered from JC Whitney and screwed onto the car. That style belongs on pickup trucks, not Porsches.
Not my taste. Not to diss them at all, but they - or more specifically, Akira Nakai - calls itself a tuning shop, but there's no actual engine/performance tuning or upgrades. It's primarily the widebody conversion, with the suspension/wheel setup to aesthetically fit the new look. You'd be hard pressed to find any performance numbers. If you like the look, go for it.
Worthy to note (and yes, you may call me boomer), but back in the day Ruf refrained from widebodies if the idea was highspeed autobahn runs. They still offered a widebody, but their narrow-bodied cars (slightly wider than the factory Carrera) was the weapon of choice, aka the Yellowbird that put Ruf on the map.
Not my taste. Not to diss them at all, but they - or more specifically, Akira Nakai - calls itself a tuning shop, but there's no actual engine/performance tuning or upgrades. It's primarily the widebody conversion, with the suspension/wheel setup to aesthetically fit the new look. You'd be hard pressed to find any performance numbers. If you like the look, go for it.
Worthy to note (and yes, you may call me boomer), but back in the day Ruf refrained from widebodies if the idea was highspeed autobahn runs. They still offered a widebody, but their narrow-bodied cars (slightly wider than the factory Carrera) was the weapon of choice, aka the Yellowbird that put Ruf on the map.
Not my taste. Not to diss them at all, but they - or more specifically, Akira Nakai - calls itself a tuning shop, but there's no actual engine/performance tuning or upgrades. It's primarily the widebody conversion, with the suspension/wheel setup to aesthetically fit the new look. You'd be hard pressed to find any performance numbers. If you like the look, go for it.
Worthy to note (and yes, you may call me boomer), but back in the day Ruf refrained from widebodies if the idea was highspeed autobahn runs. They still offered a widebody, but their narrow-bodied cars (slightly wider than the factory Carrera) was the weapon of choice, aka the Yellowbird that put Ruf on the map.
I forgot about the Ruf position on this. I totally agree that the RWB is effectively a body kit and suspension work, not engine/power related. Also not really my taste for these water cooled cars.
Can't stand that bolted on flare look. There's one on 6speed built a few years ago that just confirmed my original impression of the LibertyWalk type kits. Widebody kits need to be done right with the flared fenders contoured into the natural flow of the body, and then the bumpers meeting those lines, not tucking inside of them, like on my widebody Cayenne below. The other kits look like something was ordered from JC Whitney and screwed onto the car. That style belongs on pickup trucks, not Porsches.
Saying widebody kits need to be done right to flow into the contours of the body is true - but coming from you is interesting.
Since you post photos of your car frequently, I've felt the rear bumper on your Ruf car doesn't do that. The contour of the wheel well is off, and the hard defining edge of the wheel well is much softer on the plastic bumper than on the sheet metal of the quarter panel. It makes the entire rear end look 'mushy'.
I don't even like the factory 997 WB but it is all subjective.
I think they are cool but not for me.
The big thing for me is that, in LA, my car doesn't really stand out. I daily it. So, it is totally not for the way I use cars...
might as well throw up some pics for the conversation: http://www.speedhunters.com/2021/02/...done-two-ways/
Personally, I love the look and the way he installs the kits. I don't think they belong on anything that isn't air cooled though. And I agree, molded widebody kits look 100000% better but I still like the work Nakai puts into these builds.
100% subjective but I’m in the molded-on flares camp. No matter how well executed the riveted on flares are, they just scream “Pep Boys” special to me. Plenty of Porsche aficionados would disagree, however, see the multi-million dollar Singer DLS which has the look of the riveted/tacked on flares. Give me some 930 Turbo blended in flares any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Saying widebody kits need to be done right to flow into the contours of the body is true - but coming from you is interesting.
Since you post photos of your car frequently, I've felt the rear bumper on your Ruf car doesn't do that. The contour of the wheel well is off, and the hard defining edge of the wheel well is much softer on the plastic bumper than on the sheet metal of the quarter panel. It makes the entire rear end look 'mushy'.
vs.
The RUF rear bumper with the through bumper exhaust is the single best design element of my car and RUF actually tied it into the factory body extremely well. Look how they made a continuous character line from the front bumper that picks up the line of the side skirt and did the same thing with the line in the rear bumper instead of making it smooth, so there is continuity from the lines of the front bumper all the way down the side of the car and into the rear bumper.
The flat sided fender is actually my least favorite design element of the 997 shape, so softening that as it transition to the rear is preferable in my opinion. That flat sided fender is very Nissan GTR to me, but it is what it is.
I prefer the older bodies where the fender arches terminated at a point without the flat section like on the 928s.
My 997 is my favorite 997, and I guess that's the way it should be.
just for the record, Nakai does offer molded kits.
rough or shiny.
and even backdated
Sat in on a RWB build...my .02 - Page 4 - Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums
Lots of Rivets FS on Ebay, I mean RWB... - Page 4 - Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums
Still very exaggerated flares but, to me, that looks much, much better than his riveted on flares. Even though I know it may not be the case, molded on flares just look way more "finished" and less like an afterthought compared to the riveted on jobs.
Still very exaggerated flares but, to me, that looks much, much better than his riveted on flares. Even though I know it may not be the case, molded on flares just look way more "finished" and less like an afterthought compared to the riveted on jobs.
12-21-2021, 11:56 PM
RWB 997
