Josh Vanhorn - 1990 Porsche 911 Carrera 2

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Josh Vanhorn

1990 RWB Porsche 911 Carrera 2

Instagram: @rwb_kashiwa

Photographer: @shanket_bhikha

From Mitsubishi to a RWB Porsche 911 Carrera 2

I didn't grow up in the car community or anything, but when I was a teenager and saw the very first Fast and the Furious movie, I was hooked. My first car was a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse. It was definitely a project car. It literally broke down on me during my drive home after picking it up. I've been building and modifying every car I've ever owned since then. I lived all over Europe as an adult and at the time I drove a 500 awhp Evo X and had a couple of other daily drivers in between. I loved that car, but when I found out I was moving to Japan, I decided to sell it because I knew it wasn't my dream car.

A Dream Unrealized Because of the 25-Year Rule

My dream car, I think was most other guys' dream car that seemed completely unobtainable, the R34 GTR. I thought the hardest choice I was going to have was to choose between either the Bayside Blue or the Millennium Jade. But when I finally got my hands on one and sat inside and drove it, I was completely unimpressed. It didn't age well, and at stock power, it was boring. But around the same time, I sold my Evo X, I was following another Evo guy on social media that sold his Evo and bought a Porsche 911 and put this crazy Japanese widebody on it. I'd never seen it before and it just lived in my head rent-free. It was an RWB.

The Search for the RWB Porsche 911 Carrera 2

I realized at the time that I was thinking too small and too mainstream with the R34 GTR. I wanted something different. So I started looking for a 911, in Japan of all places. I went to an auction and they had 964 body 911 there and I absolutely fell in love. Unfortunately, it had a bad oil leak and needed a complete rebuild. I passed. It took me a year, but I found exactly what I was looking for, and it was about 8 hours away from me in Osaka, Japan. I used a broker and bought it sight unseen and had it sent to me on a trailer. The most expensive car I ever bought, and I never even drove it or sat inside. 

Luckily, the Japanese are the most trustworthy and honest people I've known throughout my travels around the world. The car had been competitively overhauled and rebuilt and had less than 10k miles on it. Almost immediately, I contacted the email at RWB and shortly after I was contacted by Akira Nakai himself. We set an appointment and I drove out 3 hours to see him and discuss the build.

Well, life happens, and just a couple of months before my original build date, I had to cancel. I thought he would be upset and never speak to me. I felt like I wasted his time. But his response caught me off guard. He was super understanding and wasn't upset at all. We kept in touch and he even reached out and invited me to several owner events. It was super motivating. And just a couple of years later, I decided to go all-in on my build. Waiting actually turned out to be a huge benefit. I had the time to see and drive many of his personal cars and my vision for my build completely evolved.

The RWB Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Build

I decided on a very rare OEM Porsche colour, Mint. And to make everything pop, I chose to powder coat my wheels with rose gold. And those wheels aren't just your standard 3 piece Work Meisters. They're actually off Nakai-sans very own Stella. He knew I was powder coating and over the years he saw my love and passion for his cars and he offered to sell me his personal wheels cheaper than buying brand new.

To add another detail that's not in many RWB builds, I went with an Airlift air suspension system that I installed with a LOT of help from my buddy Chuck Healy of Red Beard Garage (IG @nc4lifecrewcab). When I say help, I mean I basically just held a flashlight for him lol. I've done suspension before, but the air was completely new to me.

The interior was all done by me and has Rennline race floor panels, pedals, and passenger footrest. The seats are very rare, Japan released only Recaro Sportster wrapped in leather and Alcantara. The exhaust was a very special one-off commission from Volcano Improvement Factory. We designed it together from scratch and it's made entirely of Titanium.

Also, the front license plate is an actual authentic Japanese plate that's a super limited edition for the 2020 Japan Olympics actually from Japan. The rear plate IDLERS is an homage to the Japanese racing circuit Idlers Club. Nakai spray paints the Idlers stencil on all his builds tires. Every year Nakai invites owners and close friends to race his personal cars at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan for the Idlers 12 Hour Endurance Race. I've raced it twice. Lightweight, and super grippy, it's amazing to drive and the air suspension makes it comfortably streetable.

Building the RWB Porsche 911 Carrera 2 to my Spec

The car gets a lot of looks, good and bad. But ultimately, I built this car for myself. If you like it, awesome, thank you. If you don't, that's cool, you can't please everyone and I don't try to. If I can give anyone interested in cars out there, it's simple. Don't build what you think other people will like, build what makes you happy. There's way too much negativity out there. I just wish that more people who claim to be a "car person" would just learn to appreciate another person's passion and build, regardless of whether they would personally drive it or not.

For me, this is my dream car. Imagine if you had the chance to paint a masterpiece with Picasso himself. Akira Nakai is just that. A modern-day artist that has created a cult following like no other, and welcomes everyone he meets like family. His builds are all unique and perfectly imperfect. Rauh-welt Begriff means Rough World Concept. The origin of this movement didn't come from a hard parking pretty car at a show, they're purpose-built for the track.

If you enjoyed this Car why not check out this RWB Porsche 964

I could sell this car and buy something way more exotic and much much faster, but it wouldn't be the same, and would never mean as much to me as this car does. My buddy Kyle followed me through my journey and did an amazing job at recording the process. His Instagram is @amateur_enthusiasm and his YouTube that documented it all is Amateur Enthusiasm. I have to give a huge shout out to him and the amazing work he did on his videos. Definitely an underrated influencer out there and deserves way more attention. All I have left to say is, if you're into cars, keep your dream alive, keep building, and do what you like. 

Spec List

Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Engine

• Rebuilt original 3.6

Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Interior

Rennline race floor, pedals, and passenger footrest. Japan-only release heated Recaro Sportsters with leather and Alcantara.

Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Exterior 

• Royal wide Rauh-Welt Begriff body kit, 
• race version with Kamiwaza wing. 
• Painted OEM Mint at RWB HQ in Kashiwa, Japan. 

Custom titanium exhaust and headers that retain heat function built by Volcano Exhaust in Japan. 

The car was named by Nakai during a talk with other close RWB members. The Kashiwa decal on the car is actually Nakai-sans handwriting that I scanned and had made into the decal. 

Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Wheels 

• 3 piece Work Meisters. 
• Nakai-sans personal wheels. 
• Powder-coated rose gold with a brushed face. 
• Wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires.

Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Suspension 

• Airlift Performance air suspension. 

Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Brakes 

• OEM 911 brakes, paint matched to the car.

What do you think?

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