RWB 997
#1
RWB 997
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.
‘Thoughts?
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.
‘Thoughts?
Last edited by Mayall911; 12-22-2021 at 12:02 AM.
#2
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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.
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#3
Maybe it's just me, but RWB just feels like an air cooled thing. Not to my taste for a 996 and newer Porsche.
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flapjacksteve (12-22-2021)
#4
Beautiful Cayenne!
#5
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.
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.
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#6
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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.
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.
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flapjacksteve (12-22-2021)
#7
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.
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.
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#8
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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.
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.
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benznotmercedes (12-29-2021)
#9
Three Wheelin'
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/
video
There are also pics. on instagram of the green one at SEMA
https://www.instagram.com/greg.inozetek/
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/
video
There are also pics. on instagram of the green one at SEMA
https://www.instagram.com/greg.inozetek/
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Mayall911 (12-22-2021)
#10
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.
#11
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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.
#12
Three Wheelin'
just for the record, Nakai does offer molded kits.
rough or shiny.
and even backdated
rough or shiny.
and even backdated
Last edited by jamesinger; 12-22-2021 at 04:37 PM.
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#13
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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.
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 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.
Last edited by Petza914; 12-22-2021 at 04:36 PM.
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#14
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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.
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#15
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