Porsche 911 (964) RAUH-Welt Begriff Backdate #51 – Tarmac Works

Backdate #51
1988 Porsche 911 (964) RAUH-Welt Begriff Backdate #51
Tarmac Works - T43-018-BL51 (diecast) 

Published 04/15/22

RAUH-Welt Begriff, like all other customization outfits, is in the business to make cars look unique. RWB, however, is quite different. First of all, the brand’s creator, Akira Nakai, is the only person who works on the cars. Second, Nakai-san only works on Porsches, almost anywhere in the world. And third, RWB Porsches have a very distinctive look. Akira Nakai, in the 80s, was a member of the Rough World street drifting crew from Ibaraki, Japan. Sometime later, working at a garage, he bought his dream, a 930 Porsche. Subsequently, he began customizing it, never forgetting his drifting roots. People liked his car, so he opened his own shop. His business grew and nowadays there is an “official” RWB shop in almost every country. From a small customization shop specialized in Porsches, his “rough world concept” (rauh welt begriff, in German) became a worldwide phenomenon. 

Backdate #51
From the little I could find out, Backdate #51 is a track toy.

In the beginning, most RWB cars were meant to be used both on the track and on the street. Hard. Nakai-san even promotes the Idlers 12 Hours, an amateur race at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit once a year. Yet, nowadays international RWBs are generally trailer queens or show pieces that rarely leave their owners’ garage. In contrast, most of the cars built at Nakai’s shop in Chiba are true track tools. For instance, this Gulf-blue 964, a “backdate” job. “Backdating” is making a newer Porsche model look older or closer to a previous 911 generation. Therefore, other than the trademark wide rear fenders, this 964 received a longer 901-lookalike hood and an IROCS-inspired bumper. And of course, you can’t miss that almost-Bōsōzoku huge rear wing. Probably very impractical on the street, but who cares, this is a dedicated track weapon.

I’m really curious about that Jumbo jet-sized wing – does it really work on the track?

After hours (honestly!) scouring the web trying to find info on the car, I don’t have much to show. From the license plate I discovered that Backdate #51 is registered in Kasukabe. That is a city in the Saitama Prefecture, in Japan, located to the North-East of Tokyo. I couldn’t find absolutely NOTHING on the car – mods, base car or story. I know it is a 911 964 and that it truly exists, and that it raced in the 2017 Idlers 12 Hours. That year the Idlers happened at the Tsukuba Circuit, by the way. Oh, and since it has a 51 on the side, I infer it was the 51st car to come out from the Chiba shop. So, a few tidbits of info and a conjecture… Unfortunately however, that is all that I have 😟.

It looks like Tarmac Works uses the same pipes for all their 964 RWBs.

Backdate #51 is a very recent (October/2021) release from Tarmac Works. According to them, they used new tooling, and you can see it has a different mold than Waikato. The wing is also totally different from their previous models. From the pics I’ve seen of the real deal on Speedhunters, the model looks pretty accurate. Well, with the exception of the tail pipes, that is – they are wrong. Nonetheless, I can overlook that, because I really liked the model. I’m honestly more bothered about not knowing more about the real car than the exhaust pipes. Therefore, this one goes into the it-just-looks-so-cool category of excuses.

The fatass section of the W-143 Garage.

To wrap this up, a heads-up. From the looks of it, Tarmac Works issue these models in a limited run*. I say that because from what I’ve seen, these models disappear fast from eBay’s listings. For instance, my Soulmate Jägermeister that I bought in December last year. At the time, I could easily choose between Ixo’s and Tarmac Works’ version of the model, for roughly the same price. Right now you can easily find the Ixo version; conversely, the Tarmac Works is pretty scarce. I also saw that happen to the Stella Artois and recently with the Rotana. At one time or another, I considered buying those two, but now they’re gone. So if this is really the case, don’t wait too long to get these models once they come out. Wait too long and you’ll have to pay a premium later.

*According to a card in the box, mine is #0559. Of how many 🤔? And yes, it also came in a personalized box.

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